School Theater Question
 

The next 6 weeks or so the local high schools (US) put on their yearly musicals (they perform dramas Oct-Nov). For a variety of reasons, many of the school musicals are better than someone might expect. I try to go to 3 or 4 performances. Most performances are on Friday and Saturday evenings with a final show Sunday afternoon. I was wondering if one of those shows could be expected to be better than others?

I could see where maybe opening night might have some issues (nerves etc). I could see where the last show might be bit anticlimactic after the evening shows. Then again I could see where the third show might be most relaxed. I was wondering if anyone acted in shows/musicals and found some shows easier/harder etc.

I saw "Hello Dolly" last Friday evening.

Right here I asked how hard performing in musicals might be.
http://www.recoveryourlife.com/forum...d.php?t=221966


This is a bit more specific - and stoked by a vague memory of a uni student who once told me their cast was a mess for the last performance of "Antigone" lol.

The thing I kind of like about the last performance is the final applause where all sorts of flowers and gifts are brought out . People give gushy thank-yous and parents and senior performers cry.

I've never actually gone to an opening night though. I think because I know restaurants and such aren't very good when they first open. Staff forget tables, dishes are hit and miss etc. I like to give a place a few months before I go. Some others like to go the first night and then tell people how awful things were lol. I'll try an opening night to see if the atmosphere is different.

One big problem I see concerns the male actors. They aren't up to the level of women - at least in the musicals. I think a lot of the musicals I've seen were chosen because there are a lot of female parts.

Second to last night is generally best.

Thanks that makes sense. This week I'll see either "No No Nanette" or "Loserville". Never heard of the latter.

That sounds fab!

Sounds good! Hope you have fun. :]

I missed Loserville by reading schedule wrong. But I saw a better musical this week. Its called "Chess" and originated as UK musical in the 1980s. The famous song "One Night In Bangkok" (Murray Head) originated there.

The play is a about a chess champion that defects from old Sovier Russia during the Cold War. I wasn't supposed to record anything but I grabbed a bit of one song holding small camera under my coat. These are two girls (14 and 17 years old) singing a duet. One girl is supposed to be Russian and the other American. They both sing about the same guy they want. The sound isn't too good but these girls could sing like birds. The set is meant to suggest a chess board - one girl stadning on each side (17 yr old in white sings first)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RiHH...ature=youtu.be


Oh and they had the school theater alumni players in for next to last performance on Saturday so thats a good night.

I was just reading an article about a stage collapse during a school musical. A few dozen kids were jumping up and down in unison (one of the worst things you can do to structures) when the stage floor broke and sent kids down to basement (artlcle has video).

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/nati...icle-1.2196999