Tonight, the Romeo Theatre Company will perform the musical Anything Goes at Romeo High School (RHS) at 7pm. They will have performances throughout this weekend on Friday, April 17 at 7pm; Saturday, April 18 at 7pm; and Sunday, April 19 at 2pm.
This isn't the first time that the Romeo Theatre Company has put on this show. They did it back in 1978 and 1992. In the latter year, Karen Hamilton took this picture for the April 8th issue of The Romeo Observer. It was to promote the production, which played that weekend. This photo of the week depicts five of the cast members on the stage. Pictured clockwise are Scott MacDonald (kneeling) as Billy, Raeshelle Steinmetz as Hope, Sandi Lupien as Reno, Jim Stoner as Moonface, and Jill Ritchie as Bonnie.
Jill Ritchie is Kid Rock's younger sister who graduated from RHS the same year she did Anything Goes. She was well known for her singing voice. Jill sang the National Anthem for the school before various sporting events. In addition, she had a part in The Wiz, the musical RHS did the year prior. It's easy to see why she got a role in their 1992 spring musical.
Years ago, I heard a story about Jill in this very production of Anything Goes. Allegedly, during one performance, she was backstage, but someone forgot to turn off her microphone. At one point, audiences could hear her shouting a bunch of expletives. I can only imagine how embarassing that for both her and the attendees.
However, that didn't stop Jill from pursing an acting career. She graduated from the University of Southern California with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Theatre. Furthermore, Jill appeared in movies like D.E.B.S. and Herbie: Fully Loaded as well as television shows like Beverly Hills, 90210, Arrested Development, and I Hate My 30's in the 1990s and 2000s.
Everyone has their mishaps in life, and if it's true, Jill's just happened to be more public. Regardless, she didn't let it get in the way of her pursuing her dreams.
To learn more about Jill Ritchie and various RHS theatre productions, you can contact the Romeo Community Archives at rca@romemodistrictlibrary.org or call (586) 690-4890. If you want to search for articles on that topic, you can find the Romeo newspapers like The Romeo Observer on the Suburban Library Cooperative's Local History Digital Collection website.
Images and sources courtesy of the Romeo Community Archives; Melvin E. and Joan D. Bleich Collection, The Romeo Observer, April 8, 1992, p.9-A; 1978 and 1992 Romeo High School Yearbooks; and Wikipedia