musicals for a high school?- Page 2

[catsuit]

Posted: 3/9/06 at 7:39pm

Oh, yeah, my school did Aida and Ragtime too! Awesome.

[Katurian2]

Posted: 3/9/06 at 8:07pm

42nd Street is great. It has a large cast and the songs are easy to learn and sing. The dancing is also wonderful to learn.

[broadwaybaby221]

Posted: 3/9/06 at 8:11pm

We did Ragtime 2 years ago and I'm pretty sure we did the regular show. I could be wrong though. I go to a creative and performing arts school so we try to get the more difficult musicals.

We wanted to do Tommy this year but we couldn't get the rights. It sucks but Aida should still be pretty interesting.

[Gypsy2]

Posted: 3/9/06 at 8:14pm

Oh, just do Sweeney Todd. Big budget, you say? Get big sets that roll and wheel and do fun things. And a chair.

[camfatkin_]

Posted: 3/9/06 at 10:08pm

Horton: in response to your question why not urinetown?

the rights arent available, although i just saw it and loved it! :)

[ljay889]

Posted: 3/9/06 at 10:10pm

AHHH. SWEENEY TODD is so wrong for High School also.

I hope that was sarcastic.

I don't think many performing arts high schools can even handle the show. It is considered one of the hardest scores ever written. VERY VERY challenging. Leagues beyond High School.

[Dancinqueen123]

Posted: 3/9/06 at 10:19pm

My school just finished Beauty and the Beast. We had a pretty large cast too. In past years we've done The King and I, Godspell, Annie Get Your Gun(I don't reccomend this one just because it sucks), Peter Pan, and Annie

[Laura-Kate]

Posted: 3/9/06 at 10:30pm

Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat is classic, if you've got strong male talent and works well with a large cast.
I was in a HS production of Guys and Dolls and that was amazing! It was about a 60 person cast too.
I totally agree with the poster who said that Chicago, Sweeney and The Producers are adult productions. Sorry. JMO.

[musicguy]

Posted: 3/10/06 at 5:16am

Okay, Chicago isnt good for high school. If done right it is too R rated. Plus, not enough characters. I know it sounds typical but Grease and West Side Story are the best musicals for high schools. They need a lot of people and they have a lot of various roles.

[tophertilson]

Posted: 3/10/06 at 7:20am

My high school did GYPSY, complete with the strip sequence. No nudity, per se, but a lot of sexy posturing. Not a complaint from the parents.

As for GREASE, it's actually a pretty raunchy musical. There's some gross language and some questionable lessons. Doesn't bother me (nor would it most high school kids), but some parents might go ape. Ya never know....

TT

[Kgshrauder]

Posted: 3/10/06 at 8:22am

I've seen a high school do Sweeney Todd and it was okay, I agree it is a very challenging musical to perform. I also saw this done by an all high school cast at a local theatre through operation youth theatre, but remember they were all local high school students. It was amazing, I've never seen high school students get so into a performance, especially as challenging as Sweeney Todd, but it was truly an amazing performance. The same theatre did an equally as impresive job on Titanic, which I think would be another great musical to perform in for a high school.

[thez914]

Posted: 3/10/06 at 2:19pm

I just want to say that my high school did CHICAGO my senior year without scantly clad dancers and it went over extremely well. We played up the vaudeville aspect of the show and had a blast performing it. The original and revival interpretations are just that - an interpretation. You should perform the show however it suits your audience. I for one am endlessly intrigued by interpretations that go against the norm - just look at the current revival of Sweeney Todd: no one would have ever believed that could be successful until it actually materialized.

As for the comment that URINETOWN isn't available...my high school is doing that this year and it opens next month.

[Ourtime992]

Posted: 3/10/06 at 2:58pm

Urinetown is very recently available. Expect a number of productions in the coming year.

[Barihunk]

Posted: 3/10/06 at 3:34pm

A friend just directed "Godspell" at her high school with a cast of 35-40 and it worked extremely well. This was largely due to her concept. She used the 2001 tour orchestrations done by Alex Lacamoire. The cast was costumed in rocker-chic leather etc., punked-out hair, tatoos. They looked like a Gen-X commune. Judas pulled out a gun at the end and shot Jesus. It was all extremely effective - the kids had a blast performing it and the audiences (in a very conservative community) went crazy for it. I highly recommend doing it with these orchestrations.

[ljay889]

Posted: 3/10/06 at 3:46pm

I just don't know why directors have to feed their ego and their "cool factor" and do a show like CHICAGO. It is everything but a HS show. It's not just the language. Who the hell wants to see a 15 murderess? etc etc. It's just stupid. It is just not the right subject matter for a school musical. Out of all the amazing shows for High Schools - why must directors choose adult shows like Cabaret, Chicago, Sweeney etc? It just kills me.

I feel like it's a major insult to the names Bob Fosse and Gwen Verdon - having this show in HS's. Thanks to them, we have this musical.

