Of hope and connection: ‘Fly By Night’ opens Wednesday at Riverland
Published 9:08 am Wednesday, October 10, 2018
- Noah Lund rehearses and early scene of the Riverland Theatre Production of “Fly By Night,” Tuesday night at Frank W. Bridges Theatre. The play kicks off the Riverland season tonight. Photos by Eric Johnson/photodesk@austindailyherald.com
Riverland Community College theatre director Susan V. Hansen first saw the rock musical, “Fly By Night,” at a Minneapolis theater and was immediately struck by its message of hope, and connection, she said.
“I thought if I ever got the chance, I would direct this show,” she said. “It was one of the best things I’d seen in a long time. It’s funny, it’s hopeful, it’s moving – no one walks away unaffected.”
And, Hansen got her chance. “Fly By Night” opens Wednesday, October 10, at 7 p.m. at the Frank W. Bridges Theatre at Riverland Community College. Subsequent performances are at 7 p.m. on Thursday, Friday and Saturday, and at 2 p.m. on Sunday.
Priscilla Parada, left, and Misha Stanley rehearse a scene of “Fly By NIght,” a Riverland Theatre production that starts tonight.
The musical is the story of a melancholy sandwich maker whose life comes into the orbit of two sisters – one a waitress, the other an actress. He finds himself falling in love with both of them.
“It goes back and forth in time over the course of the year,” set in part agianst the backdrop of the infamous Northeast black-out of Nov. 9, 1965, Hansen said.
You realize the takeaway “isn’t so much about how you spend your life, but who you spend it with,” she said. “About our connections in life and the choices we make, with people both past and present.”
The musical, written by three Yale University graduate students, has not followed a traditional path by opening first in New York. It has gained traction and has grown in popularity in regional theatres.
Morgan Dickman plays the narrator for “Fly By Night.”
Hansen said the seven-member cast includes a lot of talent and ability – some of it surprising, she added. She has been particularly impressed with Nathan Lund, who plays Harold, the sandwich-maker. This is his first performance on stage.
“He is amazing in this role,” Hansen said. “We needed someone who could sing and play guitar – and you would never know” that Lund was a rookie to the stage.
“The entire cast does a wonderful job,” she said. “We have beautiful voices and it is a beautiful show.”
Hansen said show is an apt opener for the 2018-2019 season, whose theme is “Season of Hope.”
“We need these kinds of shows right now,” she said. “We need hope.”
Other offerings this season include “Miracle on 34th Street, “ in December; “The Game’s Afoot,” in February/March; and Lerner and Loewe’s “Camelot,” in April/May.
“Fly By Night” Cast and Crew
Narrator – Morgan Dickman
Harold McClam – Noah Lund
Mr. McClam – Austin Hodnefield
Daphne – Misha Stanley
Miriam – Priscilla Parada
Crabbie – Charli Martin
Joey Storms – Isaiah DaMitz
Director – Susan V. Hansen
Musical/Vocal Director – Audrey Kristufek
Choreographer – Jess Wubben
Stage Manager – Emma Peterson
Technical Director – John Deyo
Band – Audrey Kristufek, Scott Anderson, Scot Wiese, Joshua Norenberg and Theresa Snater.
Tickets are for $15. For more information, go to www.riverland.edu/theatre or call 507-433-0595.
