Future Waitstaff puts on thrifty, half-human musical

Walter Padilla Staff Writer

“I actually remember the first musical I saw,” recalled founder and president of Future Waitstaff of America (FWA) Rachel Marquez ’09. “I was one and a half, and I saw Annie.” FWA is currently Vassar’s only all-musical student theater group.
“I came to Vassar thinking there would be a lot more musical theater than there actually is,” said Marquez. After meeting other first-year students who shared her theatrical interests, Marquez called a meeting in September 2005.

“Everyone was like, ‘I wish there were a musical theater group.’ Heck, 20 people had said that, so why not start one? [The name FWA] kind of stuck; at first it was a joke.”
FWA’s main objective, according to Marquez, is to energetically inject musical theater back into the Vassar campus by producing at least one musical a year. The semester-old FWA is now in the rehearsal stages for Laurence O’Keefe’s Bat Boy: The Musical, with story and book by Keythe Farley and Brian Fleming.

“We wanted something that could connect to a Vassar audience but also impress them,” said Bat Boy director Katharine Fussner ’09. “Starting out as a freshmen group, we wanted to show that we are very serious about this.”

Based on a Weekly World News article, Bat Boy is a modern rock musical whose central character, a half-boy, half-bat, must overcome the prejudices and dangers in the small town of Hope Falls, VA, where a caring family takes him in.

“Bat Boy is very much Vassar mentality and sense of humor,” said producer Jeannine Frumess ’09, who will also be performing in the musical. “It’s an off-beat and very obscure show, [but] it’s amazing that so many people here know about it.”

Because FWA cannot currently apply for Vassar Student Association (VSA) funding until after a year of activity and formal recognition from the VSA, the group chose to produce the small-scale Bat Boy. “Given the amount of money we had, which was none, and the space we had, which was none, we had to stay small,” said Fussner.

According to Frumess, FWA raised $450 from two Broadway revues they performed last semester and two musical film screenings where they asked for donations and sold baked goods. “Usually rights to shows are $1000; these were only $300, and $400 extra were needed for working materials. Other shows have more set or costume requirements, but this one is very flexible. And it is better to have a practical show,” said Frumess.

Josselyn House and Campus Activities have provided FWA with rehearsal and performance space, said Fussner and Frumess, since the Drama Department informed them that the Powerhouse Theater would be undergoing renovations.

“[The Drama Department was] really supportive of the idea and it seemed like it was really going to happen for a while,” said Frumess. “But then they decided that there was going to be a lot of work done on the theater this semester and that there weren’t going to be any shows.”

Though scheduling has been a daunting task, Fussner commends the cast for their commitment and talent. The cast includes Matthew’s Minstrels member Robertino Lim ’08 and John Lagomarsino ’09, who will lead a five-person band at the performances.

“Everyone’s picking up the music really quickly, sight-reading it and picking it up on the first try. I can’t fathom it,” said Frumess.

“They’re strong actors and seem to have the right mentality for the show,” Frumess continued. “The people who didn’t know it before have responded really well, so it’s heartening.”

Bat Boy will run in Sanders Theater on Friday, April 21 at 8 p.m. and on Saturday April 22 at 5 p.m. Tickets are available at the Info Desk.