The Pajama Game

In an ideal world, the Springville High School musical this year would have been Annie (with short, red-headed Sarah Emmett as Annie) or Fiddle on the Roof (with Sarah as daughter number three--Chava) or Music Man (with Sarah as Mrs. Shinn the mayor's wife), but due to royalty constraints and the personal choices of the directors, Sarah's dream parts were not to be. The Pajama Game was their choice. With coaching and accompaniment by her Aunt Diane, Sarah tried out by singing "I get a kick out of you." She got called back for lead parts but was cast in the chorus as one of the many seamstresses--with a few short solos in Hernando's Hideaway.

While not one of the most popular of musicals, The Pajama Game is lots of fun and has a few familiar songs that have passed the test of time. It is set in the 1950s in a pajama factory where the workers are seeking (via work slow downs and sabotaging of pajamas) a 7 1/2 cent raise and where the head of the grievance committee falls in love with the new foreman who naturally are at odds as management and worker.

Hurry up and sew more pajamas.

Babe, the head of the grievance committee and on the strike committee.

 Watch Babe and the factory girls sing "I'm not at all in love"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MLYTMNOuhgM&feature=youtu.be

Hasler the factory boss who is more interested in profits for him than benefits for his workers.

Sid the new foreman

Fun and games and dancing at the company picnic--"Once a year day"

Entering a drunken stupor.

Meeting the father--who likes to collect stamps.

"There once was a man, who loved a wo-man...."

Threatening to strike.

Singing "Steam Heat' at the union rally.

Getting the cold shoulder from Babe so he ends up looking at the stamp collection with her dad.

This "theater dad" was not impressed with the empty blue binder used the first night for the stamp collection so I dug out my stamp collection book from the 1960s and offered its use as a more authentic prop.

Notice the full page of stamps. I was serious about stamp collecting.

Slowing down production. No more hurry up.

Don't mess with the seamstresses

Trying to motivate more speed by singing "Think of the time I save."

Trying on sabotaged pajama bottoms.

Sarah singing upside down at Hernando's Hideaway where Sid goes to sweet talk a key out of the boss' secretary Gladys (Sarah would have been a good Gladys).

Watch Sarah sing upside down.

Click here to hear Sarah's two other short solos
Hernando's Hideaway part 1

Click here to hear the cast sing
Hernando's Hideaway part 2

Gladys and Sid and jealous Babe after the key exchange.

Strike

Sid uses the key to check the Boss' books to find out that profits were high enough for pay raises. He threatens to expose the boss who then gives in to a 7 1/2 cent raise. Sid and Babe get back together. Love and workers win.

Pajama Game Finale

Bows

The year in which Joel came to realize more fully that it is not a normal thing for factory workers or people in love to always burst in to song.

Closing night

Dress up

Friday Will and all the other fifth graders at his school participated in a "wax museum." Each student selected a famous person to research and then portray. During the day students and then parents could go up to any of the figures, press a go button and then hear the come-to-life person tell about his/her life via a memorized script each student wrote. Will chose Brazilian soccer sensation Pele. We had to order shorts and jersey on-line (two different web sites), but the good part about it is that Will will wear it all the time, not just for the wax museum.

Tonight, beautiful Sarah went with three of her friends to the Senior Ball--a stag, formal, dinner and dance just for seniors. Forays with her friends and then with Marie to find a formal were for not so a visit to second-hand Savers with her cousins landed this beautiful off-white, be-jeweled dress (for just $13). New shoes and a new sweater complete the ensemble. Stunning. Sarah's hair (by tall Haylee) was pulled up in back into a multiple braid bun. The four friends did their hair and make-up together after spending the whole day at a musical rehearsal.

Rachel on the right was equally unsuccessful shopping at stores with friends and then with her grandmother and aunt. Finally her grandmother remember a stash of high school formals at home in a closet that Rachel's mother (deceased) wore when she was a teenager. Score!

Last night I took Joel shopping for some winter clothing. Earlier attempts with his mom and Will were unsuccessful so I gave it a try. Joel finally lucked out and found a long sleeve shirt, some new pants and this nice jacket from Eddie Bauer. The hat is also from Eddie Bauer. I bought it in 1994 for a trip to the jungles of Ecuador. Joel has now claimed it. This morning, this guy was up and out the door at 5:00 am to go and do baptisms with the ward youth in the Provo Temple.

Closed eyes are often a problem.

Last night when Sarah was trying out her make up and dress, she came out to model for Will and me. Then before he knew what hit him, she planted a big, wet, red kiss on Will's right cheek--perfect in its form. It was a delightful moment. Unfortunately, Will quickly washed it off before I could get a photo.



Last Tuesday, Sarah recited a poem she wrote (and entered in a school-wide poetry contest) in a Veterans Day assembly. She has recently come to realize that she is now at an age where many young men have headed off to war so she wrote about that and about young lives cut short. It was very poignant.