by Kirill Cross
With every new year comes a new musical. This year’s musical is the production of The Little Mermaid. It will be shown on Friday, March 4 at 7:30 PM and on Saturday, March 5 at 2:30 and 7:30 PM.
The cast is in full gear getting ready. Choir Director Hannah Stayer said, “The students have been rehearsing since the first week of January. At this point, they are learning choreography, working on singing all of the songs, and fine tuning their acting skills on stage. By the first week of February, the students will be “off book,” which means that their lines must be memorized. During the second week of February, the characters will work on collaborating with the pit orchestra to make sure that they are reading to sing their songs with the instrumental accompaniment. The last week of February and the first week of March will be our “Crash Weeks.” These weeks are spent working to put the entire show together – including acting, singing, choreography, the pit orchestra, costumes, make-up, and scene changes.”
Freshman Livia Demopolous, one of the Mer Sisters, said, “I think it’s pretty fun. The set will be huge. It has so many different pieces.” Demopolous also said, “I think people should go so they can be swept into a magical sea world of wonder and love.”
Now that it is January, the rehearsals are more often and more specific which promise a better performance. Freshman Rebecca Olderich, one of the Mer Sisters, said, “Basically, the rehearsals are on a specific routine. Mondays are dance, Tuesdays are specific leads to run lines, Wednesdays are music learning with Ms. Stayer, and then normally, Thursdays and Fridays are full cast.”
The musical will be filled with many things to enjoy and some seem very excited for it like Stayer. She said, “This is a great musical for the whole family! Despite the fact that there are differences between the movie and the musical, anyone who sees the musical will see many similarities with the movie. Overall, this is a fun, feel-good show! The music will be familiar to many people as well. Personally, I am looking forward to seeing the final product of many, many hours, days and weeks of hard work! We have an extremely talented cast and pit orchestra! Since I see everything from the beginning stages, it is especially rewarding for me to be able to see everything come together into a fantastic show!”
The musical is also very rewarding to some of the actors and singers and directors. Stayer said, “I am so proud of all of the students in the cast and pit orchestra. Students from grades 9-12 are involved and the cast and the pit are working so well together. Everyone is giving their highest level of effort and energy to the show! People should expect an outstanding show that is sure to please the entire family!”