After over thirty years of marriage, former Pizzazz choreographer Ruthe Ponturo was shocked to hear that her husband was leaving her for another woman. While most heartbroken women would sulk in self-pity, Ponturo decided “Better Mad than Sad,” the title of the first song of what would become “Divorce the Musical.”
“After my husband left me, it took a few weeks to even begin to process it, but then song lyrics just started popping into my head,” Ponturo said.
Ponturo began writing the lyrics down and working on making her dream of writing a musical into a means of divorce therapy. With the help of teacher, composer and performer, John Fischer, an Alton native, the two wrote 25 songs for the musical including “Bitter Pill” and “You Were a Whole Lot Cuter When I Loved You.”
“We have had so many laughs writing all the songs that it has been very therapeutic,” Ponturo said.
Ponturo is not a stranger to the Broadway scene as her ex-husband is a Broadway producer, Ponturo found a co- producer, two entertainment attorneys, a general manager and a publicist to help get “Divorce the Musical” rolling. With the team ready, Ponturo set her sights on a cast.
As is fitting, Ponturo herself stars as Kate, but “Divorce the Musical” holds an even greater significance because the entire cast is composed of Parkway Central alums. Lindsay Naas, Class of 2003, plays Aubrey in the upcoming musical alongside Dana Wilson, Class of 1999, who plays Mae.
“My initial reaction [to finding out Ruthe had written a musical] was something along the lines of ‘You go, girl!’” Naas said. “Her ex did a really awful thing and instead of just rolling over and being sad about it, Ruthe pulled herself up, channeled her creativity and talent and created something unique, funny and touching that almost anyone can relate to.”
Wilson first met Ponturo when she joined Pizzazz as a sophomore. Ponturo’s choreography and ways of teaching inspired Wilson to lead “Encore,” the other show choir that was during that time.
“Learning from Ruthe was always amazing. She has such a wonderful way of making her choreography accessible to everyone involved and there was never a shortage of fun when she was around,” Wilson said.
Likewise, Naas met Ponturo through Pizzazz when current choir director Mr. Ben Silvermintz was also a Pizzazz member. Naas also was involved in the theatre department and founded the PCH improvisation team “Flyspace.”
“My experience socially was just alright. I was never super popular in school and remember feeling a little out of place. The only time I really felt like I was extremely happy was when I was performing. So, because of that, I was constantly involved with the plays and with Pizzazz.
“I think it’s really important for kids to find creative artistic outlets when they’re in school. It helps you feel independent and special and, lord knows, it’s tough to feel good about yourself in high school,” Naas said.
For Naas, being a part of a comedy like “Divorce the Musical” is not only a great opportunity for her as a performer, but it also satisfies the one thing she loves most about acting.
“My favorite sound in the world is laughter, so [it] was an easy way for me to hear it all the time. I learned how to make people laugh and I was hooked,” Naas said.
To current students, Naas advises “follow your dreams” as she did when she took the chance on pursuing her love of performing, and as Ponturo did when she took a rough situation and used it to make her dream of writing a Cabaret come true.
“If you are going to follow your dreams, you have to be fearless and incredibly brave. No one is going to hold your hand or tell you what the right decision is or where the next move is. You just have to learn to love yourself and trust yourself and put faith in yourself.
“Once you have some adventures on your own, then everything else will fall into place. Go, explore the world and yourself. It’s sometimes terrifying to follow your dreams but it is so incredibly worth it,” Naas said.
