1970-71 - Encouraged by the success of Bye Bye Birdie, TGP decided to produce The Pajama Game in March, 1971, for four performances.

The staff remained much the same as it was in 1970, but one change would be a step towards insuring the longevity of TGP. Agnes (Aggie) Armstrong was listed in the program as the “choral director” for The Pajama Game, but in fact she was active in almost every area of production and would continue to be so for many years.

Of all TGP productions in which I was involved, I have the least material on The Pajama Game. I do remember two difficult technical problems. One was the duet in which Hines sings a duet (“Hey There”) with his own voice coming from a Dictaphone. The other was the creation of the illusion that Hines is actually throwing knives at another character at the picnic. Both problems were solved successfully, and if anyone is directing this show, details are available.

The stage crew was called upon to do yeoman’s duty when it was decided to make the entrance for the picnic scene through the house. An platform was built to fit in the stairwell of the left side stage, and a ramp was built to connect the extended side stage with the aisle. I don’t believe the ramp was ever used again, but the extender on that side stage was used for more than 20 years, and an extender for the right side stage was built the following year.

Another problem which arose during the rehearsals for The Pajama Game was a cast problem. An actor playing one of the major roles left the show, and the solution to the problem involved making the character of the union president, Prez, a woman. Thus TGP became an early participant in the women’s rights movement.

Other details about The Pajama Game include:

• The first instance of staff children playing in the aisles during rehearsals when Scott Armstrong found that toy trucks could get up quite a lot of speed when rolled from the back of the house. (Brenda and Becky Armstrong were much less intrusive when they attended rehearsals.)
• Rob McNiven (Sid) was to become the earliest Player to later have a child (Jennifer) who became a GP.
• Vince Capuano (Hines) became the first Player to remove his pants on stage and, as noted by The Altamont Enterprise, “it was all part of the script.”
• At least one senior in The Pajama Game continued performing after graduation. Karen Ragotzkie is a singer who often performs with bands in the area.
• The cast of The Pajama Game numbered 45 and the orchestra had 26 players, five of whom were adults.
• The program was still 16 pages.
• The four-performance schedule and the March performance dates worked well and have remained to the present.

The success of The Pajama Game proved that Bye Bye Birdie’s success was no fluke, but when the school year started in 1971, it seemed that TGP might be a thing of the past...