Thursday, March 28, 2024

Theater buffs have plenty of options this spring

Area high schools have varied dramatic offerings on tap for coming months.

Triton High School is staging “Guys and Dolls,” Byron is staging “Legally Blonde,” and Kasson-Mantorville High School is staging “The Brothers Grimm Spectaculathon.”

“We were looking for a good balance between a popular show that a lot of people know the name of, and also something the community would enjoy,” said Tim Chappell, director for Byron’s “Legally Blonde” show. “We also wanted something with a well-balanced cast.”

Chappell noted that in choosing a musical for this spring, he had to be mindful of the fact that his high school talent pool is dominated by females.

“I don’t have a lot of males,” he said. “In this show there are three or four male roles and the rest are all females. For a lot of other shows, it requires a 50/50 split of males and females.”

So “Legally Blonde” it is. Chappell recently completed auditions and posted his cast list, with about 35 students acting in the play and another 10 helping stage it.

He said it’s “a fun story,” which starts off with a love story intertwined with female empowerment. It’s a comedy with catchy tunes that will put a smile on your face.

“Legally Blonde” is being held April 21-23, with the Friday and Saturday shows at 7 p.m. and the Sunday matinee at 2 p.m. at Byron Middle School in the auditorium there.

Tickets for the Byron musical are $8 for adults and $5 for students and seniors.

Meanwhile, at Triton, they are staging the musical “Guys and Dolls” with a free senior citizen matinee on March 29 at 1 p.m. And performances for the general public are March 30-April 1, at 7 p.m. at Triton High School Performing Arts Center. Cost is $5 for students and $7 for adults.

About 50 students total are involved in the “Guys and Dolls” cast and crew.

For those who don’t know, “Guys and Dolls” tells the story of gambler Nathan Detroit, who has few options for the location of his big craps game. Needing $1,000 to pay a garage owner to host the game, Nathan bets Sky Masterson that Sky cannot get virtuous Sarah Brown out on a date.

Despite some resistance, Sky negotiates a date with her in exchange for bringing people into her mission. Meanwhile, Nathan’s fianc? Adelaide wants him to go legit and marry her.

“It’s funny and about love,” one Triton cast member said. “ “We’ve put in a lot of hard work and would appreciate your support,” another added. “It will make you laugh,” said a third.

At K-M, they do a fall musical but stage a spring high school play April 27-29 at the KMHS Minnesota WiFi Performing Arts Center. Auditions were held recently for this production.

Their featured presentation is “The Brothers Grimm Spectaculathon” by Don Zoldis. You’ll step back into the good old days of the fairy tales of the Brothers Grimm, said director Mel Ferris, where most stories do not end well. The princess does not always become the bride.

“And deals are made with certain unsavory characters in the name of true love, fame and fortune,” she said. “The fairy tales of the Brothers Grimm are turned on their heads in this fast-paced, rollicking ride as two narrators and a multitude of actors attempt to combine all 209 stories into one show. Ranging from classics like ‘Snow White,’ and ‘Cinderella’ to more bizarre, obscure stories like ‘The Devil’s Grandmother’ and ‘The Girl Without Hands,’ this is a wild, free form comedy with lots of audience participation and madcap fun.”

K-M is still determining show times and ticket prices. Go online for forthcoming information at https://www.kassonmh.new.rschooltoday.com/, where you go to Activities and then Drama.

 

 

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