By Ty Hillson
East Wall of the choir room
The musical season is rapidly approaching and students are biting their nails every day as they walk into the choir room. On the nearest wall to the entrance is a mosaic of 30 musicals printed on paper sheets. Every day, musical director and choir teacher, Mr. Jacob Krueger. removes one or more musicals from the wall, narrowing the possibilities. Soon there will be two musicals left; the winner will be formalized at the October 21st choir informance.
This tradition was introduced by Mr. Krueger during the 2023-2024 school year, his first year in the DDHS school district. In past years there has not been any climactic rise in tension before the reveal at the first choir concert of the year, only a blind read of the selected play. This new tradition is appreciated by students. Most, if not all, students who participate in the musical also participate in a choir class. This means that all choir students see the development in the choices, whether they are a part of Lydian, Acapella, Chamber, or Treble choir.
Although students have a myriad of different opinions, certain things are widely agreed upon by the greater choir population.
There are some musicals that have no chance of happening. One of these musicals is Hamilton, the popular American Revolution rap style musical. This musical will not happen at Delavan-Darien, afterall, Hamilton is still on Broadway, it’s ninth year. Additionally, musicals can not be repeated too soon in our district, the musical could not be Little Shop of Horrors again as it is too recent. The rule is 7 years, this allows for one actor to not perform the same musical twice in their lifetime at the Delavan-Darien School District.
Other musicals are unlikely to happen due to reasons such as cast size or requirements, topic of musical, appropriateness, and set design. Phantom of the Opera, a story of unrequited theatre love, requires one of the characters to walk around and sing from the catwalk of an auditorium. Our auditorium does not have a catwalk; however, because there is a small chance this could be worked around, it is not crossed off outright. Another example of an unlikely musical is Cats, a musical about one cat being chosen to escape death. This musical is unlikely to occur because of extravagant, expensive costumes.
Some musicals are commonplace on the radar for actors. These musicals fit all the requirements of our cast and stage crew. One possible musical is The Addams Family, a parody of the ideal American family. This musical is outside of the 7-year rule, has been performed successfully in the past, and has multiple lead roles that would fit a cast of talented singers and actors. Another possible musical could be The Little Mermaid, a musical about star-crossed love between a mermaid and a human. This musical is a princess musical, meaning there aren’t many lead roles; but, it has been two years since there has been a princess musical in our auditorium, the last being Cinderella during the 2021-2022 school year.
Certain musicals are ever-present on the minds of Delavan-Darien actors, those being Mean Girls and Legally Blonde. Mean Girls is a musical about the consequences of being unkind. The coming-of-age musical includes a group of 4 main female characters, fitting for a cast with many strong female seniors. The musical is also an ensemble-focused musical, meaning there would be more scenes with the whole cast. An ensemble musical is likely to be performed as last year’s Little Shop of Horrors had few group scenes. Legally Blonde is a musical about a woman defying the comedic blonde stereotype and becoming a world-class lawyer. This musical has fewer lead roles but it has one forceful fact going for it: last year, Legally Blonde was the last musical to be removed. Additionally, the musical is an ensemble-style musical.
The conversation will continue in and outside the choir room as musicals are methodically removed from the wall everyday just before the 7:20 bell. Students will wait in high anticipation until the October 21st choir informance, where the argument will resolve.
Possible Candidates Include:
- Shrek
- Mary Poppins
- SpongeBob
- Legally Blonde
- Cabaret
- Godspell
- Hadestown
- Fiddler on the Roof
- Anastasia
- Hairspray
- My Fair Lady
- Beauty and the Beast
- Wicked
- Les Miserables
- Catch me if you can
- Addams Family
- Phantom of the Opera
- Aladdin
- Man of la Mancha
- Dream Girls
- Hamilton
- Aida
- Waitress
- Jersey Boys
- Rent
- Heathers
- Cats
- Guys and Dolls
- The Little Mermaid
- Annie
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