Life in the Ville by Jimmy Del Ponte

(The opinions and views expressed in the commentaries of The Somerville Times belong solely to the authors of those commentaries and do not reflect the views or opinions of The Somerville Times, its staff or publishers)

The Somerville High School auditorium is ready to go. It was ruined by hurricane Sandy but now it’s back better than ever. As you can see in the photo, they even uncovered and restored the original ornate “S” crest above the stage and boy is it beautiful.

I was in there the other day and it looks great, smells new and you can feel the excitement. The aisles are now lit, the chairs are comfy and there is a mega state of the art sound system in there. There was something in the newly renovated auditorium that they left alone, and that was the memories. Years and years of memories. Once again, social media has helped me gather material for this story.

The very first ever Project STAR summer theatre performance, of West Side Story, was performed on the auditorium stage in 1967. I was in the audience. Finian’s Rainbow, and Oliver followed in ’68 and ’69 and I was honored to have been in both of those shows! I think Godspell and HMS Pinafore were around ‘74 and ’75. My original musical Back in The Ville came along quite a bit later in 2009. The Somerville Rocks concerts began a new tradition in 2010.

The joint effort between Somerville Media Action Project and The Somerville Players, Here’s Somerville (the first musical I ever wrote) debuted on the stage in 1977. Cheerleading practice was held in the auditorium as was detention and study halls. I remember being in study, and some of the heavy wooden armrests could slide off of the seats. When the teacher wasn’t looking, some spirited young fellows (not me of course) would hurl one of those armrests up onto the balcony. The sound would echo throughout the auditorium and cause quite a disturbance!

There were glee club concerts, band concerts, pep rallies, assemblies and graduation practice. The US Navy Band once performed Bon Jovi’s Blaze of Glory in the auditorium and actually shot off a rifle. (blanks, I’m sure.) The class of 1969 had a Psychedelic Fashion show on the auditorium stage! Can you dig it?

The talent shows rocked with groups like Force in 1981 blasting out Love Stinks! Around 1970, John Certusi and I played guitars and sang Crosby Stills and Nash’s Suite: Judy Blue Eyes. One reader tells us, “I remember Dave Stefanelli’s band Zenophon playing Paranoid by Grand Funk for one of the Talent Nights.” Cheryl Milonopoulos shares this: “I remember singing I Got the Music in Me by Kiki Dee at Talent Night around ‘75 or ’76, with Vicki and Sophia Carafotes on harmonies and backup vocals, and of course Dave Stef on the drums. Seems like yesterday.”

And the shows just kept on coming: South Pacific, Paint Your Wagon, Anything Goes, Annie Get your Gun, Fiorello, Fiddler On The Roof, The Fantastiks, Babes in Toyland, How To Succeed In Business Without Really Trying, and The Sound Of Music. St. Clements had their senior student plays there every year too for a while.

A friend tells us she remembers “Roland and Victoria Phillips’ Dance Recitals and many performances with The Somerville Players and that little room up the stairs on the side for quick costume changes. Don’t forget the Starlet Shows with Ronnie Lovejoy and his sister doing Adagio dancing.”

Drama class and drama festivals, class days and lectures, sports awards nights, concerts, and more concerts, along with college visitor sessions were all held in the auditorium. Here is one lady’s remembrance: “Glee Club, with Mr. Smith and Mrs. Carafotes.” John Francis O’Neil recalls, “The boys’ Glee Club getting a standing ovation and curtain call in 1968.” I have to add that I had a blast with my fellow glee club cut-ups like Gary Winter and Joe Lutoff.

So the grand old Somerville High School Auditorium (which I take has been there since the main building was built in 1895) will start another chapter of its illustrious life, rejuvenated and refurbished. It will continue to be a platform for expression, a meeting place for education, and a venue for talent and entertainment.

And if those walls could talk I bet they would say, “Don’t even THINK of putting your chewed up gum under the brand new seats!”