Musicals that every high school should perform- Page 2
Musicals that every high school should perform
Fantod
Broadway Legend Joined: 10/3/14
#25Musicals that every high school should perform
Posted: 11/5/14 at 1:54pmI think that Ragtime and South Pacific could be highly problematic unless you have a high percentage of students different ethnic groups from which you can cast your shows.
#26Musicals that every high school should perform
Posted: 11/5/14 at 4:18pm
AFunny Thing Haqppened On The Way to The Forum is a greatone to do! Though when we did it in my High School in 72 we couldn't use the word 'Virgin'.... had to be changed to 'Maiden'
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Those Blocked: SueStorm. N2N Nate. Good riddence to stupid! Rad-Z, shill begone!
lucas_glenn
Understudy Joined: 11/5/14
#27Musicals that every high school should perform
Posted: 11/5/14 at 4:37pmMy school did a basically all white version of Ragtime. It wasn't hard at all. We just used different color schemes to depict who was who
#28Musicals that every high school should perform
Posted: 11/5/14 at 5:07pm
Boy, I do hope that doesn't mean you guys used black face. And I really think Ragtime should never be done without black people. It's a way to diminish the importance black people have had in the building of the USA (why should black people represent themselves and the pain they have gone through, if you can just replace them with their oppressor?)
And I agree with g.d.e.l.g.i., every graduation class should do Pippin. Great show and it gives a lot to think to people who have just started to understand what to live in our society is.
Updated On: 11/5/14 at 05:07 PM
dramamama611
Broadway Legend Joined: 12/4/07
#29Musicals that every high school should perform
Posted: 11/5/14 at 5:15pmLucas: dear god, I hope you are joking. That just thrust a dagger into my soul.
If we're not having fun, then why are we doing it?
These are DISCUSSION boards, not mutual admiration boards. Discussion only occurs when we are willing to hear what others are thinking, regardless of whether it is alignment to our own thoughts.
Fantod
Broadway Legend Joined: 10/3/14
#30Musicals that every high school should perform
Posted: 11/5/14 at 5:22pmLucas_glenn, please tell me you are joking. Though that might just be the most hilariously offensive thing I've ever heard.
WildBlue22
Swing Joined: 11/3/14
#31Musicals that every high school should perform
Posted: 11/5/14 at 6:51pmI've seen a few really great high school productions of Anything Goes.
#32Musicals that every high school should perform
Posted: 11/5/14 at 7:06pm
I have many problems with school productions.
My friend directs an arts school for a Musical Theatre and was banned from performing La Cage Aux Folles but it was perfectly fine to do Young Frankenstein (and nothing was cut or censored).
I think it's a bad thing that we're so uncomfortable with Drag roles that deal with acceptance and we're ok with sexualizing 14 year olds and have two students depict having intercourse on the stage (for a full 5 minutes).
It's just a poor reflection on our society.
Not to mention the quality of both shows are vastly different.
"Sticks and stones, sister. Here, have a Valium." - Patti LuPone, a Memoir
Updated On: 11/5/14 at 07:06 PM
#33Musicals that every high school should perform
Posted: 11/5/14 at 7:15pm
^Our school is quite different. We just finished performing Cabaret and we kept it incredibly sexual and our director refused to censore it.
We did do La Cage as well as Lysistrata cross dressed. We also did Annie with Miss Hannigan in drag.
jemjeb2
Featured Actor Joined: 6/28/05
#34Musicals that every high school should perform
Posted: 11/5/14 at 9:09pm
Sorry, but an "incredibly sexual" Cabaret is inappropriate for casts presumably from 15 to 18. Your director's "refusal to censore"(sic) deserved his/her dismissal.
I also agree that "Follies" is a ridiculous show for teenagers to perform, let alone one to expect high school audiences to enjoy.
As for an all white Ragtime - YOU'VE GOT TO BE KIDDING!
There are far too many unquestionably appropriate musicals for high schools to perform without resorting to these examples of misguided thinking.
