Happy tears, incredible performances top show
It was a night of twists, turns and (happy) tears.
The 2022 Freddy Awards returned to a full, live show Thursday night at Easton’s State Theatre — much to the delight of organizers, educators and Lehigh Valley high school theater stars.
Here are the top 5 takeaways from the show:
A lavish return
Anyone who’s watched the annual Freddy Awards knows it’s a show that’s truly Broadway quality. This year was no exception.
For the first time since 2019, the full program opened with the signature, exuberant opening number. This was greeted with thundering applause and deafening cheers — a musical sigh of relief that the show returned.
“How amazing are they?” said Shelley Brown, president and CEO of the State Theatre. “We took a little time off that we hated and it is so sweet to be here and be able to do this.”
Winners racked up—ina surprising way
Heading into the show, Emmaus High School’s “The Addams Family: School Edition” held the top number of nominations (15), followed by Bangor (14) for its “Les Miserables: School Edition.”
As the night went on, it became clear that this was the year for a shake-up.
Phillipsburg’s “Guys & Dolls” and Liberty High School’s “The Sound of Music” tied for the second-highest number of wins, with four Freddys each.
Emmaus won one Freddy, for Outstanding Chorus.
The top winner was Bangor, who took home five, including the coveted
Outstanding Overall Production of a Musical. If you remember, Bangor was the top winner at the 2019 Freddy Awards.
A standout performance
The night was filled with truly memorable performances but one that stands out was by Rebekah “Bex” Vermuelen as Maria Rainer in Liberty’s “The Sound of Music.”
As she sang “Do-Re-Mi” it was as if Julie Andrews was on the stage. She earned the standing ovation she received from the crowd.
Acceptance speech excitement — and tears of joy
It’s always such a joy to watch the acceptance speeches. And this year they seemed even more sweet.
Emotion spilled over in particular for two of Phillipsburg’s performers: Jacob Ten Bosch, who played Nathan Detroit in the school’s “Guys & Dolls” and won the Freddy for
“Outstanding Performer by an Actor in a Supporting Role;” and Maya Marino Cappello who played Miss Adelaide and won the Freddy for “Outstanding Performer by an Actress in a Supporting Role.”
For Catasauqa’s Hannah Kurczeski, winning a Freddy (Outstanding Performance by an Actress) was a lifetime achievement.
“This is something I’ve dreamed about since I was a little girl,” she said.” I never thought I’d actually get here.”
An impact that crosses borders
Whitehall High School, which staged “Godspell,” won a special honor — the Educational Impact Award. The students collected money earned from concessions sold during their performances and donated it to charities that benefit those in Ukraine.
The incredible part: They raised more than $3,000.