“NO, NO” IS A MUST-GO FOR ALL: Tapping into Choate’s Spring Musical
By Robbie Pelletier ’11
News Reporter
The 2008 Choate spring musical “No, No, Nanette”, the final musical directed by Mr. Paul Tines in his long, renowned career, is scheduled to open this Friday. Based on a musical comedy written in 1925 and set in the same time period, the play tells the story of a rich Bible salesman, Jimmy Smith (played by Aaron Green ’08) who gets into trouble when he tries to help three poor young women. After Jimmy gives the ladies a generous sum of money, they blackmail him, threatening to tell Jimmy’s wife Sue (played by Lauren Provini ’08) that he has been cheating on her. In desperation, Jimmy turns to his friend Billy (portrayed by Jack Fallon ’08) and invites him and the three ladies to the Smith’s Atlantic City home, hoping that they will be able to sort the whole mess out there. Meanwhile, Jimmy and Sue’s young ward Nanette (played by Ali Smith ’09) also faces difficulty when she and her nurse decide to visit Atlantic City as well, causing Nanette’s boyfriend Tom to think his love has abandoned him.
“No, No, Nanette” is a typical 1920’s play, with bright, colorful costumes, slapstick dialogue, and jazzy, lighthearted songs – a perfect choice for a spring musical. “The large ammount of tapdancing is definitely my favorite aspect of the play,” says Provini ’08. “Although it was incredibly demanding in the beginning, the improvement has been phenomenal.” Despite this week’s series of arduous dress rehearsals (many of which begin at five o’ clock in the evening and do not end until ten or ten-thirty) director Paul Tines is looking forward to the opening of his last show at Choate. Mr. Tines is impressed by the sheer number of students involved in the play, which includes an unprecedented number of freshmen, as well as math teacher Marc Tisdale. “We have forty cast members, twenty people in the tech crew, and about eighteen or twenty people in the orchestra,” Tines told The News in a brief interview. “That’s almost eighty people all together. It’s amazing.”
The actors themselves are equally enthusiastic, and the long hours spent onstage have not dampened their spirits. “It’s been great working with Mr. Tines and everybody else,” said Rebecca Sassoon ’08. “Everything just came together.”
Billy, played by Jack Fallon ’08, enjoys the attention of a chorus of giddy girls. PHOTO/Laura Stephenson ’09
