BETHEL PARK, Pa,None — If there's one school that knows how to do a BIG musical (and by big I mean over 200 students performing in front of a sold out audience of well over 1,000) it's Bethel Park. This year's production of "Kiss Me Kate" in size alone was impressive. But what's even more impressive is the level of talent oozing from the hallways of Bethel Park High School.
The school's production team, headed by David Buetzow and Tood Kuczawa offer a wealth of experience for the students involved.
Beautzow, who was greated to a standing ovation at the final night of the show, has conducted 24 shows at BPHS and has taught instrumental music for the school district for 35 years. His involvement in the musical program is described by many parents as a gift.
Though this is his last year as co-producer and conductor, he says this year was more than he could ever ask for. "I have been incredibly blessed over the years that I have been here to work with wonderful and talented students."
The production team sits down each summer to choose a show and Beautzow says "Kiss Me Kate" seemed like a good fit for the students they had for this year's production. "We have a lot of talented singers and dancers that seemed to fit the roles very well for 'Kiss Me Kate'. The show called for a nice sized orchestra and we went with it."
The show itself can be a little confusing for those not familiar with it, for good reason too. The production history describes it as: "‘ a musical structured as a play within a play, where the interior play is a musical version of William Shakespeare's ‘The Taming of the Shrew.'"
The name "Shakespeare" can turn some people off, and even though much of the dialogue includes "thy" and "thines" and unnecessary "th's" on words, it's done with humor and is actually easier to watch than read about.
As I mentioned before, the sheer size of this cast is mind boggling. But the production team for Bethel Park is clearly used to a large number of students and is able to use each and every cast member to the show's advantage.
Reading through the program, I realized the directors decided to cast two students to many of the leading roles, giving each student lead 2 nights to perform. The directors should be commended for this because it gives more students a chance to have their moment on stage.
It's obvious the production staff at Bethel Park High School cares deeply about their students and don't mind a little extra work if it means a better experience for the actors and actresses involved. Bravo.
Having attended only one night of the show I did not get the chance to see the alternate performers in their given roles. However, I have no doubts those students were equally talented and gifted as the ones I'm about to write about.
Senior Sara Spadacene who played the role of "Lilli/Katherine" on closing night was absolutely remarkable. As a strong singer and equally strong actress, Spadacene has plans to attend college for musical theatre, and she should.
Her performance of "I Hate Men" was one of the best performances of any musical number I've seen this musical season. From throwing chairs and beating up her fellow male cast mates, this number was one I'll remember for a long time.
Spadacene's co-star, Robert Raeder is also another stand-out actor and singer to grace the Bethel Park stage. In his final performance in high school, Raeder shows maturity and a deep understanding for the art of singing, acting and dancing. According to his program bio he's been honing his craft for nearly all of his life, studying voice, piano and theatre at a number of well established schools in our area.
Many of the students in this production are like Reader and study music, dance and acting throughout the year. It's wonderful to see interest in the arts alive and well among our youth.
It's also great to see a school district that provides their students with ample opportunity to experience the arts, like Bethel Park. Other school districts should use this as a model or at the very least an inspiration for their own arts programs.
Review written by WPXI freelancer, Shannon Peluso. She can be reached at speluso@wpxi.com