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By Bill Van Tassel
“Cleverly Wicked” was the title and theme of Cony High School’s Chizzle Wizzle variety show for 2017, and the show lived up to the theme as villians, heroes, and everything in between filled the stage for three nights.
The 126th production of the show — the nation’s longest-running student variety production — hit the stage March 15 to March 17 (the scheduled opening night, March 14, was canceled because of a snow storm).
The first Chizzle Wizzle, in 1890, was staged as a fundraiser for the football team and was named after one of the school’s cheers. Over the past century it’s become a production that involves almost the entire school.
This year’s theme meant the stage was filled with super villains, witches, monsters, super heroes, cops, judge and jury. A “People’s Court” was used in the show to put on trial some of the more notorious villains such as Darth Vader, Scar, Annie’s Ms. Hannigan, and Veruca, the spoiled brat from Willie Wonka.
This year’s pages, who kept the show flowing and introduced the acts, were the comical Nicolas Bolduc and Cameron Folsom. Students who performed as ends in the minstrel part of the show were seniors Jeffrey Bilodeau, Gabriel Roig, Maria Gregor, Bryant York and Marlys Rietdk; juniors Victoria Lerette and Brooke Metcalf; freshman Katherine Boston.
The show was put together by executive producer Lindsey Morin, assistant producer Alyssa Smart, directors Kathleen Nation and Jacob Whitaker, Chizzle Wizzle president Jason Barnes, vice president Iris Alexander and the many other students, teachers and volunteers who made up the crews that handled the lights, pit orchestra, stage management, make-up, set design and costumes. All told, Chizzle Wizzle engaged about 150 individuals, the majority of whom were students.
“We had an exceptional executive committee of students and adult counterparts who collaborated and executed their jobs as though they were seasoned professionals,” Morin said. “I feel like a huge reason the show was successful was because of this year’s seniors. Their leadership, positive attitude and commitment provided a great atmosphere for everyone.”
Chizzle Wizzle is not a student-run variety show, but it relies on students to take the lead. “This year’s participants were phenomenal,” she said. “The performers came to their rehearsals, collaborated with the directors and made the show theirs.
“I don’t think there is another club, school sport or event where kids that would never sit together at lunch, talk to one another or come together to encourage and support each other.”
Morin said she enjoys seeing the kids’ ideas at the auditions, as well as the traditional Friday night show circle where everyone exchanges notes on rehearsals and gives special thanks and goodbyes to the seniors. Though, as is normal with high school stage productions, talent varies from year to year. In my job as reporter I’ve seen some very special productions and great, young talent in schools from Edward Little to Lawrence High School, and certainly Cony. (Chizzle’s dancing chorus line is always special.)
However, Morin said, “You can’t deny the talent and commitment that these students recognize in each other. We had students attending rehearsals (not theirs) just to watch one another. Every single student praises and says goodbye to each senior.”
PHOTO CAPTION: XYLOPHONE PLAYER – Cony High School senior Marlys Rietdyk plays a xylophone as part of a percussion group that banged away on “Baa, Baa Black Sheep” to the delight and laughter of the audience during Chizzle Wizzle. The 126th Chizzle Wizzle took place March 15 through 17. It is the nation’s longest-running student variety show.
