'Bugsy' Brings Bang to Mendham Borough

Mobster, molls and silly string will all be featured when Mountain View Middle School presents their spring musical, Bugsy Malone, this Thursday, Friday and Saturday at 7 p.m. in Mendham Borough.

“Bugsy Malone is a fast-paced, fun-loving spoof of 1920s gangster films. The show is centered around Bugsy Malone (played by Michael Bowen), a former boxer who gets pulled into a turf war between rival gang bosses Dandy Dan (Sam Gilman) and Fat Sam (Jack Smith),” said first-year director William Alzaher. “Fat Sam's Gang gets splurged (with silly-string shooters) one by one until he and his right hand man Knuckles (Harry Parette) are the only ones left. Amidst the splurging and pie throwing, Bugsy falls for Blousey (Julia Drahzal), a small town girl trying to make it as a singer in the big city. The Grand Slam Girls (lead by Julia Doyle) will dazzle you with their unforgettable jazz numbers while the chorus dances and sings to set the mood for this lively speakeasy.”

According to Alzaher, picking a musical for his maiden voyage at Mendham was an easy one.

“I wanted to pick a show that was funny, upbeat, and had catchy melodies; Bugsy was the perfect choice,” Alzaher said. “I wanted to get boys excited about dressing as gangsters and shooting silly-string splurgers and the girls excited about big dance numbers in flapper dresses. I wanted to bring back the Mountain View musical with a bang, and this show certainly does”

Alzaher said the audience is in for more than an enjoyable night of theater when they come to see Mountain View’s production.

“If they come Thursday, they get a catered meal from Bellini's. This year we added a performance: Thursday night Dinner Theater,” Alzaher said. “On Friday and Saturday, audiences should be prepared to laugh, cry, and possibly, get splurged.”

Alzaher said he has arranged music for a live jazz band and patrons will be amazed by the hand-sewn costumes created by parents and Marisa Dodge.

“There's an incredible set with NYC skylines, old-timey cars, and art-deco created by students, lead by Susan Buckholz and Paul Damato,” Alzaher said.

Alzaher said that all 41 students in the show do some singing and dancing and that he was overwhelmed by the dedication of everyone involved in the production.

“I was truly surprised by the enthusiasm of the cast and crew. These students love this musical, and it really shows,” Alzaher said. “They've put their hearts and 'soles' into this production and the end result is going to be stunning. They learned their lines and songs within the first month of rehearsals. They come to practice everyday with renewed excitement.”

Bugsy bows Thursday at 7 p.m. at Mountain View School.