By TOM LAVIS
TLAVIS@TRIBDEM.COM
Rosie Colosi has had a desire to perform old-time musicals ever since she can remember.
She will get her wish when she makes her Mountain Playhouse debut as the female lead in “The Pajama Game.”
Her interest in theater was sparked by watching “Seven Brides for Seven Brothers” on television.
“My first paid role was at age 11 when I did ‘Evita’ at the Bristol Valley Theater in the Finger Lakes region in New York,” she said.
“I thought I hit the big time because the cast featured a lot of professional New York actors.”
“The Pajama Game” opens Tuesday and continues through Aug. 2.
Joining Colosi in a lead role is veteran playhouse performer Jeffrey C. Wolf, who will portray Sid Sorokin.
Wolf starred as the Beast in last season’s playhouse production of Disney’s “Beauty and the Beast.”
Sorokin, the handsome, new factory superintendent falls in love with Colosi’s character, Catherine “Babe” Williams, the leader of the union grievance committee, who in turn falls in love with Sid, despite being on opposite sides of the labor dispute central to the plot.
“The Pajama Game” is set in the Sleep-Tite Pajama Factory during labor negotiation.
At the musical’s core is the simmering attraction between Sid and Babe.
However, the impending strike threatens their budding romance.
Colosi traveled with a national company from Alaska to Great Britain to Greece performing with the tour of “Fosse.”
This is the first chance Colosi has had to perform in the entire production of “The Pajama Game.”
“I did ‘Steam Heat’ when I performed in the touring company of ‘Fosse,’ ” she said.
Colosi has one solo in the show, “I’m Not at All in Love.”
Other songs she will perform are “Small Talk” and “There Once Was a Man.”
“People will be familiar with tunes like ‘Hernando’s Hideaway’ and ‘Steam Heat,’ but there are two dozen songs in the show that many people in the audience will realize they know when they hear them,” Colosi said.
For the past two years, she has understudied and performed the role of Mrs. Claus in the Radio City Christmas Spectacular.
Producer Teresa Stoughton Marafino said anyone wearing pajamas to the 8 p.m. July 28 performance will receive a free ticket to the playhouse’s next production, “Lend Me a Tenor.”
During intermission, there will be a parade onstage and the winning pajamas will receive a special prize.
Chan Harris directs and Jacob Toth choreographs the musicals.
Other cast members making their playhouse debuts are Jeff Wise as Prez and Jin-Xiang Yu as Mae.
The playhouse welcomes back David Garwood for his 32nd consecutive year.
Other veteran actors are Jeffrey Correia as Max; Shannon Denney as Gladys; Mary Ehlinger as Mabel; Frederic Heringes as Hines; and Nick Ruggeri as Hasler.
Somerset native, Angela Dice, returns to perform in the ensemble.
The playhouse is offering a buy-one-get-one free ticket for shows running through Aug. 30.
Tickets must be purchased by July 17.
Musical
What: “The Pajama Game.”
When: Tuesday through Aug. 2.
Where: Mountain Playhouse, Jennerstown.
Showtimes: 8 p.m. Tuesdays through Saturdays, 2 p.m. Wednesdays and Friday and 3 p.m. Sundays.
Tickets: 629-9201 or www.mountainplayhouse.org.
Events
Musical | Mountain Playhouse cast ready to play 'The Pajama Game'
- Events
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Events | Arts fitness
“Music and Art for Heart and Soul” will be held from 6 to 10 tonight at Art Works in Johnstown! 413 Third Ave. in the Cambria City section of Johnstown.
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'New York City Subway Idol' | Soul, rhythm and blues singer in concert Feb. 18 at Pasquerilla Performing Arts Center
Alice Tan Ridley is just as popular above ground as below it. The singer, known as “The New York City Subway Idol,” will perform at 7:30 p.m. Feb. 18 at Pasquerilla Performing Arts Center on the Pitt-Johnstown campus in Richland Township.
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All things afield at annual sportsmen's show
Folks who crave the great outdoors will have the chance to get a jump on their adventures by attending the 27th annual Allegheny Sport, Travel and Outdoor Show at the Monroeville Convention Center. The show, which runs from Feb. 15-19, is the only western Pennsylvania show dedicated to hunting, fishing and camping. It offers hundreds of exhibitors, dozens of live demonstrations and many seminars presented by experts in their fields of interest.
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Venue of Merging Arts to host Slovak Mardi Gras
Slovak heritage will be the center of attention at an upcoming party. A Slovak Mardi Gras, or Fasiangy, will be held from 2 to 5 p.m. Feb. 19 at Venue of Merging Arts, 305 Chestnut St. in the Cambria City section of Johnstown.
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Go jump in a lake | Laurel Highlands Polar Plunge at Que to raise funds for Special Olympics
It takes a hearty soul to jump into a freezing Pennsylvania lake in February and pay money to do it. But that’s what organizers of the first official Laurel Highlands Polar Plunge are counting on. On Saturday, if people donate to Special Olympics of Pennsylvania, they can go jump in a lake.
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Westmont Hilltop High School has reached theatrical milestone
“The Pirates of Penzance” will mark Westmont Hilltop High School’s 50th year of presenting musical theater.
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Curtains rising | Students acting out roles in spring productions
A variety of performances that promise to be entertaining are scheduled for area high school stages.
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Tribute band to play best of Pink Floyd at War Memorial
This arena show will bring the lights and sounds of Pink Floyd. Brit Floyd, billed as the world’s greatest Pink Floyd show, will perform at 8 p.m. Feb. 25 at the Cambria County War Memorial Arena, 326 Napoleon St., Johnstown.
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Religion in brief | Holy Trinity sets worship services
Worship services for Holy Trinity Lutheran Church, 525 Main St., Berlin, will be held at 5:30 tonight and 9 a.m. Sunday, followed by Sunday school at 10:15.
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