The Show Must Go On!
“Covid cancelled Broadway!” Anyone who knows theater and the ongoing pandemic is familiar with this idea. There are few people more keenly aware of this than those individuals involved with Arthur L. Johnson’s Drama Department.
Unwilling to allow this to happen, Peter Nevargic reached out to ALJ alumni, Samantha Vargas and Rebecca Dias Pacella to produce the spring musical virtually.
“In this world, the show is still going on. I handed over the musical to former students whom I trust, and they ran with it!” said Nevargic.
The production team used social media outlets to promote the production to the school and town community. “The show must go on! People need theater now more than ever, especially a fun musical that is light and comedic – I think this past year has been serious enough,” explained director, Vargas.
Rehearsals took place virtually over zoom through the last few months. Students sang in cars, in their bedrooms, in their basements, etc. All recording was done remotely and then edited together.
“This production had its own challenges, including the music direction. The students did a fabulous job of rising above those challenges, and sound fantastic,” said musical director, Pacella.
Despite some technical difficulties like zoom crashes and internet connection lags, the cast persevered through recording the production remotely at a safe distance.
Freshman Isabel Cortese plays the leading role of Charlie Brown, who is a depressed, but lovable character. Throughout the show, Charlie Brown’s friends including Lucy played by Bianca Hernandez, Linus played by Gabe Snedecker, Sally played by Shannon Heaning, Schroeder played by Josh Moreira, and Snoopy played by Bella Manto, get into a series of shenanigans.
The ensemble features characters from the Peanuts Gang such as Peppermint Patty, Marcie, Franklin, and Woodstock played by Maya Soares, Danielle Archer, Sean Asgarelli, and Taylor Normann.
The musical is scheduled to run virtually April 29th, April 30th, and May 1st at 7:00 p.m. Tickets can be purchased at: http://our.show/aljmusical
Photo by Clark Public Schools
