Running from Feb. 22 to 25, students gathered in Collins Auditorium to watch Mimes and Mummers’ first performance of the spring semester, “Disaster!” Written by Seth Rudesky and Jack Plotnick, the hilarious and groovy musical pokes fun at the disaster movie genre that emerged in the 1970s. The plot centers around a unique cast of characters whose fun night at New York City’s first-ever floating casino and discotheque is quickly overturned when multiple disasters strike, including an earthquake and a tidal wave. The musical features hit songs from the decade, including “I Will Survive,” “Hooked on a Feeling” and “Hot Stuff.”
Elizabeth Volk, FCRH ’25, stage-managed the production. When asked why she became involved, she responded, “I wanted to do this show because it was an ensemble piece where everyone truly had their moment to shine.” This was undoubtedly true, as the musical interwove multiple characters’ stories together instead of focusing on one central protagonist. There were plenty of complete ensemble musical pieces, notably “Saturday Night,” which opened the show. The variety of characters in the cast, including a professor, reporter, caterer, cabaret singer and nun, supported by an incredible ensemble, made for an exciting and unpredictable show.
Volk, along with her assistant stage managers Madi Latronica and Lilah Spedding, helped create some of the tech pieces for the show. For one unforgettable scene, they flew a blow-up helicopter over the audience in Collins. Their Saturday night performance did come with one real life disaster when the disco ball set to fall on Wealthy Woman, played by Hanna Giedraitis, did not fall on cue. Quickly, the cast backstage had to think of what to do. In an act of pure improvisation, one of the tech members threw a stuffed fish at Giedraitis instead from off-stage, and the scene continued. A line in the next scene was adjusted to fit this change and audience members (including myself) had no idea the cast and crew nearly avoided disaster, which is a testament to the Mimes and Mummers’ incredible problem-solving and improvisational skills.
Naiya Rookwood, FCRH ’26, played Jackie on stage, the cabaret singer on board the nautical casino. A fan of contemporary musicals, Rookwood knew she wanted to be a part of what she described as “a comedy-packed jukebox party.” Since the music is crucial to telling Jackie’s story as a singer, the pit, or live band composed of Fordham students, was on stage during the show. They fit into the set seamlessly and sounded great on stage, especially for Rookwood’s cabaret songs like “Mockingbird.” Having the pit be a part of the set allowed Naiya and the other actors to “interact with them and support them in a way [they] don’t usually have a chance to.” According to Rookwood, the most challenging part of having the pit on stage was not having to maneuver, sing and act around them, but trying to not break character when she saw that “they [were] enjoying themselves just as much as [she was].” To describe the musical in three words, she called it “big, exciting and camp.”
Eli Demacopoulos, FCRH ’27, played multiple ensemble characters and was the understudy for Tom, the disaster expert. “Disaster!” was Demacopoulos’ first show at Collins and with Mimes and Mummers. One of his characters, the chef, was struck by lightning and died in an unforgettable and hilarious scene. Demacopoulos’ favorite song from the show was “Never Can Say Goodbye.” While he was not on stage for this specific song, he notes that “everyone backstage was singing too,” which proves how supportive and close-knit the show’s cast was. Demacopoulos hopes to work with the “nice and talented” cast of “Disaster!” again in the future. When I asked Demacopoulos to describe the musical in three words, he called it “not a disaster!”
The “Disaster!” was Kyra Linekin’s, FCRH ’24, last musical with Mimes and Mummers, where she played an investigative journalist by the name of Marianne Willson. As opposed to other musicals she has performed in, Linekin noted that “Disaster!” relied heavily on comedic timing and expression, which Linekin found to be an opportunity and a challenge. When reflecting on what made her last show so successful and fun, she said, “Everyone in the cast was really leaning into the crazy humor.” She noted that “Disaster!” did not have as many creative boundaries as Mimes and Mummers’ previous musicals, “Footloose” and “Shrek.” She said, “It was so fun to play around with the comedy… It was so creative… We were allowed to have fun with it and be silly.”
Next up for Mimes and Mummers this spring is the play “Animal Farm” by George Orwell. Linekin believes that “Animal Farm” will work great in contrast to “Disaster!” because it is an opportunity to see some raw and more serious acting from some of Fordham’s best performers. Auditions for “Animal Farm” were held on March 5 and 6, and the play is planned to run from April 11 to 14.
