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Hooligan Theatre Company’s “˜Dames at Sea’ takes the stage

Michael Elliott rehearses opposite Kamie Tierce as the Captain and Mona Kent, respectively, for Hooligan Theatre’s production of “Dames At Sea.”

By Melissa Martin

May 27, 2010 9:24 p.m.

As if taking cue from Lady Gaga’s wardrobe, Hooligan Theatre Company presents “Dames at Sea,” a musical whose outlandish characters and over-the-top plot have kept it afloat in the hearts of audiences for more than four decades.

“Dames at Sea” will open tonight in the Northwest Campus Auditorium and run through Saturday. The musical will end the school year for the Hooligan Theatre Company, an on-campus organization committed to providing students a stage to perform on, regardless of whether or not they are fine arts students.

The musical is a parody of extravagant 1930s musicals, in which a Broadway underdog unexpectedly attains a prominent role, skyrocketing to stardom.

“Dames at Sea” stars Ruby, a small-town dreamer who arrives in New York City with nothing but her tap shoes and a prayer to live on. She lands a spot in the chorus, but soon learns the theater she is performing in will be demolished immediately.

Unwilling to give up, Ruby and the cast take the show to the high seas. After a series of bizarre twists, Ruby falls into the lead role originally held by Mona, who embodies a Diana Ross persona. Suddenly the naive girl from Utah must face the music ““ shine or go home.

Second-year psychology student Kamie Tierce is cast in the role of Mona. Tierce said the theatrical spoof carries influence from “42nd Street” and other musicals with stories of Broadway underdogs.

The quirky parody is far removed from last quarter’s Hooligan performance of “Dirty Rotten Scoundrels,” a wild success for the company. “Dames at Sea” is set to be a more intimate experience, with only 12 cast members.

Despite the eccentric plot, Tierce said she believes that the musical promotes the timeless moral of staying positive, being true to oneself and chasing dreams.

“I think there’s an overarching theme of just going for it,” said fifth-year music education student Tracy Tung, co-producer of the musical. “There’s a point where (Ruby’s) best friend says, “˜Believe! Just believe!’ And they really believe it into existence.”

For Tung and co-producer Lyle Barrere, a fifth-year physics student, there is sweet irony in this for Hooligan. Like Ruby, the company has found itself without a theater to perform in before. In just four years, the company has flourished from three members to 250, a testament to the company’s resilience in the face of such dilemmas.

Notable for welcoming people outside of the theater major and of all skill levels to perform, “Dames at Sea” is unique even for Hooligan with the high level of non-theater students in the cast. Yet to the producers, that offers a greater opportunity for learning, Hooligan’s main objective.

“It’s always fun getting to see people grow to love theater, or to see people … shine onstage,” Tung said.

Barrere said the joy of working with and teaching a variety of students about theater makes the outcome even more rewarding.

With more than 15 hours a week invested in rehearsals, plus meeting financial needs and creating set designs for the show, a payoff for Barrere comes the day after show night in typical college manner ““ via Facebook.

“One of the things I really love about the student audience is the next day on Facebook,” Barrere said. “You see people talking about it … it is very exhilarating.”

The producers agreed that in the end, they want people to have a night of laughs and good times at the theater.

“It doesn’t need to have a big moral,” Barrere said. “It’s about having fun and to continue doing theater no matter what the obstacles are. Hopefully, (the audience) will walk out and say, “˜Maybe I really can do that. I think I’ll audition for Hooligan next year.'”

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Melissa Martin
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