2002 Archbishop Quigley Theatrical Performance of
Damn Yankees

 
Joe Hardy with Lola

    Traditions are stitching in the fabric of life. They bring people together, year after year, to share time together with a common objective. Holidays such as Christmas and Thanksgiving are great annual traditions that bring families together. The patriotic festivities on the 4^th of July bring the entire nation together in order to celebrate our nation and history. And ethnic celebrations commemorate cultural heritages within certain groups. Quigley is rich in tradition – and one of the greatest of those traditions is the annual school play.

Joe Hardy with Applegate

    This year, Quigley and company performed the famed Broadway musical Damn Yankees - about a obsessive fan, Joe, of the (now desisted) Washington Senators, who makes a deal with an elusive Mr. Applegate (the Devil) to sell his soul in return for being a young talented baseball star for the Senators. Trouble starts to brew when Joe wants to go back to his wife, who he had to leave to become young again. The play shows how Joe balances his love of baseball, dedication to the Senators, and desire to be with his wife again.

The Chorus

    Under the direction of Mr. Conway (director), Fr. Cronin (musical director), Mr. Elhers (choreographer), and our very own Ms. Wethington (faculty overseer), these devoted students worked on all aspects of the play since the beginning of January.  In these three months of 3+ hour practices, Quigley students of all years worked with dedicated girls from over half a dozen private and public schools to create a performance complete in drama, full in music, lively in dance, enriched with technology, and precise in technical production (such as the lights, sound and set). With over 180 hours of regular practice at Quigley, performers matured in their art while crew grew adept in their craft.

Walsh with Gloria Thorpe

    At the onset of Tech Week, the play already exhibited verve and vivacity, reflective of the enthusiasm of the troop. Yet, the intense period of five days and over 25+ hours of practice (from Saturday through Thursday) truly brought out a finishing glisten that emanated forth on opening night. The audiences must have noticed, because the first two nights were sold out – with the Sunday performances nearly at maximum. 

L'orchestra

    Mixing catchy songs, clever dialogue, large dance scenes, and a cast of colorful characters, this year’s performance was a great accomplishment for all involved – and an enjoyable time for all who come to watch. Damn Yankees truly continued that great tradition of drama at Quigley further into the new millennium.

By: Andrew V. Liaugminas ('02)