Updated On: 11/5/14 at 09:09 PM
#35Musicals that every high school should perform
Posted: 11/5/14 at 9:28pm
^He felt that the censorship of such a great piece of theatre was unneeded.
My school is very mature and tends to do shows that other high schools wouldn't dream of doing.
This Is an audition only arts school. He is trying to expose us to more mature theatre that we wouldn't get to perform at other schools. He also only pushes us to where we want to get pushed. If we feel uncomfortable with something he will change it
Follies was thought about because our school loves it and many of us have performed pieces from it.
Updated On: 11/5/14 at 09:28 PM
#36Musicals that every high school should perform
Posted: 11/5/14 at 9:41pmDouble post.
"Sticks and stones, sister. Here, have a Valium." - Patti LuPone, a Memoir
Updated On: 11/5/14 at 09:41 PM
#37Musicals that every high school should perform
Posted: 11/5/14 at 9:41pm
Cabaret is quite popular with high schools.
My mother was in a production at her public high school back in the early 70s and they had no complaints.
"Sticks and stones, sister. Here, have a Valium." - Patti LuPone, a Memoir
Showface
Broadway Legend Joined: 6/25/14
#38Musicals that every high school should perform
Posted: 11/5/14 at 9:49pm
@icecreambenjamin
I would stay away from Follies...
Look, I know that your high-school is innovative and mature, but so are plenty of other high-schools, and many teens are mature, BUT that does not excuse the fact that age is a very important theme in the show...
The main theme of Follies has to do with age. Casting 17 year olds as 49 year olds looking back at their 20 year old selves makes no sense.
Are there really no other alternatives? There have been some great ideas here!
This type of Follies production is destined to be on the "Bad High School Productions" thread, and we don't want that to happen! 
P.S: If y'all just want to perform the songs, then just do a revue...
Also, Into the Woods would be a good show...
Updated On: 11/5/14 at 09:49 PM
#39Musicals that every high school should perform
Posted: 11/5/14 at 10:07pm
^I don't think that we are doing Follies. He thought about it. I said it was pretty bad idea. Hopefully he will listen.
I directed Into the Woods last year(and played the baker), in the actual woods by our school, for Halloween and it was ahmazing.
We have also done Sweeney Todd and we will be doing Sunday in the Park with George.
I would love to do a Hammerstein musical such as Carousel or The Sound of Music. I think that every high school should have to do those shows at some point.
jemjeb2
Featured Actor Joined: 6/28/05
#40Musicals that every high school should perform
Posted: 11/5/14 at 10:20pmThe poster said they performed an "incredibly sexual" Cabaret which the director refused to censor, although I grant that the degree of that description's accuracy may be very relative to the age of that poster. But I question whether that 70's high school production in which another poster's mother performed would fit that description and if so that they would have gotten away with it without much trouble. I could understand how a somewhat modified Cabaret could be performed by teenagers, but I maintain that most of these "boundary pushing" high school productions are directed by misguided individuals who are more ego driven than concerned with the appropriateness of the material for their teenage casts and audiences.
#41Musicals that every high school should perform
Posted: 11/5/14 at 10:30pm
^It wasn't nearly as sexual as the revival, but it was more sexual then the film or the obc.
Our school at first requested to make changes to blocking and the script, but we told them that we wouldn't change anything.
Wilmingtom
Broadway Legend Joined: 7/18/11
#42Musicals that every high school should perform
Posted: 11/6/14 at 12:05amThe Boy Friend, Li'l Abner and Working.
#43Musicals that every high school should perform
Posted: 11/6/14 at 12:16amPlease do Li'l Abner - I can see the boys in their underwear and the girls in their incredibly revealing outfits!
"Sticks and stones, sister. Here, have a Valium." - Patti LuPone, a Memoir
lucas_glenn
Understudy Joined: 11/5/14
#44Musicals that every high school should perform
Posted: 11/6/14 at 12:26amNo we didn't do blackface lol. Our Sarah and our Booker T Washington were black. What we did was we had red, white and blue fabric that we tied somewhere on our body depending on what race we were depicting. I think my drama teacher picked it with the amount of guys we had and the girl who played Sarah in mind.
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