ALUM TO TAKE ON WITCHES IN UPCOMING MUSICAL

Share this article with a friend.

July 3, 2024

For information on admission to Notre Dame Prep, please click here. 

Big band crooner and nurse Mike Bohne NDP'01 becomes a 'villain' in Alyce, the innovative new alumni-cast musical that opens in August at Meadow Brook Theatre.

By day, Mike Bohne NDP'01 is a certified registered nurse anesthetist (CRNA) at McLaren Port Huron Hospital. By night — at least when he's on stage in Alyce, the new alumni-cast musical debuting in August — he's looking for witches as "The Finder," one of the leading characters in a new play conceived by Notre Dame Prep choir director Dave Fazzini and his friend Mitch Carter. 

"Dave reached out to my wife, Jennifer (Cooper) Bohne NDP’01, and I about a year ago and asked if we’d be interested in participating in a new musical that he and Mitch had written," Bohne said recently. "Jen and I had dinner with Dave and his wife, Susie, and he shared with us his vision for a musical based on a short story by Nathaniel Hawthorne."

Bohne and his wife were hooked and knew right then that they wanted to be a part of the project.

On August 23, with Bohne on stage and Jennifer behind the scenes as a producer, Alyce will open at Meadow Brook Theatre in Rochester, Mich. It will be the culmination of a years-long effort to stage the musical fairy tale about an indentured servant, a scarecrow, a witch and a witch finder. It's loosely based on Nathaniel Hawthorne’s short story “Feathertop,” which was first published in 1852.

It also will be the first time that veteran Notre Dame Prep choir director Dave Fazzini has managed an all-alumni cast musical.

"It's never been done before," said Fazzini, who wrote all the music for the play. "The initial response was positive and the enthusiasm has steadily risen all along."

Bohne said he auditioned last year and was cast shortly thereafter for the musical, which has tickets now available at alycethemusical.com/tickets. 

"The Finder is a con artist who travels from town to town and convinces the residents that all their woes can be attributed to  the presence of witches in their community, and that only he can root out and eliminate the sources of their troubles," he added. "Basically, I'm the villain in this story."

When he's not a villain or a nurse anesthetist, Bohne can be found on different kinds of stages around town as the lead male singer in the big band "The Stardusters," a swing band based out of Clarkston with which he's been performing for more than decade. 

"My love for jazz, big band and swing music was cultivated during my time at NDP where both my wife and I played in the jazz band, led by Joe Martin," he said. "I've also had the pleasure of performing at a couple gigs with Joe when he subbed for one of our trombone players. The Stardusters play all over the Metro Detroit area — from outdoor concerts at Depot Park in Clarkston to swing dance parties at the VFW in Waterford."

The band also recently won a battle of the big bands competition held at the Masonic Temple in Detroit.

While Bohne is stoked about the opportunity to work with Fazzini and his team on Alyce, he also welcomes the chance to reconnect with the school that played such a huge role in his early formation as a student and performer. 

"I’m truly grateful for the time I spent at NDP," said Bohne, who currently lives in Bruce Township with Jennifer and their son, Kellan. "There were so many wonderful teachers that showed a genuine passion for teaching and warmth toward their students. I remember fondly Mr. Borton scribbling out trig on an overhead projector, Mr. Simon’s passion for debates and love of “The Doors,” and Mr. Osiecki’s dry wit during yearbook club."

He said he met his wife in sophomore English class and they both shared a love for music and performing together in both band and choir. 

"We also both acted in a few of NDP’s first musicals, including 'Music Man' and 'Oklahoma.' At that time, the arts program was just starting to grow and it’s so wonderful to see how it’s blossomed since then."

Tickets for Alyce are available at alycethemusical.com/tickets.

 

For information on admission to Notre Dame Prep, please click here.

Comments or questions? mkelly@ndpma.org

About Notre Dame Preparatory School
"At Notre Dame Prep, we inspire our students to become the best versions of themselves. We challenge them through an experience of academic excellence, focused on active, project-based learning. We invite them to explore a world of opportunities beyond the classroom. We guide them as they grow in spirituality within a community strong in its Catholic and Marist identity."

Notre Dame Preparatory School is a private, Catholic, independent, coeducational day school located in Oakland County. Notre Dame Preparatory School's upper school enrolls students in grades nine through twelve and has been named one of the nation's best 50 Catholic high schools (Acton Institute) four times since 2005. Notre Dame Prep's middle and lower schools enroll students in pre-kindergarten through grade eight. All three schools are International Baccalaureate "World Schools." NDP is conducted by the Marist Fathers and Brothers and is accredited by the Independent Schools Association of the Central States and the National Association of Independent Schools. For more on Notre Dame Preparatory School, visit the school’s home page at www.ndpma.org.