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Brothers stage play in their dad's memory
By CHAUNDRA PERKINS Inspired to act in memory of a parent, a Clearwater-based company of young men will produce and perform Jesus Christ Superstar this weekend at the Palladium Theater in St. Petersburg. Proceeds from the three shows will go to the Leukemia Research Foundation. Three of the players lost their father to the disease six years ago. William McGuigan of Largo loved music and this show in particular. His sons Matt, Ryan and Billy were moved to raise money for the cause. Matt McGuigan, 21, and his friends were singing songs from the play while he played his keyboard. Matt said he wanted to do the show and his friend Adam Thompson, 19, of Clearwater, said, "Why can't we?" Thompson, the director and producer, said the process began in March. They solicited the help of friends with performing experience for key roles and held auditions. They were granted free use of the script. In the Palladium, they found a venue that wouldn't charge any rent. Said Brent Douglas, the theater's managing director: "We wanted to support it from the beginning. ... It just seemed like the right thing to do." A construction company donated scaffolding for the set and the actors provided their own costumes. Ryan McGuigan, 24, will play the role of Jesus. He said that his father saw him and Matt perform in the play together just weeks before he died: "He said the coolest thing he'd ever seen was the two of us on stage." Older brother Billy, 27, is Pontius Pilate. He said he thinks his father would be "awfully proud." "If you have love, you can do anything," Matt McGuigan said. Show times at the Palladium, 253 Fifth Ave. N in St. Petersburg, are 8 p.m. today and Saturday and 3 p.m. Sunday. Tickets are $15 for general audiences, $10 for people 22 and under, and $5 for seniors.
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From the Times North Pinellas desks |
