Northern Utah schools prepare to take the stage with spring musicals, plays
Northridge High School students practice for "Urinetown," which opens Feb. 26 at the Layton school.
Northridge High School students practice for "Urinetown," which opens Feb. 26 at the Layton school.
From left, Ogden High School students Annika Daniels, Gabie Lynch, Blake Beesley and Joseph Evans star in "Much Ado About Nothing" starting March 4 at the school.
Mahaley Hansen stars as Belle in Layton High School’s production of "Beauty and the Beast" starting March 3.
In Layton High School's production of "Beauty and the Beast," Nicole van de Graff will play Babette and Adam Moon will play Lumiere. The show starts March 3.
The set of Fremont High School's latest play, "Boeing-Boeing," is shown.
EDITOR’S NOTE: This is the first of a series on upcoming high school plays and musicals along the Wasatch Front.
OGDEN — Spring is in the air and that means high school students all over the area will be hitting the stage in a wide variety of musicals and plays. Shows range from serious plays to fairy tale extravaganzas.
BOEING-BOEING
When: Shows will be held at 7 p.m. Feb. 25, 26, 27 and 29
Where: Fremont High School, 1900 N. 4700 West, Ogden
Tickets: Tickets are $6 at the door
Fremont High School will take on ”Boeing-Boeing” this year, which theater teaching assistant Ashlyn Anderson says is one of the most popular farces of all time.
“Boeing-Boeing” is set in the 1960s and centers on a bachelor who is engaged to three airline hostesses. He keeps them from finding out about each other, but when his perfect schedule comes undone, he works to try to keep his secret. There are six cast members in the show, four seniors and two juniors.
“Farce is a difficult genre to act,” Anderson said. “It requires a lot of physical stamina and vocal exertion. But our students have risen to the challenge, and we’re all having fun with it.”
URINETOWN
When: Shows will be held at 7 p.m. Feb. 26, 27 and 29, as well as March 1, 2, 4 and 5. There will also be a matinee at 2 p.m. March 5.
Where: Northridge High School, 2430 N. Hill Field Road, Layton
Tickets: Tickets are $8 for adults, $7 for seniors, $6 for students and $5 for NHS students. They can be purchased on Davis School District’s website.
Jana Coates, theater director at Northridge High School, said ”Urinetown” is very misunderstood by many. “It is a delightful satirical comedy with high-energy music and fantastic choreography,” Coates said.
The show won three Tony awards during its Broadway run in 2001. The musical is about love, loss, government corruption, environmental issues and more. Coates said the music is some of the hardest her students have ever tackled. “They are fantastic,” she said.
The production is presented as a theater in the round, so seating is more limited than usual.
BEAUTY AND THE BEAST
When: Shows will be held at 7 p.m. March 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 9, 11 and 12
Where: Layton High School, 440 Wasatch Drive, Layton
Tickets: Tickets are $8 for adults, $7 for seniors, $6 for kids under 18 and $5 for LHS students. They can be purchased on the school’s website or at the door.
Layton High School will tackle a large spring show with ”Beauty and the Beast.” “We chose this show because it has a beautiful message of acceptance and love — that everyone has good and evil in them, and that it is our choices that make us who we are,” said Rachel Helwig, Layton High theater director.
She is impressed with the talent of the large cast: “The sets and costumes are beautiful, the voices are superb — this is not a show you’d want to miss! We hope everyone will come see the students perform in this amazing production,” Helwig said.
The school is hosting a special tea party for kids at noon March 5. The tea party is free, but those who would like to attend are encouraged to register on the school’s website. Children are encouraged to dress up, but doing so is not required. Also, with the new online ticketing, patrons can choose their seats online.
MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING
When: Shows will be at 7 p.m. March 3, 4, 5 and 7. Doors open at 6:30 p.m.
Where: Black Box Theater at Ogden High School, 2828 Harrison Blvd., Ogden
Tickets: Tickets are $5 at the door.
The Ogden High School theater department will put a new twist on Shakespeare’s ”Much Ado About Nothing” by setting it in the 1920s. The show is also unique in that it has a student assistant director, junior Caleb Andrus. Andrus has been working with school theater director Jed Broberg to cast and create the show.
“Much Ado About Nothing” will be performed in the Black Box Theater. The classic tale is about love and angst, with much humor thrown into the mix.