Appopiate musicals for High School

#1

Appopiate musicals for High School

Posted: 5/17/08 at 1:47pm

hey
its that time of year again where my school starts to brainstorm shows for our annual spring musical for 2009. the director told me on the side, the show might be GODSPELL. I'm not to crzy about it. Not anything to do with the show, but it has the word GOD in it, and im worried that the religous commentary might not go over well in my very politically correct hometown that i live in.

Any comments or Suggestions?

oh BTW, we just did Disney's AIDA, this year. The show was fantastic. But there was soooooo much backstage drama before, and during the rehersal period. Cast List day........... OMIGOD. 12 people quit.
So shows with a big cast and multiple leads would be great!

Updated On: 5/17/08 at 01:47 PM

#2

re: Appopiate musicals for High School

Posted: 5/17/08 at 1:52pm

Rent: School Edition
Les Miserables: School Edition
Sweeney Tood: School Edition
Avenue Q: School Edition
Ragtime: School Edition

#3

re: Appopiate musicals for High School

Posted: 5/17/08 at 1:53pm

Oh Calcutta!

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A young actress with Noel coward after a dreadful opening night performance said to him 'Well, i knew my lines backwards this morning!'' Noels fast reply was ''Yes dear, and thats exactly how you said them tonight'!'

#4

re: Appopiate musicals for High School

Posted: 5/17/08 at 1:54pm

Well Godspell will most likely be out of the question, the rights are usually held while it is on Broadway, and the revival should still be up and running...

And High School Drama will happen no matter what the show

and PLEEEASE don't do a school edition!

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25 shows in 14 days folks, anything is possible!

#5

re: Appopiate musicals for High School

Posted: 5/17/08 at 1:56pm

they actually have an Avenue Q school eddtion?
that'd be hysterical.

So how bad is Rent: SE??

#6

re: Appopiate musicals for High School

Posted: 5/17/08 at 1:57pm

School editions, usually just transpose the score so it doesn't ruin teenagers voices. Some school editions, (Avenue Q, Sweeney Todd, Les Miserables, Rent) cut out about 1/2 hour of the show, while others (Ragtime) are nearly the same. I had a friend who saw "Ragtime: School Edition" with a 17 year old Tateh, 16 year old Father, 16 year old Mother, 14 year old Sarah, 15 year old Coalhouse, and the rest of the cast was under 19 and she said it was the same show, with transpositions. No book changes.

#7

re: Appopiate musicals for High School

Posted: 5/17/08 at 1:59pm

Avenue Q: School Edition
Some language cut, some songs cut (or changed)

Rent
Contact is the only song completely left out
La Vie Boheme changed (mucho medication)
Less Collins/Angel kissing, lesss Maureen/Joanne kissing
Can be done in moderate/liberal high schools

#8

re: Appopiate musicals for High School

Posted: 5/17/08 at 2:00pm

THE ROCKY HORROR SHOW
OH, CALCUTTA!
TABOO
FOLLIES
I LOVE MY WIFE
APPLAUSE
COCO
CHICAGO
THEY'RE PLAYING OUR SONG
NINE
I DO, I DO

... the list is endless.

#9

re: Appopiate musicals for High School

Posted: 5/17/08 at 2:07pm

Back when I was in high school we performed:

Sweet Charity
Grease
Anything Goes
West Side Story

I think Godspell is a great choice! Glad to hear Aida went well.

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"Everytime you step on that stage it is somebody's first Broadway show and somebody's last Broadway show. Make it count."

#10

re: Appopiate musicals for High School

Posted: 5/17/08 at 2:24pm

http://www.musictheatreinternational.com/index.asp

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Two roads diverged in a wood, and I? I took the one less traveled by, And that has made all the difference.

#11

re: Appopiate musicals for High School

Posted: 5/17/08 at 2:25pm

I don't see a point getting a school edition...there are plenty of musicals to choose from that are appropriate for high schools!

New pop infused musicals are not the best option for high school students....wait until you have some developed voices...

SOOO many great shows without getting a lame toned down school edition!

Barnum can be done with great success in a high school!

