Mr. Johnson joined the Brighton Musical Theater Creative Team in 2012. He has conducted the orchestra and prepared the chorus for each of the past 11 shows. He is proud to share recognition for “Excellence in Music Direction” with the 2023 BMT team for “Guys and Dolls”, presented by the Sutton Foster Ovation Awards. Phil has conducted Brighton High School choirs at Michigan Youth Arts Festival/All State Festival multiple times. He is a 3-time State Honors Choir Director. Mr. Johnson received nominations for the 2019 and 2022 Teacher of the Year through the Michigan School Vocal Music Association. He sings baritone with the professional a Cappella group, TBD a Cappella, whose debut album “The Answer’s 42” won the 2021 Contemporary a Cappella Recording Award for “Best Post-Collegiate Album”. He and his wife, Dianne, have three children; Ethan, Maxwell and Adeline who enjoy traveling in their RV. The children will begin auditioning for the Brighton Musical casts in 2025, 2028, and 2031 respectively! Mr. Johnson would like to thank the cast, crew, orchestra, parent volunteers, and creative team for being “All In This Together”!
Michelle Holowicki
Michelle has been privileged to teach Social Studies at BHS since 2006 - the year of High School Musical’s movie debut! Mrs. Holowicki has a passion for U.S. history and government, and for musicals and dancing. She co-directed and choreographed twelve Brighton Musical productions, including Footloose, Bye Bye Birdie, Legally Blonde, Disney’s Beauty and the Beast, Grease, Nice Work If You Can Get It, White Christmas, Honeymoon in Vegas, Pippin, Newsies, Cinderella and the Broadway Musical Revue. Being diagnosed with breast cancer in 2021 took her away from the theater for the past two years to focus on her health, but she is thrilled and thankful to be cancer-free and back to the stage this year! She and her husband Josh are the proud parents of their daughter Ellery (4), and son Jeremiah (2), who have also taken a liking to this High School Musical and others! She is grateful to God for infinite blessings and answers to prayer, her imaginative husband Josh for his contributions to the program, and the Creative Team for going above and beyond! She would like to congratulate the cast, crew and all production teams for their hard work, vision, energy and expertise! It’s been a long-time vision to bring High School Musical to the BCPA stage! So thankful for this dream-team. What team?!?! WILDCATS!
Josh Holowicki
Josh’s passion for theater has brought him to the BCPA for his thirteenth show with the Brighton High School Musical Theater Program. He has over 20 years of lighting and scenic design experience, has designed numerous lighting systems, and has learned from or worked directly with top lighting designers, including Tony Award winner Ken Billington. Josh owns E2i Design, a lighting, audio, and video design firm. Josh also serves as Chairman of the Board of Directors for the Brighton Center for Performing Arts. He would like to thank all of the hard working volunteer parents who have made this show a success; without you we could not pull this off. He would also like to thank the cast and student production team members for their tireless dedication to excellence; it’s never easy but always worth it! Additionally, he would like to thank his fellow Creative Team members for their unbelievable investment of time, talent, and energy to bring something unique and special to the BCPA stage! Lastly, and most importantly, he would like to give a BIG shout out to his wife Michelle whose commitment to this program is unlike anything he has ever seen in professional theater.
Kristine Stuenkel
Kristine has a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Western Michigan University. She has been working in theater for over 15 years. She has designed the costumes for Brighton High School’s Cinderella, Newsies, Pippin, Robin Hood, Honeymoon in Vegas, White Christmas, Nice Work If You Can Get It, Grease, Beauty and the Beast, Alice in Wonderland, Wizard of Oz and Guys and Dolls. Other credits include The Little Mermaid, Peter Pan and Seussical for Encore Youth Theater; Hunchback of Notre Dame, Oklahoma!, Clue and Sherlock Holmes for Hartland High School. Kristine has been acting as producer for Brighton Musical since 2021. She has also co-directed BHS Dramatic Arts the past three years alongside her dear friend Sonja Marquis, producing Mutually Assured Destruction, Peter and The Starcatcher and Radium Girls. Special thanks to her creative team friends who have encouraged her when she felt pushed out of her comfort zone. She is extremely thankful for their obvious talents but even more so for their kind and supportive hearts and an environment that fosters not only creativity but growth and challenge. She is also grateful for the gift of mentoring the students who keep her heart full and her mind open. It truly is a gift to see them fly!
