Good Shows for High School - 2007/08/30 22:40So, school started last Wednesday and our choir director told us that they hadn't picked this year's musical. So we spent most of our first choir class of the year brainstorming musicals that would be good for our school. We have a ton of strong girls (a good mix of legit sopranos and belters) and about 4 or 5 good guys (including one guy with amazing vocal and acting range who could handle any role thrown at him). Unfortunately, our school has a no-cut policy which leaves a bunch of useless, talentless people in the chorus along with some genuine talent. As for dancers, we don't have many but the few we have are good and our usual chorus is fairly good at movement. It's a pretty small private school but we have an absolute genius for a director. These are the shows we came up with: Aida(I'm one of the only girls who can sing this style so it's my current vote), Babes in Arms, BatB, The Boyfriend, Bye Bye Birdie, A Chorus Line (we would make the dance a bit simpler, but we can probably handle most of the stuff), Fame, Fiddler on the Roof, Grease, Jekyll and Hyde, Kiss Me Kate, Les Miserables, Little Shop, Little Women, My Fair Lady, Mystery of Edwin Drood, Oklahoma!, Sound of Music, South Pacific, Sunday in the Park, Sweeney Todd, and Urinetown. What do y'all think we should do? Feel free to add anything to the list. Keep in mind our directors loves to challenge convention and push the rules as far as possible. He also likes Sondheim and dark subject matter. Thanks!-Georgia
Upcoming Auditions: West Side Story Current Show: none-I'm dying! Recent Shows: Carousel - Principal Dancer, Ensemble, A Christmas Carol - Lily, Charwoman, Charitable Gentleman, Principal Dancer, Ensemble; Rootabaga Stories-multiple roles; Joseph... Dreamcoat -Wives Chorus
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itshairspray
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Re:Good Shows for High School - 2007/11/27 12:59There will be a lot of uproar about Grease. We wanted to do it at our school but the parents, of the lower school, objected. I thought it was ridiculous but whatever. Anyway...we are doing Bye Bye Birdie.
Out of those that you came up with, I think these are your best bets:
Fiddler on the Roof Les Miserables (I would love to be a part of this one. :]) Little Shop of Horrors (this is fun and it looks awesome on stage. we did it two years ago) Babes in Arms (our school did this one once two, a while ago. I thought it was darling)Upcoming: US Performing Arts Camps Currently: Henrietta (Honk Jr.!) Nessarose (MdN's Wicked) Enjolras (ENG)/Eponine (FREN) (Les Miz Online Cast Recording) Past: Godspell/Mamma Mia Soloist (Broadway Babies) Mrs. Johnson (Bye Bye Birdie)
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shadesofharmony6
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Re:Good Shows for High School - 2007/11/27 15:31Oklahoma! is like the BEST thing you can do in High School if you do it correctly. Yes it takes talent, but our show was amazing and every high school should do it! Theres fun and variety and its all based on love triangles, i mean seriously, relate that to high school life!Catherine currently: stage manager Into the woods Jr soprano chorus Princess Ida
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itshairspray
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Re:Good Shows for High School - 2007/11/27 17:29AH! I totally overlooked Oklahoma! That's a great one too. :]Upcoming: US Performing Arts Camps Currently: Henrietta (Honk Jr.!) Nessarose (MdN's Wicked) Enjolras (ENG)/Eponine (FREN) (Les Miz Online Cast Recording) Past: Godspell/Mamma Mia Soloist (Broadway Babies) Mrs. Johnson (Bye Bye Birdie)
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mslexy403
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Re:Good Shows for High School - 2007/11/28 11:22Your school would let you do A Chorus Line? I don't think they'd EVER let us do that. Too racy.
These are my picks.
Fiddler on the Roof (seems like you've got a tevye and it's a REALLY fun show to do. I did it my sophomore year) Bye Bye Birdie (I love the youthful-ness of it) Oklahoma South Pacific (great music)
hope that helps!"If life seems jolly rotten, there's something you've forgotten. And that's to laugh and smile and dance and sing"
Currently: Cosette in Les Miserables
Favorite Roles: Truvy in Steel Magnolias
Dream Roles: Lady of the Lake (Spamalot), Val (A Chorus Line), Ms. Lovett (Sweeney Todd)
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jameala
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Re:Good Shows for High School - 2007/12/30 18:00My high school is in rehearals for A Chorus Line right now. I can't wait for the fireworks to hit when that show opens. We did "Over the Tavern" last Spring and the one local paper practically accused us of worshipping the Devil for our portrayal of a Roman Catholic nun around Easter time.
