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- Seth Sharbono gets to sing and dance four songs as a “Town Kid” in the comedy-musical “Hairspray.”
by Dennis Dalman
news@thenewsleaders.com
When Seth Sharbono auditioned for a role in the musical production of “Hairspray,” he had his fingers crossed for days, hoping he’d get a role – any role.
Hairspray opens Sept. 7 at the Paramount Theater.
When he finally had a chance to read the cast list, his eyes scanned the page, name after name, and he more or less gave up, thinking he didn’t make the cut. Then, lo and behold, near the very bottom of the page he saw his name: “Seth Sharbono – Town Kid.”
Sharbono let out a yell of delight when he saw his name.
Although he had had roles in two school productions – “Aladdin” and “Fairy to a Courtroom,” Sharbono had never been in a production by the St. Cloud-based GREAT Theatre. He was thrilled at the chance, and he’s been rehearsing ever since mid-July when he landed the part.
As a “Town Kid” in the play, Sharbono sings and dances with others. He and his town-kid cohorts perform four songs – “Welcome to the 60s,” “Good Morning, Baltimore,” “The Madison” and “You Can’t Stop the Beat.”
The songs, Sharbono said, run the gamut of various moods and tempos.
The son of James and Marissa Sharbono, Seth, who is 14, will be a freshman at Sartell High School this school year. He has one sister, 10-year-old Brianna, who recently auditioned for a part in GREAT Theatre’s upcoming production of “The Hobbit.” She is awaiting word as to whether she’ll have a role.
“I love theater because you can think outside the box and be a different person for awhile,” Sharbono said. “Being on stage could be nerve-wracking if I was by myself up there, but with lots of other actors it’s less scary. Hairspray has lots of comedy. There’s lots of one-liners and smart-aleck remarks between the characters.”
Sharbono, a soccer fan, had to give up soccer practice and play because of the rigorous demands of learning his Hairspray role.
He is one of six Sartell residents with roles in Hairspray. The others are Brad Hoelscher, who plays “Brad,” Megan Johnson, who plays “Shelley,” Tyler Raehsler, who plays “Sketch,” and Allison and Jon Legg (a married couple – she plays “Vicki” and he plays “Corny Collins).
Hairspray is a musical about a pleasantly plump teen named Tracy Turnblad whose dream is to dance on the “Corny Collins” TV show. She gets her wish, but then complications set in. All through her hassles, Tracy is careful to protect her precious hair-do. Hairspray, of course, is filled with hair and hairspray jokes, based as it is on the Era of Big Hair – circa 1962 when school halls reeked of the smell of hair spray.
Performances of Hairspray are set for 7:30 p.m. Fridays, Sept. 7 and 14; and 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. Saturdays, Sept. 8 and 15; and 2 p.m. Sundays Sept. 9 and 16.
For ticket information, go to www.GreatTheatre.org or call the box office at 259-5463.