By Megan Kelley
Review Writer
ORION TWP. — It’s all hands on deck for Lake Orion High School Thespian Troupe 2898 leading up to opening night of Disney’s “High School Musical.”
The musical, which will be held in the LOHS auditorium on April 27-29, follows the lives of high school student’s Troy and Gabriella as they navigate their way through deciding whether to “stick to the status quo” or try something new by auditioning for the school musical.
“High School Musical is about a group of students figuring out who they want to be. Our main character Troy is deciding if he wants to be a part of the musical and the same goes for Gabriella, who is trying to decide if she wants to be a part of the mathlete team or also a part of the musical. The show goes over the relationships of building friends and how they react to all of this because it’s quite different for them because they already know them as only having one talent: basketball and math. So, it’s them trying to figure out how they can be a part of the musical and figure out themselves,” Kayleigh Curtis, a junior who plays Mrs. Darbus said.
Over 70 Lake Orion students have been hard at work getting everything ready for opening night which includes the set, lighting, audio, acting, singing, dancing among other things necessary for putting on a show at this level, all of which could not be done without the work of Director Alissabeth Morton.
“A big portion of what has gone into this one is our director that came in for the show, Alissabeth Morton. She’s been wonderful at teaching us. She took on a big role of vocal directing, she does a decent chunk of choreography and all our acting stuff,” said Lucan Hyttinen, a junior who plays Ryan Evans. “Also, our technical crew is amazing. The crews are working just as hard if not harder than we are and they’re a huge portion of our success.”
Morton and her group of performers and crew members have spent weeks hard at work preparing the Disney classic for the stage which has seemed to breathe new life into the program with everyone showing enthusiasm for the show.
“This cast and crew has been hard at work for a fairly short amount of time. Mounting a show is no easy feat and these students are doing it in a little under eight weeks. We have been super busy singing, acting, dancing, designing and building this monster of a show. I knew we had to go big or go home, it is Disney after all,” Morton said. “Boasting a cast and crew of 80 members, a three-Story set (expertly designed by the Technical Director, Chris O’Meara), and a lot of sweat and passion, the students have more than stepped up to the plate to produce what is going to be a knock-out show. Lake Orion Theatre is back, and you do not want to miss this show.”
Both Morton and members of the troupe were hopeful that they could put on High School Musical this year, knowing that members of the cast and crew would fill certain roles well and have a lot of fun putting it all together. This, paired with their confidence that the general public would also enjoy the show, was reason enough for them to take on such a big and well known show.
“It’s not going to scare you. You know what’s going to happen. You know the story. There’s no twists or anything like that. You know what you’re going to see and it’s going to be good. You’re going to have fun, you’re going to enjoy it, you can sing along if you know the songs. There are funny moments, good singing. There’s just so much talent and there’s nothing to be afraid of,” said senior Austin Pordon who plays Troy. “It’s not that expensive. It’s a good thing to do on a random night at the end of April and you will not be disappointed if you come to see the show.”
Opening night for High School Musical is April 27, with shows April 28 and April 29. All shows begin at 7 p.m. and there is no intermission. Tickets are $12 for adults and $10 for students and can be purchased online at www.payschoolsevents.com/events/details/25853.