Huntley High brings 'Fiorello' to the stage

Huntley High School Theatre will present "Fiorello" at 7 p.m. Friday, April 24, and Saturday, April 25, and 2 p.m. Sunday, April 25, at the Performing Arts Center, 13719 Harmony Road, Huntley.

Tickets are $8 for adults and $6 for students. Tickets may be purchased online at www.district158.org/pac/ or at the door starting one hour before each performance.

Fiorello H. LaGuardia's story, brought to life by Jerry Bock and Sheldon Harnick, is about an honest man who worked tirelessly on behalf of the little guy - among them immigrants struggling to build homes for themselves and become Americans during the Roaring '20s and the Great Depression. LaGuardia took on a big-city political machine stained with corruption and brought about sweeping reforms as mayor of New York City. Yet his work in the United States Congress may be his most important legacy.

Fiorello has not been revived on Broadway despite tying "The Sound of Music" for Best Musical in 1960 (and also beating the musical "Gypsy") and being one of only seven musicals ever awarded a Pulitzer Prize for drama. In an article in a nationally known theater magazine, the show was referred to as "the greatest musical you've never heard of." The music is witty and passionate and foreshadows the later success of the writing team in "Fiddler on the Roof."