What Ever Happened to Joe Heyes?

  WHAT EVER HAPPENED TO JOE HEYES?

    I never knew what became of Joe Heyes.  He came into my life at a time when I was coming into my youthful independence and at odds about whom I was or who I wanted to become.

      “Tryouts for the Spring Musical will be held in the auditorium this afternoon after classes.  Anyone interested in signing up for this annual event must be there by 3:00 today.”
    Being a freshman I was not sure what this was, when I heard it come over the Public Address System during my first- period class.    It was February 1965, and my first spring at Notre Dame High School.  The year had been very difficult for me, having come from a public grammar school; my struggle to keep up with the requirements of Catholic High School was constant.  I was ready to have fun following a very difficult six months.
    The three o’clock bell clanged as Joe Heyes walked into the auditorium with his own energetic style.  His casual crew cut was like a crown for his jolly round face.  He was a small, stocky man with the roar of a lion.  His step was quick and precise.  He moved across the room quickly as he walked into the hall.
    “OK, boys and girls, let’s get this show on the road.” 
    That was the first of many bellows in the weeks that followed.  With these words he silenced a school hall filled to capacity with students anxious to showcase their talents.
Joe Heyes was a song and dance man who had been on  Broadway for many years.  When he retired, at the age of fifty, he began a new career.  He traveled the Catholic High School Circuit, organizing the students into reproductions Of Broadway musicals.
         A large, unfamiliar Grand Piano was situated in the corner of the stage with a lanky gray haired man seated at the keyboard.  Most of the seats in the auditorium were filled and there was a hum of excitement in the room.  One of the brothers from the boys unit was at the door attempting to keep order.
         Joe’s direction was exact.  He divided the group in two; the singers were on the left side of the hall and the dancers on the right.  It took about ten minutes of scurrying around before we all settled down to begin the process of trying out for the numerous parts in the new Spring Show, “Away We Go.”
         I had decided to try out for a singing part.  I never had any formal training in either dance or music, but I did have a fairly decent singing range, loved music, and always wanted to be a part of something as special as a real Broadway Show.  The song that was to be my springboard was, “I Could Have Danced All Night.”  For me I could not have been happier.  It was a song I absolutely loved, and sang often. 
         Joe took us one row at a time and we only had to sing one verse for his review.  When my turn came, I felt weak in the knees, because I had never sung a song in front of a large group and was not sure I could pull it off.
      “  OK, Ronnie lets hear what you have to offer us today.”
    “  I could have danced all night, I could have danced all night, and still have begged for more.  I could have spread my wings, and done a thousand things, I’ve never done before.
      “That was good Ronnie, report for rehearsal on Monday at 3:00 and plan on staying till at least 6:00. You are to wear black tights to all rehearsals and sneakers are the shoe of the day.”
    “But, we are not allowed to wear tights.
    “It has already been cleared, next.”
    By the time the rehearsal was over, every person who was there either came away with a singing or dancing part; if they could not handle either of those, there were parts for comics, stage hands, decorations, costumes and backstage helpers.  So none was left out that day.  The way Joe handled each of us under such sensitive conditions was amazing.  He left us each feeling like we had something important to offer the show.
    On Monday, the school was abuzz with excitement.  The show was all anyone could talk or think about.  The faculty did not waste time in letting us know that our grades must be maintained or we would be out of the show.  Therefore, this turned into a big responsibility, but a true mixed blessing.
    The whole first week Joe Heyes spent, laying out the groundwork for each of us.  We all got to find out what numbers we would be in, and what part we played in the storyline of the show. He always had just the right words to allow us to see what he was trying to accomplish in each scene.          
         Often we would sit in the audience waiting for our turn to go up on the stage and get our songs practiced.  We were to maintain a fair amount of decorum but how quiet could sixty-five teens be. 
      In the row directly in front of mine there were two guys from the boys unit discussing some music of the day.
         One turned to me and said
         “Who sings Rockin' Robin?”
”Bobby Day,” I said.
      That was the very beginning of a friendship that would last for a lifetime.  We just became instant friends with a great deal in common including our Italian Heritage.  His name was Richey, but he was so thin and tall, I gave him the nickname, Bo.  I thought he looked like one of the beat generation.
      By week two, we had formed cliques, based on our personal friends, and the people in the same numbers we were in.  By this time, I knew that I would be in five show numbers.  One of them was the song, “Kids” from “Bye Bye Birdie”.  We would dress up in Grown-up type PJ’s holding rolling pins, with our hair in rollers and the boys would have balding wigs on to look older.  We were portraying a group of parents who did not know “What was wrong with these kids today”.
    Another song I would be singing was “April In Paris”.  I was to wear my Easter finery with a big picture hat and walk down the aisle like a model from Paris.  I never dreamed I would be chosen for that number, but being 5’7” finally paid off.
    The other numbers were pretty non-descript, but the finale was truly grand.  The whole cast was to come on the stage and sing “Make Someone Happy”. 
    Weeks three, four, and five proved to be a trial of Tenuous talent, and total tenacity.  We would do the same songs over, and over, and over till we could sing them in our sleep.  We would have rehearsals on Saturday and Sunday in the last two weeks.  Joe was determined to make us perfect.
         The last two weeks we were all becoming weary of the schedule.  It was day after day of the same songs, the same directives, and most important, the same mistakes.  Joe was always on the sidelines guiding each of us, like a ma-ma bird teaching her starlings to leave the nest and fly.
      Then, one week before Opening Night, Joe came out onto the stage.
      “Boys and Girls, please everyone take a seat.”  He bellowed.
      The lights in the Auditorium dimmed, a spotlight shinned on the center of the stage, the music came up, and Joe came out with top hat and cane and entertained the cast for what seemed like an hour.  He sang a rendition of “That’s Entertainment, then went into a dance routine which left me amazed.  I had never seen anyone with so much talent in my young life.  He sang several other songs, and then topped it off with “Papa Can you hear me” from  “Fiddler On The Roof”.  It brought the audience to its’ feet.  I had tears in my eyes.  I can feel that moment just writing about it.
    That was the night that Joe reignited all of us. Our dress rehearsal went off without any problems.  Opening Night was remembered for years to come.
At the end of the performance, the leads received armloads of flowers and there were three and four bows requested by our audience. 
      The show ran for four days.  People came from our town as well as  the surrounding towns.  We were a smash.  This was a Joe Heyes production and directed by a master in the field of entertainment.
        There is so much expected from young people while growing up. There are so many new and wonderful experiences in store for them. In today’s world of little appreciation of the good old days, I can only reflect on the joy that this moment in my time brought me.  My hope is that this opportunity will be available and welcomed by present and future generations of high-school students. I never did find out what became of Joe Hayes, but there is one thing for sure.  What he gave to this person has outlasted most experiences.  I will forever be grateful for a precious piece of my history and being allowed to grow and fly on my own with the help of this friend.