Plus if a HS makes Mary Sunshine a female and not a drag character. It completely changes the message of the show - that part is a key element. It goes against everything Fosse tried proving with that message.
Updated On: 3/10/06 at 03:46 PM

[Barihunk]

Posted: 3/10/06 at 4:03pm

ljay - while I don't doubt that there are a few egocentric teachers out there doing the shows that THEY want to do, I think the responsible educator tries to think of the learning experience behind the show. My friend I mentioned above goes out of her way each year to try to pick a show that will not only compliment the talent pool she has available to her, but will also expose her students to a variety of different types of musicals. I don't find anything wrong with a high school choosing to do "Chicago" or "Cabaret" if the experience is beneficial to the students. If prepared properly there are a lot of interesting educational opportunities involved in doing these shows. "Cabaret" for instance would present opportunities for the students to research the Holocaust (Holocaust education is mandatory in New Jersey). "Chicago" could inspire studies of the Jazz Age, the death penalty. High school musicals are not just a play-time excercise, but should also be a learning experience tied to the schools cirriculum. To admonish high schools for insulting the names of the show's creators, to me, is missing the point for their existence in the first place - to educate.

Updated On: 3/10/06 at 04:03 PM

[Chevstriss]

Posted: 3/10/06 at 4:07pm

obviously you should do WE WILL ROCK YOU. Its just the bestest ever musical ever written. And the rights will be for schools only.

[ljay889]

Posted: 3/10/06 at 4:13pm

When CHICAGO opened in 1975 - Broadway was NOT ready it for. Many people were shocked at the subject matter, and by the very risque costumes, choreography etc.

But High Schools are ready to perform that? Please. The revival right now is only suggested for kids over 12. But lets have 14 and 15 year olds perform it. I just don't know who in their right mind want to see kids shooting guns, imitating an orgy, acting drunk, etc. Just give me a break.

I think High Schoolers being able to see a Fosse and K&E show is amazing. It can be very educational for teens to see the show on Broadway - but performing it? Don't agree.

But I think I'm starting to repeat myself. I've gotten my opinion across by now, don't think there is a need for me to continue.

[Barihunk]

Posted: 3/10/06 at 4:29pm

ljay - I really do understand your point. It is a valid one. But, if you start restricting the shows high schools are allowed to do by subject matter, you really start narrowing the playing field considerably. So you don't want kids shooting guns on stage? Well, that ends doing "West Side Story" "Annie Get Your Gun". You don't want a character drunk on stage? That takes out "Anything Goes" "Brigadoon" and "Guys and Dolls". I'm sure there are plenty of other examples. I do believe that "Chicago" can be done tastefully by high school students.

[Gypsy2]

Posted: 3/10/06 at 8:06pm

Well my high school got a new director this year for the drama club, and during a rehersal he let it slip that he really wanted to do Sweeney Todd this year, but apparantly the principal had an issue with murder and cannibalism. My friend did it with high school, though, and told me it worked out fine. It all depends on what kind of talent you have.

[ljay889]

Posted: 3/10/06 at 8:15pm

A 15/16 year old Sweeney Todd and Mrs Lovett makes me laugh. It can't even piss me off anymore. It just makes me laugh at the thought of trying to take a 15/16 year old serious in those roles.

[Ourtime992]

Posted: 3/10/06 at 8:25pm

Most high school musicals I see have 18 year old leads, not 15 and 16, which is a pretty big difference in terms of maturity, training, etc. If a school is consistently having to dip into the freshman class for leads in a musical, then you're probably right, they shouldn't be doing these kinds of shows, because they apparently don't have the requisite amount of talent and dedication to pull them off.

I've yet to see a show worth doing that the right high school can't tackle. I've seen ridiculously good high school productions of Cabaret and Sweeney Todd, as well as ridiculously bad productions of Brigadoon and Guys & Dolls. It boils down to the quality of talent in a school, the talent and commitment of the creative staff, and the extent to which a program has earned the trust and support of the community.

One of the schools I do graphic design for is putting on Aida with a budget well over $40,000. There are more than 100 kids in the production, and that's after turning away another 80 who auditioned. The community volunteers working on the set and costumes number around 50, with another 50 behind publicity, ticket sales, ushering, etc. The director has been at the school for almost 30 years and has carte blanche to do whatever show he wants -- his administration has fought off crazy parents and community complaints in the past.

Can that school pull off Chicago or Sweeney? Hell yeah.

[ljay889]

Posted: 3/10/06 at 8:31pm

My High School has had Freshman/Sophomore leads every year. It's about being fair, there is no fun having a show with all seniors in the leads. But I'm not doing the musical this year, and couldn't be happier I'm not part of it.

I just have very conservative views about what is HS appropriate. Anyway a lot of High Schools know better than to do Sweeney Todd. And it's a smart choice.
Updated On: 3/10/06 at 08:31 PM

[Ourtime992]

Posted: 3/10/06 at 8:41pm

It's not necessarily any more "fair" to have freshman/sophomore leads. If you have a genuine up-and-coming talent, then sure, they deserve the lead. But most people improve with time and experience, so it only makes sense that the most talented performers in most programs are the seniors. And if you have a program worth shaking a stick at, you ought to have a lot of experienced performers who are going to give better performances than the rookies. The only reason to consistently use a lot of young performers is when you lack more experienced ones, and that probably has everything to do with the size and quality of the program.

And like I said, if that's the case, then by all means stick to easy shows. But don't assume that just because one high school lacks the depth to pull it off there aren't high schools capable of doing some amazing, daring work.

[ljay889]

Posted: 3/10/06 at 8:43pm

I should've been more clear, we have Freshman/Sophomore leads along with Junior/Senior leads.

And I seriously hope you aren't trying to make assumptions of my school's theatre program.

But you seem to know how every HS theatre program works!