Greg Little
Kicks Editor
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Glitz, glamour and lots of tap dancing drive summer school production of 42nd Street
Penny Hazeltine photo
Members of a chorus line featured in the upcoming Janesville School District summer school presentation of 42nd Street include, from left, Kaiya Hutter, Leah Sodemann, Molly Skalecki, Abby Young, Audrey OLeary, Faith Green, Annika Leverson, Bria McDade, Rachel Hammes, Devon Steed and Jazmine Dewey. The play premieres Friday, July 19, at Parker High School in Janesville.
Penny Hazeltine photo
Rachel Hammes performs during a rehearsal for the Janesville School Districts summer school production of 42nd Street.
JANESVILLEFall sports practices dont officially start until Aug. 6, but theres already a flurry of physical activity going on inside Parker High School.
For the past few weeks, youth actors and actresses from several area school districts have been running, jumping, dancing and singing as they prepare for the Janesville School District summer school production of 42nd Street. The musical extravaganza not only goes heavy on the glitz and glamour but also challenges performers with nearly a dozen high-energy dance numbers.
People dont realize you need to be an athlete to do this, said Michael Stanek, who is choreographing the musical. This is as much as being an athlete, if not more.
Stanek understands the demands that come with 42nd Street. Throughout 1996, he played lead in an American-language production of the musical that toured Europe.
This was the show that, in my career, I am most proud of, he said. Stanek admits he tends to be a perfectionist and is maybe even more so with this particular show.
I have been wanting to do this, but we were waiting to have the right cast, Stanek said. You have to have the right talent because everybody has to be a triple threatable to act, sing and dance. This year, we have the talent to pull it off.
This years summer school production includes students from not only Parker High but also Craig, Evansville, Milton, Parkview, Whitewater, St. William and St. John Vianney schools.
One of Broadways most recognized musicals, 42nd Street follows the story of Peggy, a small-town actress who comes to New York City to audition for the show Pretty Lady. Initially spurned, she eventually earns a spot in the shows chorus and later assumes the lead when the star is injured and unable to perform.
The play follows Peggys journey to stardom, incorporating some of Broadways best-known songs in the process. In addition to the title tune, the production features such standards as Lullabye of Broadway, Were in the Money and I Only Have Eyes for You.
And, of course, there is the tap dancing. A lot of tap dancing.
I love all the dancing, said Parker Rundquist, a Craig High School senior. Last year, we got a taste of it with Anything Goes and one tap number, but this year there are multiple (tap) numbers.
Last year I was kind of learning, but now Im one of the three main couples for tapping, so Im getting more instruction on how to do it.
Molly Skalecki, a senior at Parker, has been tap dancing for 10 years. She said she likes 42nd Street because its a happy show, and she has enjoyed watching her castmates improve their dancing through the summer school program.
I love watching all the people behind me grow while dancing, she said. I have a few friends who have never taken dance and are now really great dancers from doing these shows and learning from Michael. Were very lucky to have him, especially for 42nd Street.
In addition to the dancing and singing, the show is known for its grandiose sets and glitzy costumesboth of which will be prevalent in the local production. The giant 42nd Street sign specifically created for the show is not to be missed.
There are sequins, sequins and more sequins, said musical director Jan Knutson. The costumes are going to brilliant and sparkling, and the dance numbers are just incredible.
Its just a fun show, she added. Youll smile. They smile even while theyre rehearsing. It will lift your spirits, and I think its going to be a great summer show.
Mature man playing a conga drum and singing isolated on white background
Dramatic scene on the sky. Vintage fighter plane inbound from sun. Retro technology background.
Kicks
Janesville Warbird Weekend provides hands-on view of World War II history
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Benjamin Pierce
Education reporter
Mike Nightengale photo
Janesville Warbird Weekend returns to the Southern Wisconsin Regional Airport in Janesville from July 19-21. More than 20 different World War II-era planes are expected at the event.
Pete Buffington photo
President Dwight D. Eisenhowers twin-engine Air Force One, a 1955 Aero Commander L-26B nicknamed Ikes Bird, will arrive about 4 p.m. Saturday, July 20, and be on display during the Swings & Wings hangar party at the Southern Wisconsin Regional Airport near Janesville.
JANESVILLEMuseums offer memorable ways for people to learn about history.
Visitors can walk through displays and see pieces of history firsthand, perhaps gaining a more thorough understanding of what actually occurred than they might by flipping through the pages of a textbook or by surfing the Internet.
An upcoming celebration of American aviation history, however, plans to take that learning one step further.
Janesville Warbird Weekend returns July 19-21 to the Southern Wisconsin Regional Airport. The event, coordinated by the Commemorative Air Force based in Texas, will feature an up-close look at planes mostly from the World War II era.
Theyre not just museum pieces you look at from a distance, said Jacques Robitaille, public information officer for the Commemorative Air Force.
Those attending the event can get a look at the planes through ground tours, Robitaille said, and plane rides will be offered throughout the weekend.
You can touch them and get inside them and really get a much better sense of how brave the men and women that flew these machines must have been, he said.
Janesville Warbird Weekend offers a local spin on the annual Experimental Aircraft Association AirVenture, a large aviation show that runs July 22-28 in Oshkosh. The CAF stops in Janesville on its way to the Oshkosh show.
The CAF is the worlds largest flying museum, according to the groups website, and features an estimated 170 airplanes from the World War II era. The CAF was started as a nonprofit by former pilots who wanted to prevent historic aircraft from being destroyed.
Event coordinator Pete Buffington of Stoughton said he expects about 24 different planes at the event.
The really cool thing is that theres probably no time in history where all these different types of warbirds gathered in one place. Its almost unheard of, he said.
The weekend also will feature World War II reenactors, vehicles, food, a Beechcraft flyover and a visit from author Steve Snyder, who wrote Shot Down, a novel based on World War II.
A 1940s-themed hangar party, Swing & Wings, will take place from 7-10皰.m. Saturday. About three hours before the party, President Dwight D. Eisenhowers twin-engine Air Force One, a 1955 Aero Commander L-26B nicknamed Ikes Bird, will arrive and go on display until it leaves at noon Sunday.
Other planes that will be on dispaly also have plenty of historic value, Buffington said. For instance, a B-29 Superfortress first flown in 1942 was used in Japan during World War II and the Korean War. The plane visiting Janesville is one of only two B-29s left flying, Buffington said.
Another plane expected for the show, the B-24 Liberator, was the most-produced American airft of World War II, and it had multiple uses in the military, Buffington said.
Buffington hopes people will come out and see the planes histories for themselves.
It just gives people the chance to see what our veterans were actually subjected to while flying in order to protect our freedoms, he said. Its a pretty incredible thing to see what our vets did every day to protect us.
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