Pipestone Flyer
Opry star, Carlotta Baraccuda, played by Cassidy Luchka, sings as cast
members surround her with umbrellas.
The drama productions by Sacred Heart School in Wetaskiwin continue to reveal the genius of Ken Mastel in bringing out the best acting abilities of his Junior High Drama students. The latest one, “The Phantom of the Opery,” a country western style spoof by Tim Kelly of the well known “The Phantom of the Opera,” was no exception. The complex plot, with the phantom, the murders, the romance, the rivalry between divas, combined with the song and dance numbers to provide excellent entertainment.
Although the play required quite a large cast of 23 characters, seven of the main roles were double cast to share participation in the four shows on May 14th and 16th. Outstanding young voices were in the key singing roles. The rivalry between the young divas was enhanced and made more humourous by the involvement of their stage mothers interfering in trying to promote their daughters' careers. The very names of the characters in the drama added to the amusement; the star was Carlotta Barracuda, while her competing understudy was Christine Swansong, and the policeman was Farleigh Good. Some other suggestive names were Guppy Gopher, Junior Hamster, Silky Acidtongue, Smoky Fish, and Flufferduff Chinstrap.
The set and costumes were well done, as was the choreography for the dance numbers. All aspects of the production revealed the tremendous effort required by a major production such as this. Once again Ken Mastel and his Drama students at Sacred Heart Roman Catholic Separate School in Wetaskiwin pulled it off.