Happy days at St Catherine’s

Last week at St Catherine's Catholic College, Singleton, students in Years 7 to 11 performed the colourful musical, Happy Days.

Having watched the show on television as a child, I was intrigued to see the loveable characters like Ralph and The Fonz realised onstage. The young cast did not disappoint with their energy and commitment. 

The show took us back in time to the 50’s and we followed the story of arnolds bar, which is being threatened with closure to make way for a large shopping centre. Richie Cunningham (Noah Godschalk) and friends band together to stop the takeover bid, and a wrestling match between the Fonz (Byron Fletcher) and the feared Malachi brothers is arranged, but the Fonz is hiding a secret which will hinder his participation in the battle.

There were some hilarious moments in the script as well as some poignancy, particularly from the female characters who question their 50’s stereotypes. The male leads (Sam O’Brien, Noah Adamsthwaite, Noah Godschalk and Lewis Hamilton) sang a perfect barbershop quartet in one of the many highlights of the show. The large cast numbers were another highlight filling the stage with song, dance and colour.

A massive congratulations to all of the talented young people on and off the stage. The band did a fantastic job with the score, many of them playing in a band for a production for the first time. The young stage crew also handled the transitions between scenes well and as always, it was great to see so many students involved in a variety of roles.

Finally congratulations to the creative team of staff members Lisa Hall, Sarah Purnell, Claire Dent and Dominique Smith who have not only provided audiences with an entertaining evening but have also provided their students with an opportunity to be involved in a large production and given them lifelong memories to share.

Cover image courtesy of The Singleton Argus.

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Anna Kerrigan Image
Anna Kerrigan

Anna is the Artistic Director of ASPIRE, an audition-based drama, dance, music and creative and performing arts program produced by the Catholic Schools Office of Maitland-Newcastle.