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A flashmob of costumed actors burst into song and dance at the intersection of Main Street and Jobs Lane in an effort to promote their upcoming production of “Working
” prior to the Fourth of July parade. DANA SHAW
A flashmob of costumed actors burst into song and dance at the intersection of Main Street and Jobs Lane in an effort to promote their upcoming production of “Working
” prior to the Fourth of July parade. DANA SHAW
A flashmob of costumed actors burst into song and dance at the intersection of Main Street and Jobs Lane in an effort to promote their upcoming production of “Working
” prior to the Fourth of July parade. DANA SHAW
Just moments before this year’s Fourth of July parade kicked off in Southampton Village on Monday, a “flash mob” broke out.
A waitress, a baseball player and a hammer-wielding steelworker were among a handful of costumed actors who simultaneously burst into song and dance in the intersection of Main Street and Jobs Lane. The unexpected musical number was an effort to promote the upcoming production of “Working,” which will be staged at the Southampton Cultural Center on Thursdays through Sundays from July 14 to 31.
The musical, based on the 1974 Studs Terkel book, “Working: People Talk About What They Do All Day and How They Feel About What They Do,” is being directed locally by Michael Disher. The show follows a motley crew of people in different occupations, some happy with their chosen professions and others questioning what could have been.
Performing to the show’s opening number, “All the Livelong Day,” on Monday, the core group of about eight actors was gradually joined by family, friends and others who had rehearsed for the flash mob—a coordinated public event, but one meant to appear to be spontaneous in nature—pushing the number of finger-snapping dancers up to nearly 40. The song is based on Walt Whitman’s poetry.
Anita Boyer, 24, the director of the flash mob, explained that it was an effort made to promote the show in a fun way, on a shoestring budget. The wild popularity of the Fox musical comedy “Glee” has also brought such spontaneous performances to the forefront of popular culture, she explained Sunday at a rehearsal behind the First Presbyterian Church of Southampton.
“I was trying to find a place with a crowd,” the village resident added.
That, she found, as the flash mob served as a prelude to Long Island’s largest Independence Day parade.
“It’s hard to get the word out,” another actor, Kasia Klimiuk, 23, of Hampton Bays, explained, adding that Monday’s was her first time in a flash mob. She plays Babe Secoli, a grocery checker, and Roberta Victor, a prostitute, in the show.
“This show tells the story of the people who make America run,” noted Michael Contino, 22, of Southampton Village, who plays several roles in the show, including that of a parking valet and a migrant laborer.
More information on the musical is available at southamptonculturalcenter.org.
on Jul 4, 2011