ALEXANDRIA TWP. – In a peculiar era when a mustache is more likely to appear as a meme on a T-shirt than on a man’s face, a Delaware Valley High School actor is growing one for his role in the upcoming musical “9 to 5.”
Gentlemen’s Quarterly says: Beware!
His girlfriend says: Don’t!
But Alexandria Township junior Pierce Werrmann is exerting his whisker-growing abilities to be more convincing in the role of Franklin Hart. Jr., the sexist boss, who is a pivotal character in 9 to 5.
To make Pierce feel better about a questionable grooming commitment, Director Clinton Ambs and Musical Director James Schnyderite are now wearing solidarity mustaches, too.
“Initially, I was skeptical when Mr. Ambs asked me to grow out the mustache” for two reasons, says Pierce. “First, I was worried the mustache would be far from a pleasing fashion statement, and, second, my girlfriend, Ashley Diem, had already told me that she was against the idea of me growing facial hair.”
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But “as this is a lead role, and it is in my best interest to please the director, I agreed.”
According to GQ, “In terms of facial hair, a mustache is the boldest – and therefore most risky – maneuver you can attempt.”
But Ambs sees it as a dramatic must. Besides being authentic to the 1970s period of 9 to 5, “the mustache is a symbol of power and virility,” says the director. It “has also been a staple of some of the more malevolent figures from film, television and history, including Snidely Whiplash and Josef Stalin. Simultaneously studly and suspicious, the mustache is the perfect facial accessory for this musical’s villainous Franklin Hart.”
So why not just glue one on? Pierce says that Ambs told him “that in his experiences in musical theater, after extensive singing and dancing, fake mustaches are likely to fall off.” Furthermore, the director told him, fake mustaches look fake.
But “being the understanding, empathetic man he is, Mr. Ambs decided that he would join me in this endeavor,” says Pierce, even though “his fiancee was also against the idea of him growing a mustache.”
Schnyderite learned of the pact and shaved off his beard, leaving only the mustache, even though neither he nor his wife likes the look.
Pierce and his mustache will be playing opposite Jordan Reina, Amalia Crevani and Claire Wolfson, the three mutinous office workers. The 9 to 5 movie came out in 1980, and the musical was on Broadway in 2009.
There will be a free preview of the show for senior citizens on Wednesday, March 1, at 5 p.m. The regular performances will follow on March 2 and 3 at 7 p.m. and on March 4 at 2 and 7 p.m.
Submitted by Rick Epstein
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