It's 'Curtains' for LHS Thespian Troupe This Weekend

Someone is about to be murdered at - but don't worry; it's all in fun.

In fact, the LHS Thespian Troupe is hoping it'll be downright funny - especially since it's part of the musical comedy/murder-mystery it's debuting Friday night on the high school auditorium stage.

The troupe will be putting on a production of Curtains Friday and Saturday night, beginning at 8 p.m.

The show is based on the original book and concept by Peter Stone, and it's a musical send-up of backstage murder mystery plots, set in 1959 Boston, Massachusetts.

It follows the fall-out when the supremely untalented star of Robbin' Hood of the Old West  - the show within the show - is murdered during her opening night curtain call.

It's up to a police detective who moonlights as a musical theater fan to save the show, solve the case and, perhaps, find love before the show reopens - all without getting killed himself.

"It's really a who-done-it that focuses on this group of actors at the Colonial Theater. The star of the show destroys the show, and ends up murdered after the show within the show's opening night," said John Savastano, LHS drama and English teacher and director of the show.

Savastano spoke with Lindenhurst Patch just hours before the curtain went up on Curtains.

Helping him prepare the troupe for the opening is Carmine Carnevale, media communications teacher and show producer; Kevin Pike, band coordinator and show pit director; Charles Pramnieks, teacher and show choral director; and Kristine Lyons, dance teacher and show choreographer.

Savastano said that Curtains was chosen based on the troupe.

"As always we try and evaluate the talent and needs of the troupe, and fit the show to the group," Savastano said. "This has a lot of female leads in the show, and we have a lot of girls this year, and we wanted to give them a chance - epsecially the upper classmen - to be featured in the show."

Indeed, Carnevale said there are three or four leads for the girls, and the boys. "It's a relatively large cast," he told Patch.

The principal characters are being played by the following students:

• Bambi Bernet: Ali Dwyer, senior
• Lieutenant Frank Cioffi: Dan Owens, sophomore
• Aaron Fox: Lucien Copolla, sophomore
• Nikki Harris: Rita Sarli, senior
• Georgia Hendricks: Cassandra Price, senior
• Chris Belling: Jonathan Persico, senior
• Carmen Bernstein: Hailey Berkowitz, senior

The entire cast perfected its performance earlier this week with a dress rehearsal and a performance for the seniors in the community, school district officials added.

Residents seeking a night of theater right in their own backyard performed by some of Lindenhurst's future stage and screen stars should head to the high school tonight or tomorrow night ().

Show time is 8 p.m., and tickets are $10 each. And all of the proceeds go back into supporting the LHS Thespian Troupe.

"Any and all money generated goes right back into the troupe - to help pay for costumes, sets, paint, construction, etc.," noted Carnevale.

For more information and to see more photos and videos of the show as it came together, visit the show's website, http://lindymedia.com/curtains/, which was designed by Carnevale.