It takes an entire high school to put on a school musical - and it's this weekend
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It takes an entire high school to put on a musical, and no one knows that better than Kevin Gratz and Kara Zink, directors of this weekend's Blufftton High School "Vaudenville Tonight."
Billed as a musical revue performances are at 7:30 p.m., Friday, April 13 and Saturday, April 14, and at 2 p.m., Sunday, April 15 on the Bluffton Middle School stage.
The musical is based upon the book by Joseph George Caruso and orchestration by Paul Curnow.
The musical will re-live the days when America's musical theatre was beginning to come into its own with a variety of entertainment called "Vaudeville." Persons attending the performances will visit in their imagination Tony Pastor's Fourteenth Street Theatre where a performer was either made a star or "murdered" by the audience.
The cast
Courtney Barnett Emily Schwager
Joey Bertka Morgan Schroeder
Katie Jo Breidenbach Adel Sommers
Emma Burkholder Celeste Stauber
Hanne Burkholder Halle Steingass
Landon Cluts Jill Steinmetz
Kyla Dawson Emily Swisher
Kayla Edgington Emily Sycks
Zach Harlow Jane Sycks
Lucas Harnish Kallen Terry
Noelle Heinze Justin Neufeld-Weaver
Jennifer Hieronimus Cody Williams-Basinger
Lacey Hill Chase Wilson
Andrew Hoff Clay Wilson
Kody Koronich Emma Woodruff
Delaney Reineke Mary Woodruff
Samantha Rhonemus Rachel Woodruff
Eli Runk Ava Yoakam
Rachel Yoder
Lauren Yost
Actors
Austin Housh Master of Ceremonies
Mary Woodruff Mistress of Ceremonies
Kallen Terry Mistress of Ceremonies
Musical selections
Selections included in the musical include: "The Sidewalks of New York," "The Band Played On" and "Wait 'Till the Sun Shines, Nellie."
Add to this, selections from America's most distinctive form of entertainment, "The Minstrel Show," with rousing tunes like "Dixie Land" and ballads such as "Jeannie with the Light Brown Hair" by Stephen Foster.
Other songs performed include traditional western favorites including "Red River Valley" and "Clementine," Irish classics such as "Molly Malone" and "My Wild Irish Rose," and a patriotic finale including "Yankee Doodle Boy" and "You're a Grand Old Flag" by George M. Cohan.
The show includes 32 songs and two comedy sketches, solos, duets, trios, quartets, a chorus......and some dancin', as well, according to Kevin Gratz, director. Musical director is Kara Zink.
Ticket information
Reserved seating tickets are $10.
Adult General Admission tickets are $5.
Student General Admission tickets are $3.
Tickets are on sale in the Bluffton Middle School office during school hours.
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