Meet the stars of our production of Love Story the Musical with Baldwin Wallace University! Zach plays the lead of Oliver Barrett IV, and Lucy and Sara share the lead role of Jennifer “Jenny” Cavalleri, performing on different nights.
The show follows two lovers Oliver and Jenny as they start out as college friends, and end up living out the love story that will define their lives. We were able to sit down with these talented students, to ask them a few questions about their theater experiences, and some of their own love stories.
What inspired you to start performing?
Lucy: Everyone in my family was involved in theater, so I didn’t really have a choice. I grew up in a theater. In fact, I took my first steps in a theater.
Zach: Started performing in shows my freshman year of high school. I guess I did it because I wanted to meet people and branch out. It wasn’t until my sophomore year that I got my first lead role.
Sara: I’ve been taking classes and doing theatre since I was 4, and I’ve been reenacting Disney movies since before I could talk. I’ve always wanted to do this, and it sometimes feels like Theatre chose me.
What is your dream role?
Lucy: Maria in West Side Story, Christine in Phantom of the Opera, and secretly, Mama Rose in Gypsy
Zach: Guy in Once
Sara: Dot in Sunday in the Park with George
Which is your favorite version of Love Story, the novel, the movie, or the musical?
Zach and Lucy in Love Story rehearsals at BW
Lucy: I read the book and it was heart wrenching. I avoided watching the movie because I wanted to create my own version of Jenny, which is a compilation of the strong women that I know in my own life.
Zach: I think that the musical has the most heart. The movie version is missing the “fire” of when Jenny and Oliver first meet. At first, they’re like two pieces of metal, striking together and creating sparks, but later, they meld together to become one.
Sara: I like the musical best because it explores all the facets of the characters humaneness. Unlike the book and movie where, I believe, the characters are too commercial and flat. The musical rounds out the characters nicely and explores the areas of light in Jenny and Oliver’s relationship, which the book doesn’t do. The music fills in the gaps that the words in the book and movie can’t do.
Have you ever been on an awkward first date or had an awkward first kiss?
Lucy: When I was with my first serious boyfriend, I was practicing making food for a class, but I had to be at a call back that night so I didn’t have much time. I’d never used a grill before, so the streaks didn’t get quite done. Nonetheless, my boyfriend ate his entire plate.
Zach: I once tried to impress an old girlfriend by cooking her dinner; little did she know that I had no idea what I was doing. Let just say I learned how to use a fire extinguisher that night.
Sara and Zach rehearsing for Love Story
Sara: I was 16. I lost my way and was late picking my date up. I painted my nails on the way and spilt polish all over the front seat. So, my date had to sit in the backseat. We went to walk around Lake Erie and my date, who is a photographer, kept taking pictures of me instead of talking. It was very uncomfortable. The date ended with a long hug that was trying to turn into a kiss, but it just didn’t happen.
Why did you choose to go to Baldwin Wallace for Music Theater?
Lucy: What most attracted me were the connections that Vicki Bussert has to offer. She is so good at marketing her students. She sets her students apart from the rest and markets them as individuals. I don’t think I would be marketed in the same way if I were attending another school.
Zach: What attracted me was the small class sizes as well as the fact that BW is known as the “indie” school. Baldwin Wallace is edgy, and always staying up to date with theater trends. BW started doing the “rock thing” at the same time that it was becoming popular on Broadway. I feel like most other schools are stuck in the 1950s.
Sara: I’ve always wanted to go to BW; it’s been my dream school since I was 7. I’ve been watching Scott and Vicky foster such amazing talent my whole life. I moved to NYC for awhile, but decided I need to go to school, specifically Baldwin Wallace, to earn an education and develop the training that only BW can give.
