Good shows for high schoolers to perform?

[BwayDreamer00]

Posted: 4/17/17 at 9:47pm

I really want to direct a show for grades 9-12 for a project I have to do my senior year....it has to be a musical with big fun number, funny scenes and a big enesemble......I want to be a show that's not super hard to do (no HUGE shows like Miss Saigon or Les Miserables) but a show that impresses...

So far I'm thinking about

Curtains

The Wedding Singer

Legally Blonde 

Thoroughly Modern Millie

The Drowsy Chaperones 

or Promises Promises 

what do you guys think about these??? I'm up for any suggestions!!!! :)

[BrodyFosse123]

Posted: 4/17/17 at 10:00pm

LEGALLY BLONDE: The Musical.

Their performances will be Tony Award worthy.  

[MaddieBB12]

Posted: 4/17/17 at 10:02pm

Legally Blonde is a great choice.

So are Shrek, Wizard of Oz, and Beauty and the Beast.

[Robbie2]

Posted: 4/17/17 at 10:05pm

The Addams Family

Mary Poppins

The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee

Cinderella

Legally Blonde the Musical

Grease

Into the Woods

The Little Mermaid

Little Shop of Horrors

Beauty and the Beast

 High School Musical

[ClumsyDude15]

Posted: 4/17/17 at 10:08pm

Everyone above has some great ideas and I'd like to toss out Hairspray. 

[icecreambenjamin]

Posted: 4/17/17 at 10:14pm

Into the Woods

She Loves Me

The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee

The Music Man

The Sound of Music

My Fair Lady

Little Shop of Horrors

The Drowsy Chaperone

1776

Fiddler on the Roof

Thoroughly Modern Millie

You should look at these shows.  They're all high school appropriate.  I would stay away from shows like Legally Blonde, The Wedding Singer, and Shrek and impress your community by directing a great classic.  I don't really know your school's demographic, so I'm not sure that all of these would fit who you have in your department.  I wish you luck!  Be imaginative and have fun!

 

[freewilma]

Posted: 4/17/17 at 10:19pm

Show selection is actually a really difficult thing.  There are TONS of factors involved not the least of which include finances and licensing costs; some of which can be VERY expensive.  If you are a rookie director, I'd choose a show that you know REALLY well before you start the process.  

You need to to keep in mind things like the makeup of your pool of people you hope to audition.  Do you have some boys that can handle a leading tenor's role?  Do you have the diversity in your school to properly cast all of the roles?  Consider is the cost and difficulty of costuming and set design.  Also keep in mind what kinds of shows the kids in your area WANT to perform.  Are they into the classics like Oklahoma?  Or a movie translated to stage like Big:  The musical or Legally Blonde?  Or are they interested in something more edgy like Heather's (the new school edition).  Would a family-friendly production like Seussical, Bye Bye Birdie or Wizard of Oz work?  

The suggestion of Spelling Bee from above is a great choice.  

Good luck and let us know what you choose.

 

 

 

Updated On: 4/17/17 at 10:19 PM

[BrodyFosse123]

Posted: 4/17/17 at 10:21pm

I still stand firm on LEGALLY BLONDE: The Musical.

Take a quick look why:

https://youtu.be/cnBHIU2Qn0c

[MaddieBB12]

Posted: 4/17/17 at 10:22pm

I agree with the poster above: you need to know your community. What will they know? What will get them excited? My alma matter did "Spelling Bee" this year and as great as the production was and as right as it was for the cast, the budget, etc., much of the town thought it was a literal spelling bee. 

 

But now they are considering "Guys and Dolls" for next year and there is already buzz; "The Sound of Music" and "Fiddler on the Roof" were big hits not too long ago here. So it depends! But have fun!

[dramamama611]

Posted: 4/17/17 at 10:29pm

Do you realize that rights and royalties for a musical run anywhere between 2500 and 4000?   Might expensive for a project.  That, of course, doesn't include costumes, sets, and props.  Many of the suggestions you have rec'd do not meet your criteria.  (Millie has become quite devisive recently due to the portrayal of the Asian characters.)

