The best musical for high school

[ForTheLoveOfLea]

Posted: 8/19/04 at 7:51pm

Overall, what do you guys think is the best musical that can be done by a high school? It can be one that you've seen or one you think is great for almost any high school to put on. What musicals are overdone by high schools?

[My Fair Lady]

Posted: 8/19/04 at 7:52pm

Overdone-Little Shop of Horrors

[little_sally]

Posted: 8/19/04 at 7:54pm

Into the Woods...that's what my school is doing this year.

[ForTheLoveOfLea]

Posted: 8/19/04 at 7:57pm

I haven't seen a high school do "Little Shop of Horrors" since i was in 3rd grade, but I can understand why schools are starting it up now.

[theaterfan194]

Posted: 8/19/04 at 8:04pm

for mi school musical we did damn yankess i warn any school not do it the set changes were very awkward it was bad thats wut ill say bad stay away from damn yankees

[Delphine]

Posted: 8/19/04 at 8:06pm

Bye Bye Birdie is a fun high-school appropriate musical.

[secret-soul]

Posted: 8/19/04 at 8:08pm

West Side Story

[Link Larkin Wanabe]

Posted: 8/19/04 at 8:11pm

I think the best shows for high schools to do are ones that require a lot of energy and spunk, or what I like to call "Pizzaz Shows:
Joseph and the ATD
Guys and Dolls
Bye Bye Birdie
Damn Yankees
A Funny Thing Happened...
Grease
H2$
Little Shop
Music Man
Once Upon a Matress.

Also I have to say that I always think West Side Story done with teens is ALWAYS better than professional productions. I think it is the innocence and energy that they bring to their roles, and the fact that they ARE rough around the edged makes it more real.

Akiva

[sfs1414]

Posted: 8/19/04 at 8:12pm

Little Shop is not good unless you have a small school. Not enough parts for a big school, and the pit is not big enough for a big school.

[StrStruckDreamr9]

Posted: 8/19/04 at 8:12pm

I would also suggest Anything Goes and The King and I. I am disappointed that we are forbidden *gasp!* at my high school to perform Grease due to "questionable content."

[Link Larkin Wanabe]

Posted: 8/19/04 at 8:14pm

I also have to add that i cannot WAIT till high schools can get the rights to do Hairspray. I bet this will be an amzing show to make your own. And there are roled for every type, so nobosy is left out.

Akiva

[Link Larkin Wanabe]

Posted: 8/19/04 at 8:14pm

I also have to add that i cannot WAIT till high schools can get the rights to do Hairspray. I bet this will be an amzing show to make your own. And there are roled for every type, so nobosy is left out.

Akiva

[BlueWizard]

Posted: 8/19/04 at 8:14pm

Oliver. The girls can dress up as boys.

[Delphine]

Posted: 8/19/04 at 8:15pm

Oh! I forgot to say "Once Upon a Mattress". That's another good one.

[Broadway Matt]

Posted: 8/19/04 at 8:20pm

Best musical really depends on what resources and talent are available at the school. I've seen excellent and awful HS productions of the full spectrum of shows. Anything ranging from Music Man to Sweeney Todd to Mame to Last 5 Years to Chess to Greenwillow. The important thing is that a school pick a show appropriate to the resources (aka "number of males") available. I don't mind seeing teenagers do Les Mis or Sondheim or Gilbert and Sullivan, as long as they can pull it off.

Shows I consider overdone in High and Middle Schools:

Once On This Island
Grease
Bye Bye Birdie
Godspell
Joseph

[ForTheLoveOfLea]

Posted: 8/19/04 at 8:23pm

I saw a high school production of Grease at a Catholic school where they had little disclaimers in the program that said that they don't condone premarital sex and smoking. I thought it was funny.

I am hoping my school would do something like Gypsy. We are one of those schools with a minimal male theatre population and I think this show is good for that.

[scottshilstone]

Posted: 8/19/04 at 8:27pm

my school is doing "good news" this year and last year we did "damn yankees"

[StickToPriest]

Posted: 8/19/04 at 8:28pm

FIDDLER, GUYS AND DOLLS and WEST SIDE STORY are done way too much by middle school and high school.

[bronxboundexpress]

Posted: 8/19/04 at 8:30pm

For us it was A LITTLE NIGHT MUSIC

[saddle shoe side kick]

Posted: 8/19/04 at 9:29pm

Well, my freshman year they did Guys and Dolls and for my sophmore year they did Crazy For You. This year I believe they will be doing Merrily We Roll Along.
I middle school we did The Wizard of Oz in 6th grade and Charlotte's Web in 8th grade. I do NOT recommend the latter. Uhg....
The theatre director at my school doesn't want to do and plays where teens play teens. Thus, not Footloose or Grease in my school. -Penny

Updated On: 8/19/04 at 09:29 PM

[LilMiZBroADwaY23]

Posted: 8/19/04 at 9:33pm

I wish my school would do Little Shop. That would be fun, and we're a very small school.

Annie,Guys N' Dolls, Joseph.

Link Larkin, I totally agree with you. Finally there will be roles for everybody. Including the chubby Drama Queen *cough me* Hopefully that'll happen by my senior year.

[Mythus]

Posted: 8/19/04 at 9:34pm

In 2003, my high school (well, it wasn't my high school then) did Pippin, which was absolutely fantastic. This spring, we were going to do Peter Pan, but it was canceled the day before auditions because of a lack of funding.

They've also done The Wiz (I didn't see it, but heard it was great), Godspell, and Sound of Music.

[aspiringguy715]

Posted: 8/19/04 at 9:35pm

I did "Joseph..." in 8th grade, "The Wiz" in 7th grade, 9th grade was "How to Succeed..." and this year will be either "Man of La Mancha," "Evita," or "Lil Abner." So we don't do the "stereotypical" High School shows. I think it depends on the talent a school has and the seriousness of the theater program.

[Roxie]

Posted: 8/19/04 at 9:51pm

The best musical I've done in HS is Anything Goes. Lots of roles, great music and dance. We did Brigadoon this year....strange choice I know. At first I hated it but after a while I came to love it. This year we're doing Footloose which seems to be really common. The most overdone has to Grease I think and as far as the best....it depends. Around where I live we have like no guys is it like that for a lot of you other HS sctudents?

[lyfeisacabaret]

Posted: 8/19/04 at 9:58pm

My freshman year we did Footloose, which was ridiculously fun to be in. Sophomore year was West Side Story, and this past year, I'm pleased to say, I had the chance to be Frank in Annie Get your Gun. AGYG (the revival version) is a great HS show... This year we're doing 42nd street... I'm not thrilled. I'd rather do something with a little more depth without such an insipid, cliché plot... but I guess I don't have any say in what show we do.

Other great HS shows:
Pajama Game, The Fantasticks (for a small school), and basically anything R&H.