Wide range of emotions encompass actors in Seton Hill University's production of 'Nine'

“Fiery Italians, beautiful showgirls and the biggest gondola oar you will ever witness.”

And those are just some of the reasons theatergoers should check out “Nine,” according to one of the student actors in Seton Hill University's musical production opening Feb. 24 at the Seton Hill Performing Arts Center.

Kaylee A. Hansberry of Lower Burrell, a senior musical theater and business major, says the music in the show by composer and lyricist Maury Yeston, inspired by a Frederico Fellini film titled “8½,” “is something out of a dream.”

Hansberry portrays Claudia Nardi, the leading actress in most of famous Italian film director Guido Contini's movies. They have loved each other for a long time but are married to other people. Still, “she is the only one who has the capability to give Guido the push and confidence he needs to create his film,” Hansberry says.

Contini's life is in turmoil personally and professionally, and Nardi is not the only woman he has loved outside of his marriage.

Sarah Chelli of Lawrence, a senior musical theater major, plays the film writer and director's wife, Luisa Contini.

“Luisa is constantly being neglected by her husband who puts every ounce of energy into making his movie masterpieces,” Chelli says. “She is aware of her husband's history with other women, however, she loves him so much that she is willing to stay by his side. In the course of this musical, Luisa goes through emotional pain, neglect and betrayal. She grows as a person as she is faced with many difficult life-changing decisions.”

Brett Cuddy of Dauphin, a junior vocal performance major, tackles the challenging role of the director who is juggling multiple lovers, painful childhood memories and a demanding producer while also dealing with frustration over turning 40 and a career that seems to be stalled.

“He is seen as a suave celebrity in his element, writing films and signing autographs, but is also shown in states of complete desperation,” Cuddy says. “My biggest challenge portraying Guido is the extreme range of personality he displays.”

“Nine” director Denise Pullen, associate professor of theater at Seton Hill, says Cuddy has “an intensely demanding role, for both singer and actor.”

“It requires an understanding of a man much older and very different from him,” she says. “While Brett is very disciplined and kind, Fellini was impulsive, indulgent in his creativity and his loves, and seemingly hard-hearted at times. I think Brett is doing an amazing job of finding the soul of a man who felt he had to scavenge his personal life to feed his creative output in a way that was both authentic and bold.”

It's not all hard work for Cuddy, whose recent roles at Seton Hill included Oscar Lindquist in “Sweet Charity” (2016) and Count Carl-Magnus Malcolm in “A Little Night Music” (2015).

Within the musical score that ranges from catchy show tunes to operatic arias, he's having fun learning the lively traditional Italian folk dance, the tarantella.

“The tarantella has been a new experience for just about all of us,” he says, adding, “The tarantella is a blast!”

Pullen says another challenge and learning opportunity for the students is that they each have to speak in at least one dialect, mostly Italian, along with German, French and British, in the show.

The student cast also includes Cassie Brugos of West Mifflin, Nicole Castelli of Canonsburg, Victorious Collymore-Bey of Spring Valley, N.Y., Brittany Dilliott of Arnold, Lauren Grasser of Johnstown, Danielle Hegyes of Perryopolis, Maddie Kocur of Oakmont, Barbara Lawson of Manassas, Va., Gwendolyn Little of Mechanicsburg, Taylor Puc of North Huntingdon, Colleen Malley of Trafford, Malcolm McGraw, Jena Grgurich and Leah Prestogeorge of Pittsburgh, Anna Strauser of Uniontown, Noah Telford of Greensburg and Robert Tramontina of South Park.

The cast also features 10-year-old L. Wesley Heverly of Greensburg, a fourth-grade student at Nicely Elementary School. His recent roles included Young Simba in “Disney's The Lion King Jr.” and Pugsley Addams in “The Addams Family,” both for Stage Right.

A reception with the cast and crew will follow the opening night performance on Feb. 24; a “talk back” with the director and cast will follow the Feb. 26 matinee.

Candy Williams is a Tribune-Review contributing writer.