Winthrop High School Drama Society has just finished its second production of the year. From January 13th through January 16th, they performed their “Simply the Best” Dinner Theatre at Prince Pizza. The production got rave reviews across the town, celebrating David Laminia and Jamie Montassero’s 20th anniversary of running the production together. The show featured iconic numbers from the past 20 Dinner Theaters and an alumni number that featured a different group of former WHSDS each night.
The cast consisted of 21 WHS students: five seniors, Allie Joyce, Julia Hurley, Kate Brodin, Hannah Gorman, and Emily Walker; seven juniors, Aubrey Demayo, Chelsea Long, Elaina Freeman, Jake Kowalczuk, Jillian Bounopane, Nichole Pinherio, and Sheridan Daley; four sophomores, Ben Spencer, Juliet Bettano, Michael Tracy, and Olivia Scorzella; and finally, five freshmen, Sarah Tracy, Lily Armistead, Reem Salama, Bella DePaula, and Vivianne Engman Murphy.
The show consisted of 17 numbers from the past 20 years, kicking the show off with the titular song “The Best” By Tina Turner. The song was performed by Juliet Bettano, Jillian Buonpane, Sheridan Daley, Aubrey Demayo, Elaina Freeman, Julia Hurley, Chelsea Long, Michael Tracy, Sarah Tracy, and Emily Walker. This number was the perfect start to the show, giving the audience a taste of what they would be experiencing for the next hour and a half. It drew the crowd right in and made them excited for the rest of the show. I definitely noticed a change in the atmosphere after this number was performed.
The atmosphere also experienced an incredible lift after Michael Tracy, Sarah Tracy, and Juliet Bettano performed “24k Magic” by Bruno Mars. The number was filled with excitement and energy and that radiated into the audience. Another standout number in the show was the Act 1 finale “Joyful Joyful” from Sister Act 2, featuring Sheridan Daley who wowed the audience the minute she opened her mouth. Sheridan was backed up by the rest of the cast who brought extra excitement with their dancing and vocals.
Act 2 was my favorite out of the 4. It featured “California Gurls” by Katy Perry sung by Emily Walker and featuring Jillian Buonopane, “Goodbye Earl” by The Chicks sung by Jillian Buonopane featuring the rest of the cast, “My Church” by Marren Morris sung by Chelsea Long featuring Juliet Bettano, Aubrey DeMayo, Sarah Tracy, and Emily Walker, and finally “ Mama, I’m A Big Girl Now” from Hairspray sung by Juliet Bettano, Jillian Buonopane, Sheridan Daley, Aubrey DeMayo, Julia Hurley and Chelsea Long. Each song was sung and performed so beautifully by the cast and everyone was kept entertained and smiling during this act.
Act 3 was comprised of 4 more iconic and beautifully done songs “I Want You Back’ by Jackson 5, “Peter Pan” by Kelsea Ballerini, “Finale B” from Rent which was also the alumni number, and “Wannabe” by the Spice Girls. Each song received many rounds of applause, especially Finale B where the smiles on the alumni’s faces were prominent as they got another chance to sing for their friends and family in a production that meant to much to them. It was really cool to see all the alumni stand up on the dance floor with all the current WHSDS members as they joined together to perform this beautiful song.
Act 4 was kicked off with “Shake It Off” by Taylor Swift, sung by Sarah Tracy who gave an energetic performance and brought the audience back from their final intermission and right back into the world of the show. Then the crowd was invited to dance on the dance floor as Emily Walker, Jillian Buonopane and Juliet Bettano performed “Turn The Beat Around” by Vicki Sue Robinson, smiles and laughs filled Prince Pizza as the audience joined their friends and family members on the dance floor. “You’ve Got A Friend” by James Taylor was performed by the 5 seniors and the rest of the cast sat on the floor as they watched their friends sing their final goodbye to Dinner Theater. It was done gorgeously by all 5 of the girls and they received a giant cheer when they finished. Finally, to close out the night Sheridan Daley brought the house down with her rendition of “Last Dance” by Donna Summers. It was the perfect ending to this celebration and the whole cast brought their everything to this finale.
Dinner Theater at Winthrop High School is ‘Simply the Best’ and I give my deepest congratulations to the cast and crew that worked so hard on this production. If you see any of them in the hallways or around town I encourage you to congratulate them on their hard work and accomplishments.