NHS presents "Footloose" this weekend
Norwich High School Musical Club students preparing for this weekend's shows at a dress rehearsal Wednesday.
Frank Speziale photo
NORWICH – The Norwich High School Musical Club will present three showings of the 1998 Broadway musical "Footloose" this weekend.
The showings will take place at 7:30 p.m. Friday, 7:30 p.m. Saturday, and 2 p.m. Sunday in the Norwich High School auditorium. Tickets can be purchased in advance at the NHS office or at Service Pharmacy in Norwich for $5, and will also be available at the door.
Since January 1, 36 Norwich students cast in "Footloose" have been working on their production, which is directed by 2011 NHS graduate and Stanford Gibson Primary music teacher Shannon Richards. As a student at NHS, Richards played Eponine in "Les Miserables" in 2010, and Christine Daae in "Phantom of the Opera" in 2011.
The musical is based on the 1984 film of the same name. Playing the lead role of Ren McCormack, a teenage boy from Chicago who moves to the small town of Bomant after his father abandons them, is NHS junior Robert Brown. Brown said it's his 15th musical and first big lead.
"I feel like it's a show that everyone thinks they know, but I don't think they do," said Brown. "People say, 'I've seen 'Footloose' a billion times,' but you have not seen 'Footloose' the way that we are doing it."
In the musical, Brown's character – an avid dancer – finds himself at odds with most of the Town of Bomont, including Reverend Shaw Moore, who makes it illegal to dance.
Reverend Shaw Moore is played by NHS junior Jackson Sherry, who said "Footloose" is his fourth musical production and his first lead.
"[Reverend Shaw] is a pretty complex character because his son died from a terrible accident and that's where all this trouble with dancing started," said Sherry. "His son got in an accident when he was coming back from a club, so he was just so torn by that. He put in this law about no dancing because he didn't want that to happen to anyone else."
Playing Reverend Shaw's rebellious daughter who falls in love with Ren McCormack is NHS junior Aria Maholchic. In her 22nd musical, Maholchic is playing Ariel Moore.
Maholchic said of her character, "She transitions from the beginning of the show when she has to do what everyone says. Her father tries to control what she does, her boyfriend tries to control what she does, and by the end of the show she kind of starts to take control over her own life and she can have a relationship with someone as an individual rather than being reliant on another person."
Brown said he hopes a takeaway for audience members will be to stand up for what you believe in.
"I think people should take away that if you feel so strongly that something is wrong, you should fight it," said Brown. "If you have any doubt within yourself that it's wrong, just go towards it."
Assisting Richards with the production of the show will be Perry Browne Elementary music teacher Mrs. Michele Pomares, and for the 21st year, Mary Williams will serve as the show's music director.
NORWICH – The Norwich High School Musical Club will present three showings of the 1998 Broadway musical "Footloose" this weekend.
The showings will take place at 7:30 p.m. Friday, 7:30 p.m. Saturday, and 2 p.m. Sunday in the Norwich High School auditorium. Tickets can be purchased in advance at the NHS office or at Service Pharmacy in Norwich for $5, and will also be available at the door.
Since January 1, 36 Norwich students cast in "Footloose" have been working on their production, which is directed by 2011 NHS graduate and Stanford Gibson Primary music teacher Shannon Richards. As a student at NHS, Richards played Eponine in "Les Miserables" in 2010, and Christine Daae in "Phantom of the Opera" in 2011.
The musical is based on the 1984 film of the same name. Playing the lead role of Ren McCormack, a teenage boy from Chicago who moves to the small town of Bomant after his father abandons them, is NHS junior Robert Brown. Brown said it's his 15th musical and first big lead.
"I feel like it's a show that everyone thinks they know, but I don't think they do," said Brown. "People say, 'I've seen 'Footloose' a billion times,' but you have not seen 'Footloose' the way that we are doing it."
In the musical, Brown's character – an avid dancer – finds himself at odds with most of the Town of Bomont, including Reverend Shaw Moore, who makes it illegal to dance.
Reverend Shaw Moore is played by NHS junior Jackson Sherry, who said "Footloose" is his fourth musical production and his first lead.
"[Reverend Shaw] is a pretty complex character because his son died from a terrible accident and that's where all this trouble with dancing started," said Sherry. "His son got in an accident when he was coming back from a club, so he was just so torn by that. He put in this law about no dancing because he didn't want that to happen to anyone else."
Playing Reverend Shaw's rebellious daughter who falls in love with Ren McCormack is NHS junior Aria Maholchic. In her 22nd musical, Maholchic is playing Ariel Moore.
Maholchic said of her character, "She transitions from the beginning of the show when she has to do what everyone says. Her father tries to control what she does, her boyfriend tries to control what she does, and by the end of the show she kind of starts to take control over her own life and she can have a relationship with someone as an individual rather than being reliant on another person."
Brown said he hopes a takeaway for audience members will be to stand up for what you believe in.
"I think people should take away that if you feel so strongly that something is wrong, you should fight it," said Brown. "If you have any doubt within yourself that it's wrong, just go towards it."
Assisting Richards with the production of the show will be Perry Browne Elementary music teacher Mrs. Michele Pomares, and for the 21st year, Mary Williams will serve as the show's music director.
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