Cole Porter musical in Palatine
During her sophomore year, Lake Zurich High School student Lexi Burkley came this close to landing a leading role when she was cast as the understudy for Dorothy in the "Wizard of Oz."
This summer, however, she nailed it, capturing one of the principal parts in Cole Porter's classic American musical, "Anything Goes," opening at 7:30 p.m. Friday at Cutting Hall in Palatine.
"It's really, really funny, with a lot of tap dancing and singing," Burkley says. "I play the female lead involved in this giant love triangle aboard a ship."
Earlier this week, during dress rehearsals, Burkley and her co-star, Fremd High School junior Matthew Maher, came in before the rest of the cast to polish one of the show's signature numbers: "It's De-Lovely."
The lighthearted, toe-tapping romantic number seems to capture the memorable music and playful mayhem played out throughout the musical, which opened on Broadway in 1934.
Burkley and Maher are among the cast of nearly 30 teens - whose average age is 15 - coming from nine Northwest suburban communities to appear in the show. Even its production officials and orchestra members all hail from the Northwest suburbs.
For nearly two months each summer, they all come together as the Second Suburb Players, sponsored by the Palatine Park District.
For more than 20 years, Second Suburb has immersed teens in a musical theater experience during the summer, exposing them to all aspects of mounting a full-length production, as well as some of the genre's most enduring shows.
Director Susannah Kist of Palatine brought back the classic musical, "Anything Goes," after staging, "Les Miserables" last summer.
"That was so serious that I was looking for something lighter this year," Kist says. "I wanted something where people would laugh and have a good time."
For Burkley, who has performed in the ensemble of other productions, she's enjoying the chance to flesh out her role.
In it, she plays the part of Hope Harcourt, who is sailing across the ocean to be married to Lord Evelyn Oakleigh, a stuffy British nobleman. However, Billy Crocker, a lovesick Wall Street broker played by Maher, has stowed away on board to try and win over her heart.
"She's this debutant who comes from a really wealthy family," Burkley says. "But I'm trying to make her fun and exciting, especially when she's around Billy, to show that's where her heart truly lies."
While Burkley loves singing her solos and the duet with Maher, her favorite song in the musical is the showstopping production number, "Blow Gabriel, Blow," featuring the entire cast. Other principals include Molly MacInnes and Michael Schoch, both of Cary; Ryan McCain and Steve Logan, both of Palatine; and Ashley Massow of Fox River Grove.
"We try to provide a more professional setting than at the high school level, and raise the bar a little," Kist says, "so that everyone who comes here can grow in a positive and encouraging environment."
If you go
What: Cole Porter's "Anything Goes" by Second Suburb Players
When: 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday, 3 p.m. Sunday; also 7:30 p.m. July 18-19 and 3 p.m. July 20; with a highlights show at 10 a.m. July 17
Where: Cutting Hall, 150 E. Wood St., Palatine
Cost: $13-15 at door; $4 for highlights show