Step back in time with a live Dixieland band, professional sets
and elaborate costumes
– all which make up ‘Flapper!’
“Flapper!” roars into the South Valley this week, bringing the lovable flapper Polly Pepper to The Granada Theater’s stage in this children’s musical production presented by San Benito Stage Company.
“This is going to be a great show, very funny – it’s just amazing,” said director Sally Hail. “It’s about a madcap flapper named Polly who is charmed. Everything she does is good, she’s rich, she’s famous, she’s beautiful, and she’s going to inherit a huge diamond. Then the bad guys try to steal it from her. It’s a hoot and a half.”
The show features a cast of 49 kids ranging in age from 8 to 16, but people of any age will get a kick out of the show, said the show’s producer, Kathy Alvarez. Every child in the show has at least one line.
The show will feature a live Dixieland band, elaborate costumes, lighting by a Los Angeles theater pro and professional sets. An antique car and search lights will help make opening night a true red-carpet event.
“I think people should come see the show because there was a lot of effort put into this production,” said Jessica Frey, 15, who plays the lead role of Polly Pepper. “I think some people might think it won’t be as good because it’s a children’s production, but there’s been a lot of effort put into everything. There were a lot of parents helping and a whole production crew made the costumes and everything amazing.”
Polly Pepper’s outfits are all done in pink, some with tassels, others with flowers and beading. Frey’s favorite scenes include one where Polly meets a cowboy in Florida and another where Polly auditions for the Ziegfeld Follies.
Frey, a Sophomore at San Benito High School, said the comedy in the show could be appreciated by audience members of any age. Though the show involves gangsters and a speakeasy owner, Hail agreed that the show is appropriate for entire families. The original script called for cigarettes in some scenes, but they’ve been taken out of the show.
“You know, our mission statement to the kids is that they must have fun and they must create happy memories for life,” Hail said. “I think we’ve got that covered. Now we just need the community to come out and support their local theater, support the town and support people who are trying to bring something interesting to Hollister. This script is written really well, the songs are fantastic and it’s just plain funny. It’s going to be great.”