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bwaybound77
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Re:Good Shows for High School - 2007/12/30 19:40I would say no to Grease just because I think it's so common and can even get dull depending on the cast.
Urinetown is a very fun musical. It's somewhat vocally demanding and kind of dark. It's a great show to do and still rare for high school or even community productions. Urinetown is my vote, but you need a good chorus, too. I kind of dislike the no cut policy, even if it's meant t o be "fair".
One that I don't think has been mentioned is Honk! which is a different and humerous take on the Ugly Duckling story. I personally love this musical when I saw a local high school production years back. Sweet storyline and good songs - The Cat is a hilarious role if done right!
Oklahoma is also a fun and easily done show, too.Name: Devyn
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aliauthor
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Re:Good Shows for High School - 2007/12/30 19:59'Sweeney Todd' may not be a good choice since many people will be tired of it because the movie version is so recent- though it's R-rated, so that may attract people under 17 who wonder what all the fuss is about. I also agree about the 'No Grease' thing. I'm so sick of Grease!
Les Mis could have a huge chorus, so that's a good idea, and Les Mis is the bestest show ever...ahem. Aida would be cool, too.-Ali
Currently: -Sheila; Boys Next Door (postshow depression mode) -auditions for acting ensemble and whatever the school musical is...sort of anxious!
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bjgruber
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Re:Good Shows for High School - 2008/01/10 14:49Les Mis is an awesome choice if you have several very talented singers, a huge chorus, and not very many dancers because there isn't really a lot of dancing (or any?). Fiddler on the Roof is an awesome choice for pretty much the same reasons (and it's an awesome show).Favorite Shows: Spring Awakening, Avenue Q, Hairspray, Assassins, Parade Dream Role: Melchior or Moritz/Spring Awakening Current Role: Bishop/Comberferre in Les Miserables Upcoming Auditions: Busch Gardens, Thoroughly Modern Millie, All Shook Up, VCU (Classical)
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JChris
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Re:Good Shows for High School - 2008/01/10 17:57Les Mis is way to big a show for a high school, there is no way teenagers can identify with the deep plot and the characters of Javert and Valjean. Every single performance of a High School doing Les Mis has bombed because at this age performers of high school groups cannot bring justice to the show, nothing against them, its just a beast of a show. Good shows are basically anything Cole Porter, Frank Losser, or 70's and 80's pop shows like Pippin, Godspell, Footloose and FameJ Chris
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cardrey
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Re:Good Shows for High School - 2008/01/11 17:17My favorite director ever always says that "Fiddler" is almost foolproof! She says even the worst productions she's seen of it were good! Don't know if that's true, but I'm getting ready to be in it for the third time in my life (once in high school a zillion years ago, once seven years ago, and now in March).
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broadway bound
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Re:Good Shows for High School - 2008/01/11 17:28JChris wrote: Les Mis is way to big a show for a high school, there is no way teenagers can identify with the deep plot and the characters of Javert and Valjean. Every single performance of a High School doing Les Mis has bombed because at this age performers of high school groups cannot bring justice to the show, nothing against them, its just a beast of a show.
I disagree. I saw Les Mis performed by the Wake County School system in Raleigh back in September or October. Not only did the cast consist of high school (and younger!) age kids, the orchestra was also entirely conprised of high schoolers. Granted, they had Trevor Nunn as their director so you have to consider the amount of genius that he contributed! But still, the talent and interpretations were spot on.
As far as a show suggestion, Grease and Bye Bye Birdie are definitely overdone in high school. If you have the talent, go for something fun. As for watering down the dancing in Chorus Line, I personally don't think it's a good idea. I saw a production a while back where they had watered done the dancing and it didn't work. Dance is the entire plot of Chorus Line (obviously) and if you lose that, you lose the major part of the plot.Is that the smell of sulfur? Oh its a stage effect!
Release your davits and jump!
-I've had a vision! -Of disaster? -No, of azaleas!
There is a curious paradox that no one can explain: who understands the secrets of the reaping of the grain? Who understands why spring is born out of winter's laboring pain, or why we all must die a bit before we grow again? I do not know the secret, although I know it's true. I hurt them for that reason. And myself a little bit too.
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