Freeport Area High School brings tap-dancing musical ’42nd Street’ to the stage
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It’s a musical with a lot of kick.
Freeport Area High School presents its 2020 spring musical “42nd Street” from March 12-15.
And who better to direct the classic musical chronicling the story of a small town Pennsylvania girl with Big Apple dreams than Freeport alumnus, Broadway performer, New York City resident and former Radio City Rockette Elizabeth Surgil.
Surgil replaces usual Freeport director Tom Koharchik this season. “Because I did the ‘42nd Street’ national Broadway tour (a long time ago) and knew the show so well, Mr. Koharchik gave me this opportunity to direct and choreograph,” Surgil says.
The plot follows the journey and rise of Peggy Sawyer, who leaves her hometown of Allentown for New York City, with sights set on a career on Broadway .
“This show has a really special place in my heart,” Surgil says. “It offers old-time nostalgia, a 1930s theme and we have more than 100 students in the cast.”
Freeport senior Halle Surgil (Elizabeth’s daughter) plays Peggy, and her life shares a few parallels with her fictional lead role — such as hailing from a small Pennsylvania town and spending time in New York.
With national and regional commercial roles dotting her professional resume, Surgil, 18, was most recently awarded the Mancini Award in 2018 for Best Leading Actress and Best Supporting Actress in 2017. She studied in New York, competing for a national title, the Jimmy Award, where she was awarded the “Rising Star” and was the youngest competitor.
“I’m trying to find my way in the theater world and this character Peggy relates to my life right now,” says Surgil, who plans to study theater (perhaps in New York) this fall.
With plenty of toe-tapping tap dance numbers (look for 26 tap dancers during the iconic audition scene) and high-energy numbers, “42nd Street” promises to bring Broadway pizzazz .
Students in lead roles also include: Maddie Beer as Dorothy Brock, Liam Dress as Julian Marsh, Colton Mell as Billy Lawlor, Cora Crytzer as Lorraine Fleming, Adam Harris as Abner Dillon, Leah Hartman as Maggie Jones, Caitlyn Lincoln as Bert Barry, Luke Mann as Pat Denning, Hannah Slaughenhoupt as Andy Lee, Brianna Sutara as Phyllis Dale and Rebecca Waldron as Diane Lorimer.
All performances are in the Freeport Area Middle School Auditorium.
Performances are at 7:30 p.m. March 12-14 and 2 p.m. March 15. For more information, freeport.k12.pa.