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“Grease” Is The (Staples Players’) Word
David Roth and Kerry Long love “Grease.” The Staples Players directors watch the movie often. Their high school students do too. It evokes not just nostalgia for the 1950s — its setting — but for the...
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Roundup: Christmas Music, Veterans Day, Pints For Players …
======================================================= Yesterday was November 9. Christmas is December 25. That’s 45 days away. Which means 45 days of Christmas carols. Because I heard my first one...
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Roundup: Paddy Donovan, Staples Players, Y’s Men …
================================================ Paddy Donovan is one of the best young goalkeepers in the country. He’s earned national renown for his play with the Beachside Soccer Club MLS Next...
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Roundup: COVID Vaccine, Cribari Lights, Staples Soccer …
====================================================== 900 kids showed up yesterday at the Staples High School fieldhouse. Most came willingly, even eagerly. A few had to be dragged in. All were 5 to...
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Roundup: Downtown Trees, Staples Girls Soccer State Champs, Joggers Club …
====================================================== Downtown is all about holiday shopping. But it’s about helping others too. This season, the Westport Downtown Association will install a dozen...
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Stephen Sondheim Letters: The Sequel
The other day, I posted a story about Stephen Sondheim’s letter to the Westport Country Playhouse. The man who became one of America’s most celebrated Broadway composers had not yet started his career;...
View ArticleRyder Chasin Bought An Unplanned, Legally Banned, Off-Brand Rapid Test. And...
When Jimmy Fallon’s team picks 2 “Tonight Show” audience members to write a song in less than an hour, the result is usually impressive. Last night, it was Ryder Chasin turn. The result was brilliant....
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Roundup: Winter Lights Festival, Grace Power, Olympics …
======================================================= The days are getting lighter. But it’s still mid-February. This Saturday (February 12, noon to 9 p.m.), you can help make things brighter....
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“Disney’s Descendants” Rises On Staples Stage
As Staples Players directors David Roth and Kerry Long searched for a spring show that would feature plenty of actors, and engage young audiences — more important than ever, as the troupe emerges from...
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Unsung Heroes #233
Staples Players’ first-ever production of “The Descendants” thrilled audiences with energetic hip hop dancing and fantastic sets. Also earning kudos: stunning costumes. Though often overlooked,...
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Roundup: Y & Ukraine, Descendants, myTeamTriumph …
======================================================= The world knows Lindsay Czarniak as a Fox Sports anchor and reporter. Westporters know her as our neighbor. Westport Weston Family YMCA members...
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Roundup: Affordable Housing, Gilbertie’s, I-95 Noise …
======================================================= Last night’s meeting on a 5-year plan for affordable housing — co-sponsored by the Democratic, Republican, Save Westport Now and Coalition for...
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Roundup: Shorebirds, Costumes, Paul & Joanne …
==================================================== Shorebirds are nesting at Compo Beach. As usual, Parks & Rec is on the case. Department staff has staked out an area near the site, keeping...
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209 Brothers Grimm Stories, In 60-Odd Minutes
The last time Staples Players performed in the Black Box Theater was 2019. When COVID hit, the intimate space near the large auditorium closed. The seats have been cleaned. A set has been built. This...
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Roundup: Junior Prom, Caitlin Parton, Michael Bolton …
Last November, the cast of Staples Players’ “Grease” sang “It’s Raining on Prom Night.” Last night, many of those actors gathered for parties, then the junior prom. And guess what? It was raining....
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Roundup: Donuts, Swans, Missoula …
In honor of National Donut Day last week, the Senior Center ran a contest. The results are in: Chocolate: Coffee An’ (“by far,” I’m told) Glazed: Coffee An’ and Dunkin’ Donuts (a tie!) Plain: Dunkin...
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Madelyn Spera Plays The Bitter End
When the world closed down during the pandemic, some people ate. Others grew anxious, or bored. Madelyn Spera wrote songs. The rising Staples High School senior was always drawn to music. She took...
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Ed Capasse’s Band
News of Ed Capasse’s death this week brought tributes from many quarters. In his 91 years, the lifelong Westporter touched many lives. He was a Board of Finance chair, an active volunteer with the...
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“13” + 2
“13” opened on Broadway in 2008. That makes the musical — about a New York boy whose upcoming bar mitzvah is upended by his parents’ divorce, and his move with his mother to Indiana — 14 years old. But...
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Roundup: Taber Onthank & Britt Baron, Prospect Gardens, Havdalah …
In July 2021, Taber Onthank proposed to Brittany Uomoleale. “06880” covered the story because: They were well-known former Staples Players actors, and dated in high school. The proposal was done on the...
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