The University Players Present Musical Comedy 'Disaster!'

The University of Scranton Players will present Disaster! a musical comedy with a book by three-time Emmy Award nominee and SiriusXM Broadway host, Seth Rudetsky, and Jack Plotnick, and directed by Micheal O’Steen.

The production will run Feb. 23 –25 and March 1- 3. Friday and Saturday shows are at 8 p.m. Sunday’s shows are at 2 p.m. All performances are in the Royal Theatre in the McDade Center for the Literary and Performing Arts on The University of Scranton campus.

The comedy parodies 1970s disaster movies, and features all the hits from the era including: “I Will Survive,” “Knock on Wood," "Hooked on a Feeling," “Three Times A Lady,” "Sky High," "I Am Woman,” "Hot Stuff,” and more. A faded disco star, a sexy nightclub singer with her 11-year-old twins, a disaster expert, a feminist reporter, an older couple with a secret, a pair of young guys who are looking for ladies, an untrustworthy businessman and a nun with a gambling addiction round out the cast of vibrant characters attending the opening of a floating casino and discotheque.

What begins as a night of boogie fever quickly changes to panic as the ship succumbs to multiple disasters, such as earthquakes, tidal waves and infernos. As the night turns into day, everyone struggles to survive and, quite possibly, repair the love that they've lost…and survive the killer rats.

Thomas Kennedy '24, a history major, plays Tony Delvecchio, the owner of the casino where the action of the musical is set.

"Tony is very obnoxious, aggressive and lacks empathy, he serves as the show’s primary antagonist. Tony is one of those characters that you really love to hate, he does a lot of bad things, so it’s funny to watch him bumble around and eventually get his comeuppance," said Kennedy.

Kennedy said the audience should be prepared for creative set changes.

"Something that surprised me about this play was how many set changes there are, the script calls for many instantaneous transitions throughout the runtime, so we had to get creative with set design to accommodate them."

A theatre performer since 7th grade, Kennedy said he was inspired to participate after seeing his cousin perofrm in "Dracula."

"I’ve been hooked ever since," added Kennedy. He said one aspect he enjoys is putting on "a great show" with all of his friends.

The company of "Disaster" features: Thomas Kennedy of Scranton, Julia Cunha of Scranton, Geoffrey Pizzuto of Scranton, Estella De Jesus of Scranton, Kerrigan Digris of Frackville, Cassidy Pfeiffer of Old Forge, Nefty Guadalupe of Newark, New Jersey, Rebecca Russo of Somerset, New Jersey, Alek Panchik of Hershey, Sofia Greco of Verona,New Jersey, Mackenna Percey of Branchville, New Jersey, Zainab Shah of Karachi, Pakistan, Marcus Smith of Schuylkill Haven, Lauren DeSantis of Long Island, New York, Grace Mansfield of Bethlehem,  Vincent Tyson II of Laurel, Maryland, and Charli Wiacek of Cinnaminson, NJ, and Arion Solomon of Middle Village, Queens.

Tickets are $10 for general admission and $7 for senior citizens, students and University of Scranton faculty and staff. For more information, contact the University Players box office at 570-941-4318 or visit the Players website at www.thescrantonplayers.com or on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

The University of Scranton Players is an academic theatre program that brings theatre to Northeastern Pennsylvania every season. The Players’ productions feature University of Scranton students in a mix of classical and contemporary works under the direction and mentorship of award-winning faculty and guest artists.