Future Overdone High School Musicals — Page 2

"Wicked" will lead the pack, for sure. It's show that doesn't rely heavily on too much dancing or even effects. Many of the leading characters are close to the age of the students. Whether or not the school has a cherry picker or not won't kill the show. High School drama departments can easily get creative with it.

I think "Lion King" will be huge too. "Aida" probably not as much for many reasons, such as multi-ethnic casting (which you could dodge around, but not without totally losing the story). For the same reason Showboat, Big River or Dreamgirls weren't done much (if at all). "Ragtime" will suffer the same fate, sadly. I'm surprised at high schools that try "42nd Street" or "A Chorus Line" or even "West Side Story." They need such talented dancers to pull them off.

"Thoroughly Modern Millie" should be big too... but again, the dancing, which they could trim or simplify and not kill the show. The more mature-themed shows (as in the past) won't do as well in high schools, but will do well in colleges. In years to come, I could see Piazza doing as well as A Little Night Musc has (on the university level).

I wouldn't be surprised if a few daring schools tried Hairspray, but there's more than just the "drag" thing. You've got to have a multi-ethnic cast to pull this off, and that counts out a lot of places.

But I think there are still many Music Mans, Oklahomas, and Brigadoons to bow before ecsatic, clapping relatives in years to come. There is a huge built-in recognition of those titles, not to mention "safety" in chosing them.

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Updated On: 8/15/05 at 07:32 PM

I found them off Google.

It could be done without the puppets. It would suck. But it could be done without the puppets.

Think high schoolers dressed up like Timon, Simba, etc. And a really underwhelming opening of "Circle of Life," with a bunch of teens running around the stage dressed up like giraffes and gazelles.

It's called... imagination, and it doesn't cost money. There are many ways to skin a lion.

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"There are many ways to skin a lion."

yeah, but all of them are illegal.

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Well, "Beauty and the Beast" and "Seussical" have already established themselves as staples, i think. (Six schools did Beauty and the Beast in my area this year, and eight did Seussical.)

"Thoroughly Modern Millie" will be a big hit, guaranteed. MTI is already offering transpositions, so any high belting Millie may have or high tenor singing that Jimmy does will be easily conquered.

"All Shook Up" and "Mamma Mia!" will be big hits. They're family-friendly, ensemble-heavy, appeal to audiences, and the music is relatively easy to sing and learn. It's a good thing, as these shows really will make good high school shows, especially "Mamma Mia!" which I think can be done on a pinch-penny budget.

"Hairspray" is everything a high school musical should be, but the multi-ethnic cast will be a major turnoff for most schools, i think.

The watered-down version of "The Producers" will likely be popular, but the practically all-male cast won't appeal to a lot of schools. Plus, there's only so much you can water down...ambitious ones will tackle this one.

Finally, many schools will attempt to do "The Lion King" and "Wicked". Whether they will be good is up to anyone...I guess "Wicked" could be bearable if they transposed stuff...but for both, the grand moajrity of schools will not be able to reproduce the specatacle of the actual show.

High schools will try to do wicked because of it's popularity (but it would lead to disappointments!) I think Aida is another possibility for HS

Footloose already is overdone in HS. My Hs did it when I was a junior and about 3 others in the area did it the same year!


I agree with most of them...
Aida
Beauty and the Beast
Millie
Titanic (if it's not already...)
Definately the jukebox musicals... but I havent seen any of them so I can't really say :)

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RENT will be overdone! I emailed MTI about rights to MILLIE & RENT, the agent gave me an estimate for release.


RENT-summer 2008
TMM-Summer 2006

those cannot be confirmed but those are estimated release times for the rights

WICKED wont be out for many years to come, i can tell you that now!

Aida--I've seen it now twice in regional youth theater productions without the ethnic castings (Asian Mereb, white Aida) and it doesn't matter, still very good show.

42nd st--my school did it and pulled off the dancing fabulously..I think it's just the same deal with any show of school's directors not really understanding their students' abilities (or lack thereof)

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My drama teacher always says that Mamma Mia! will make a great high school show. I agree with her.

Hairspray will also be done a lot.

Wicked shouldn't be, but unfortunetly, it probably will be.

Beauty & the Beast likely will be done a fair bit, as well.

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But the set for Wicked is kind of complcated, i couldn't see how'd they change it to be able to fit on a high school stage..