Student-written "Chance at Love" a huge success
CHRISTOPHER SCOTT
Scene Theater Critic
Musical theater is a rarity on Notre Dame's campus. Students are able to experience their share of assorted Film, Television and Theater mainstage performances, but they can only experience one musical per year, as performed by the Pasquerilla East Musical Company each February.
With the creation of the Farley Hall Players and the performance of "Chance at Love" this Friday and Saturday in the LaFortune Ballroom, the campus was granted another opportunity to indulge in the wonders of musicals and in particular, musical comedy.
The biggest difference between this musical and others performed on campus in the last four years is that the script, music and lyrics were written and composed by two Notre Dame juniors: Ryan Cunningham and Tommy Curtin.
Two years after a fortuitous conversation in the booths of the LaFortune Student Center, the hard work of Cunningham and Curtin have produced a musical comedy which "makes light of dating and its inherent infatuation, domination and desperation," according to the play's program.
The story of "Chance at Love" takes place in your average suburban city and follows the adventures of three best friends: Tom, Brett and Adam. Tom (played by freshman Ray Areaux) is the "nicest guy you'll ever meet" and is in love with his girlfriend Cheryl (senior Betsy Kahl) who has used him for the last three years.
Brett (junior Alan Maginn) is the socially successful guy who ends up with a new girl every night (all played by junior Heidi Kellner). Adam (Cunningham) is the dorky friend that the guys say they keep around for comic relief who is "clinically retarded" when it comes to the dating scene.
The plot begins as Elmer (senior Matt Baggetta), the elderly neighbor of the three friends, is disgusted with Tom for asinine reasons. For this Elmer desires to destroy Tom's life by breaking up him and Cheryl. Elmer gains the assistance of Brett by promising him a date with his granddaughter Mary (senior Tiana Checchia).
Elmer succeeds in breaking up Tom and Cheryl, but his plan fails as Brett passes off his date with Mary to the newly single Tom in favor of a date with Cheryl. At the same time in the show, the elder Gwen (sophomore Molly McShane) secretly pursues the younger Adam.
From the beginning until the end of "Chance at Love," the actors never departed from character.
"Everything from the set changes to the dialogue to the songs were done in a very relaxed manner, as if our characters knew they were putting on a show," said Maginn.
This was evident even when the characters walked offstage "in the hallway." They reacted to the audience's presence by saying hello or in Elmer's case asking them what they were doing in his hall as he passed the front row. While outlandish at times, each characters' actions were done in way that made the audience believe that they knew what it was like to be the person they were playing.
"One of the greatest things about the show was that we as performers were having so much fun on stage, and the audience could sense that and enjoyed it with us," said Baggetta. "That relationship with the audience — that collective energy — just made the whole show that much better."
Baggetta's performance was perhaps the most outstanding of the night. His portrayal of Elmer as the evil nemesis was by far the most difficult part in the show. While the other characters basically acted their age, Baggetta transformed himself into a grumpy 80-year old man out to seek revenge on the world.
Just watching his facial expressions was enough to cause laughter for some audience members. Baggetta was also the only male member of the cast who had to don women's clothing.
A unique aspect of "Chance at Love" was the straightforward mocking of musical comedy itself. This added an amusing feel to the show, as the actors acknowledged how ludicrous it was to randomly break into song, or for relationships to go from start to marriage in the course of just a few scenes.
For example, in Gwen's song, "Just Boys," she tried to explain to Elmer that the key to happiness is "a harmonious and symphonious singing spree." In "More Than Stars," Tom and Mary had their first kiss, but then only a scene later Tom asked her to marry him.
A continuous stream of humor flowed through "Chance at Love." From nipple jokes to hostage crises, not a single scene in the show was devoid of humor. Even when it seemed time for a serious melody, there was something to keep the audience laughing.
For example, after Mary first met Tom, she sang the beautiful solo "Perhaps I Like Him." However as she sang, a drunk Gwen attempted to revive a heart attack-stricken Elmer using an iron as a heart defibrillator.
Despite this constant humor, the hours of hard work that were put into the show were evident. "Chance at Love" is an extremely well written show. Curtin has composed wonderful melodies that many will hum for days after the show and Cunningham has written a script that will keep future audiences rolling in the aisles.
A truly amazing experience, "Chance at Love" was performed by a phenomenally talented cast who were friends onstage as well as off. For the 500 people that saw "Chance at Love" this weekend, they had the chance to experience some of the true creative talent Notre Dame has to offer.
All Scene Stories for Wednesday, March 28, 2001