Show Synopsis - Honeymoon In Vegas
ACT ONE
A row of storefronts in Park Slope, Brooklyn. In the rain our hero, Jack Singer, cannot contain his enthusiastic love for Betsy Nolan, his girlfriend of 5 years who he plans to make his fiancé (“I Love Betsy”). He arrives at Betsy’s brownstone and the two head to Tiffany’s to procure an engagement ring. Jack’s anxiety manifests in a flashback to his mother’s deathbed, where she made him swear he would never get married or be cursed (“Never Get Married”). Overcome with fear and anxiety, Jack runs out of Tiffany’s, leaving a devastated Betsy behind.
Back in Park Slope, Jack babbles over his discomfort assuring Betsy his mother’s curse is so close to being done. Betsy has heard this all before and is growing understandably more impatient (“Anywhere But Here”). Jack impulsively announces they will fly to Las Vegas the next morning and get married immediately.
Arriving at the jam-packed casino of the Milano Hotel, Buddy Rocky, a suave nightclub singer, entertains an enthusiastic crowd (“When You Say Vegas”). Tommy Korman, a gambler in his mid-fifties and his aide-de-camp, Johnny Sandwich, arrive at the casino.
Later by the pool of the Milano Hotel, Tommy and Johnny reminisce about Tommy’s deceased wife, Donna, who adored sunbathing at this very pool (“Out of the Sun”).
Jack and Betsy arrive at the hotel and casino, and Tommy and Johnny instantly notice the uncanny resemblance Betsy has to Tommy’s deceased wife. In their suite, Betsy talks Jack into going to the chapel immediately. As she changes her outfit, an invitation arrives requesting Jack takes part in Tommy’s poker game. Jack takes this opportunity to avoid the marriage at hand (“The Invitation/Forever Starts Tonight”).
While Jack meets the other players in Tommy’s game, a joyous Betsy strolls through the shopping arcade searching for an actual wedding dress (“Betsy’s Getting Married/The Game”). The heated poker game ended in a crushing loss against Jack, who ended up borrowing – and losing – $58,000 from Tommy. Tommy plays the nice guy and offers Jack a way out of his debt – allow Tommy a weekend alone with Betsy. (“Come to An Agreement”).
A furious Betsy cannot believe the predicament. She agrees to meet Tommy with Jack for one drink. Tommy charms Betsy and reveals he plans to spend their weekend together in Hawaii. Betsy likes this idea, as both a way to escape Vegas and a way to get back at Jack . Terrified of losing Betsy, Jack tries to stop their departure, but is unsuccessful (“Do Something”).
ACT TWO
Betsy is relaxing at Tommy’s luxurious beachfront Hawaiian home, enjoying the escape from the mainland and the relationship struggles she temporarily left behind. Meanwhile, Jack is trying to get to Betsy (“Hawaii/Waiting For You”). Tommy’s son, Alex, arrives with his wife, Rose, and newborn baby.
Jack finally lands in Hawaii and frantically attempts to reach Betsy while being greeted by the Hawaiian staff (“Ev’ryday is Happy in Hawaii”). The staff is actually in employ by Tommy, who cannot relax knowing Jack is there. The staff, including a seductive local named Mahi, find ways to stall Jack’s mission (“Friki-Fraki”).
Tommy and Betsy continue to get know each other over drinks and begin to dance to the music of some local singers (“You Made the Wait Worthwhile”), while Jack and Mahi head to the Garden of Disappointed Mothers to break the curse.
Back the beach house Tommy and Betsy enjoy dessert and Betsy is getting even more inebriated. Tommy lies and tells Betsy that this ‘arrangement’ was not the result of a $58,000 deficit, but rather only $800. Betsy is enraged and impulsively decides to marry Tommy back in Vegas and move on with her life (“A Little Luck”).
Jack and Mahi arrive at the garden to break the curse and Jack pleas with his dead mother to break the curse (“The Garden of Disappointed Mothers”). To do so, he must prove his love and win back Betsy’s heart (“Isn’t That Enough”).
Unfortunately, Tommy and Betsy have already arrived at the airport, where we discover that Alex and Rose were actually con-people paid by Tommy to act like his son and daughter-in-law. To make matters worse, the flight to Vegas has closed and Jack must stowaway on a flight with a slew of Elvis impersonators (“Airport Song”).
Betsy begins to question the reality of the situation and seeks solace at the gym. Meanwhile Jack is on board the flight with the Elvis Impersonators and learns they will soon be skydiving over Las Vegas at midnight (“Higher Love”). Tommy tries to rush the ceremony but Betsy has some concerns (“I’ve Been Thinking”). Tommy rushes the skeptical Betsy to the ceremony and offers her a million dollars cash to marry him. She is disgusted and the two are separated by the arrival of the sky-diving Elvii (“Elvii in Flight”). Jack and Betsy reunite and embrace and they get married right there (“Honeymoon in Vegas/Finale”).
