Arts & Entertainment
'Broadway Kids' A Success at St. Gregory's Parish
Students performed on Saturday night and Sunday afternoon, raising about $3,000 for the parish's religious education classes.
Underneath stage lights and a bright, starry banner, children sang I won't grow up and other musical favorites to a small crowd of all ages this weekend at St. Gregory the Great Parish in Harrison.
The New York Performing Arts Center's production of "Broadway Kids" didn't focus on one childhood classic, instead six were performed in the school's gymnasium at 94 Broadway.
"We don't like to dumb things down, if anything we like to push them more," said Annamarie Mastroberadino, director of the show.
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Students of the New York Performing Arts Center in White Plains write their own shows with incorporated music, but are usually older children. When Mastroberadino heard that St. Gregory's was having a 100th year celebration, she decided to direct a show focusing on younger kids of the Parish.
"It's a great way to bring musical theatre here," said Mastroberadino. "We knew there were a lot of kids out there who wanted to be doing it, but there was just nothing for them."
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The cast performed headlining songs from Peter Pan, Oliver, The Lion King, Annie, The Little Mermaid and You're a Good Man Charlie Brown.
According to Mastroberadino, 150 people attended Saturday evening's performance and she expected an additional 150 Sunday, raising a total of $3,000 for the parish's religious education program.
Though she isn't sure what next year's performance will bring, Mastroberadino said that the NYPAC is organizing a summer camp this year.
This weekend's show was the culmination of months of hard work. The young performers, who needed to tryout to join the cast, had been practicing twice a week since late last year.
Sanjay Thanneer, father of one of the play's narrators, said that Carol Grabbe, one of the show's co-producers, was like a mother to the children. Rhonda Olm, the mother of a child in the play, was pleased that the show was focused on kids at this time.
Mastroberadino said after Saturday's performance she has received great feedback from parents.
"People are just amazed that in these two months how they put it all together and how they knew exactly where to go," she said.