I think a more reasonable show may be Bye, Bye, Birdie....and it's a heck of a crowd pleaser.  

[BwayDreamer00]

Posted: 4/19/17 at 8:34pm

Such GREAT advice!! Ah!!! My town is pretty mixed....they would be bored to DEATH with a show like Oklahoma or The Sound of Music....and our town has done Wizard of Oz and Suessical so many times that they would be like "again???"....I want it to be a funny show that would make a lot of my high school peers in the audience laugh which is why I'm leaning towards Drowsy Chaperone or Wedding Singer....my concern with Wedding Singer is how it could be a bit too I don't know crude? (XD) for some of the kids and adults in the audience 

Still thinking though!

[TheGingerBreadMan]

Posted: 4/19/17 at 8:48pm

Little Shop of Horrors is a perfect show for a high school. 

[SNAFU]

Posted: 4/19/17 at 9:07pm

A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum.

 

[ggersten]

Posted: 4/19/17 at 10:06pm

Spelling Bee is too small of a cast.  Forum is fun - large ensemble - funny - and as risque as you want to go.

I'd also suggest Bring It On! - if you (1) have diversity and (2) cheerleaders/gymnasts.  It's about high school - it is funny - it has as large an ensemble as you want.   It is primarily a female cast.  Much of the music is by Lin Manuel Miranda, so you'll get people who like Hamilton.  

[sabrelady]

Posted: 4/19/17 at 10:30pm

Apropos of the other thread, I'd consider Urinetown. Set and costumes are within any budget. The dancing is not beyond most and while yes some of the songs are challenging, u get edgy & funny and even satire. ( plus the best tag line evah!)

[illiniparkie]

Posted: 4/19/17 at 11:25pm

A fun show with a lot of great character parts is L'il Abner.  Not too well known today since it is based on an old comic strip but it would be a good choice. Likewise, Finian's Rainbow is a great show for a diverse community.  Both shows are funny and have a satirical political edge as well as good music.  I also loved being in Carnival! in high school but it could be somewhat technical with the the circus setting, magic, and puppets.  Good luck with your choice.

[illiniparkie]

Posted: 4/19/17 at 11:26pm

Double post.

Updated On: 4/19/17 at 11:26 PM

[Butter Broadway]

Posted: 4/19/17 at 11:43pm

Oklahoma and Little Shop of Horrors. Xanadu is also a good choice.

[Broadwayfanboy44]

Posted: 4/20/17 at 12:03am

It has been a while since I've seen it, but maybe Cry Baby the Musical? You're a Good Man Charlie Brown? She Loves Me. 

[trentsketch]

Posted: 4/20/17 at 8:20am

Once Upon a Mattress is a good choice. Big cast with lots of room for production numbers. You can get away with a unit set and some moving pieces and still tell the story well.

All Shook Up is another one. 10 great parts and room for as much ensemble as you want. Sets can be very simple since Act II is supposed to take place in an abandoned amusement park. The Elvis Presley music is the draw.

Legally Blonde is a lot of fun and HS kids tend to love it. The show does call for two dogs. Still, it has endless room for a female ensemble thanks to the sorority setting. 

Cry Baby is a good suggestion. It's another silly John Waters' adaptation that doesn't require the diversity of Hairspray in casting. Lots of room for ensemble and dancing with minimal set requirements. 

If you're worried about content, skip Wedding Singer. Frankly, skip out on any show you think might be too edgy for your community.

I will recommend two shows you've probably never heard of. Playscripts, Inc. has the rights to Emma! and Cyrano de BurgerShack. They're adaptations of Jane Austen's Emma and Edmond Rostand's Cyrano de Bergerac set in high schools with contemporary pop music. The casts can be huge, the HS cast will know the songs, and rights are going to be cheaper because the shows aren't as well known. I prefer Emma!, but both are very good HS musical comedies.