Theater brings ‘Xanadu’ magic

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By Lorin Enns

Students dressed as Greek muses practice at dress rehearsal in preparation for Wednesday’s debut. Photo courtesy of Emi Ohki.
Students dressed as Greek muses practice at dress rehearsal in preparation for Wednesday’s debut. Photo courtesy of Emi Ohki.

Last night performing arts students and other actors opened in the school musical “Xanadu.” The performance was the first in a set four shows. The cast will be wrapping the show on Saturday night.

Having worked for months on choreography and lines for the debut of “Xanadu,” the zany roller disco show about a suicidal chalk artist not satisfied with his murals of the Greek Muses, opened with a full crowd. After casting the show in the beginning of December, the 16 cast members practiced their skating skills to get to showtime.

“60-80ish people auditioned and there are 16 people in the cast,” Abby Truman, sophomore, said.

Auditions took place in mid-November, making the effort to clean, polish, and fine-tune the show a three-month process. After casting, the crew began their work into the forbidden love story’s choreography and scenes.

“We had to prepare a 30-second portion of a pop/rock song, which was very different for our theatre program because we’re usually used to doing Broadway, but we had to do a rock song. It was kind of out of my comfort zone, but it was really fun overall,” Valentina Mentchoukov, junior, said, “Theatre, right now, is my biggest passion. It’s what I want to do with my life.”

Having had practices after school from 2:30 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. every day, the cast members have worked tirelessly for three months, refining as much as they could in order to be ready for opening night yesterday.

Tickets are available for $10 at the doors, while reserved seating is $12.

“ ‘Xanadu’ was definitely better than my expectations. It’s super funny and everyone has a lot of energy in the dances,” Aubrey Henrie, sophomore, said.

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News Editor Lorin Enns has a knack for news and a love for writing. As a senior, Lorin is making the most out of his last year on the news staff with Mrs. Thompson and his peers. He enjoys playing instruments such as the viola, guitar, and ukulele, as well as working as a sound tech at a theatre company outside of school. Along with an appreciation for wordplay, Lorin has a great sense of humor and loves to make people laugh.