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25 shows in 14 days folks, anything is possible!

#12

re: Appopiate musicals for High School

Posted: 5/17/08 at 2:28pm

Brody, very funny. You should have suggested the heroin overdose musical as well.

What about . . . "Anything Goes", "Once Upon a Mattress" "Pippin" ?

#13

re: Appopiate musicals for High School

Posted: 5/17/08 at 2:44pm

OKLAHOMA! is a great show for high schools to do, and it normally sells pretty well.

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I am a firm believer in serendipity- all the random pieces coming together in one wonderful moment, when suddenly you see what their purpose was all along.

#14

re: Appopiate musicals for High School

Posted: 5/17/08 at 2:51pm

playbill.com just did an article of which shows are most often done in high school theatre... maybe if you check that out you can get some ideas...

#15

re: Appopiate musicals for High School

Posted: 5/17/08 at 3:05pm

When I was in high school, my theatre group did:

THE SECRET GARDEN
ANYTHING GOES
THE MYSTERY OF EDWIN DROOD
LES MISERABLES

#16

re: Appopiate musicals for High School

Posted: 5/17/08 at 3:20pm

once on this island

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"I told you, NO Rodgers and Hammerstein!"- Bart Simpson

#17

re: Appopiate musicals for High School

Posted: 5/17/08 at 3:47pm

Has anyone mentioned Into the Woods?

#18

re: Appopiate musicals for High School

Posted: 5/17/08 at 3:58pm

In high school, I was in a whole bunch of theatre groups. Some of the shows I remember were: Cinderella, Oliver, Bye Bye Birdie, Wizard of Oz, Grease (grrr), Secret Garden, Titanic, Millie, and Lil Abner. But don't do Lil Abner. Just don't.

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Oh, and I almost forgot to mention...I'm the good cop, he's the bad cop.

#19

re: Appopiate musicals for High School

Posted: 5/17/08 at 5:46pm

Wizard of Oz
The Music Man
Bye Bye Birdie
Little Shop of Horrors
Titanic
The Sound of Music

#20

re: Appopiate musicals for High School

Posted: 5/17/08 at 5:57pm

Into the Woods
Seusical
Anything Goes
Bye Bye Birdie
Hello Dolly!
The Music Man
Guys and Dolls
Little Shop of Horrors
Once Upon a Mattress
Carousel
A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum
City of Angels
Les Miserables
West Side Story
Grease
Oklahoma
The King and I
Fiddler on the Roof
etc.

take your pick... there are so many shows that are overdone and pulled off by high schools.
For the record there's no reason why Godspell can't be done in any High School, however the rights may not be available this year (due to the revival), as someone pointed out.

Updated On: 5/17/08 at 05:57 PM

#21

re: Appopiate musicals for High School

Posted: 5/17/08 at 6:56pm

South pacific
guys and dolls
crazy for you

#22

re: Appopiate musicals for High School

Posted: 5/17/08 at 7:12pm

I have seen many high schools attempt Into the Woods and have yet to see one succeed. For a non-theatre school, I feel any Sondheim is too complex to be done properly.

Updated On: 5/17/08 at 07:12 PM

#23

re: Appopiate musicals for High School

Posted: 5/17/08 at 7:39pm

YAY! "APPLAUSE"!

Let me just say as a high school student who just finished "Oklahoma", everyone was really bored because the show was so old and corny. I appologize to all the "Oklahoma" fans, but especially if you just did AIDA (which is what my school did last year), don't do "Oklahoma". To a high school student it's like going from gold to garbage.

I love "Applause" and think it would be great with your biggest diva star and a talented younger student. Also "Sound of Music" is good because everyone knows the show. "Into the Wood" is fantastic even though it has a smaller cast.

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You look absolutely terrific, honestly.

#24

re: Appopiate musicals for High School

Posted: 5/17/08 at 8:40pm

Jekyll & Hyde
How to Suceed...
The Scarlet Pimpernel
Oklahoma
Sound of Music

#25

Posted: 5/17/08 at 8:54pm

Updated On: 5/5/09 at 08:54 PM