Oh, no! Rock and roll … dancing!
By: Donna Lukiw
Hillsborough High School students are practicing their dance moves and singing skills in preparation for this weekend’s school play.
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Friday’s show rescheduled With school closed Friday due to the winter storm, the opening performance has been rescheduled for 2 p.m. Sunday. Tickets already purchased for tonight’s show will be honored at Sunday’s performance. |
Hillsborough High School students are hoping the audience will walk out of the school’s musical "Footloose" this weekend singing and dancing.
"It’s a show where you walk out of the show singing the songs," senior and featured dancer Emily Mannix said.
Thirty-five Hillsborough High School students are practicing their dance moves and singing skills in preparation for this weekend’s school play at the high school auditorium.
Based on the 1984 movie, teenager Ren, played by Ryan Muldoon, and his family move from Chicago to a small town in the West where he realizes that he’s in for a big culture shock. Though he tries hard to fit in, Ren is living in a place where rock music and dancing are illegal.
Meanwhile, Ren meets Ariel, played by Noelle Springer, a troubled blonde with a jealous boyfriend and a strict, religious minister, played by Jordan Mazza, who is responsible for keeping the town dance-free.
Ren and his classmates hope to abolish the illegal dancing ordinance since the senior prom is soon approaching.
The students will be performing the many popular songs from the 1984 movie including "Footloose" and "Holding out for a Hero."
"I hope there’s a lot of audience and the audience enjoys it," Noelle said during the dress rehearsal.
Not only are the students singing and dancing the show, but they are also playing the musical scores live on the stage while the actors perform the show.
"The crew and band are almost all students as well, and parents and faculty members have been pitching in left and right," musical director Brianna Dixon said. "It is truly an all-school musical."
Ethel McCormack is played by Amelia Laranchuk, Vi Moore is played by Janina Pescinski, Laura Palantone is Rusty, Valentine Kuntz is Willard Hewitt, Nina Jankowicz is Urleen, Sarah Sell is Wendy Jo, Joseph Baricelli is Chuck Cranston, Jacqueline VondenSteinen is Irene, Hillary Stein plays Betty Blast and Veronica Irizarry plays Lulu Warnicker.
The cast also includes Morgan Geoghegan as Travis, Will Fleming as Wes Warnicker, Peter Skeele as Jeter, Gregory Fakelmann plays Coach Roger Dunbar, Dan Katzman plays Bickle, Nicholas Fakelmann plays Principal Harry Clark and Emily Lu plays Eleanor Dunbar.
The featured dancers include Rachel Brown, Danielle Fairweather, Max Lee, Alyssa Le, Kelly Caruso, Kim Le, Danielle Czysz, Jennifer Levine, Chelsea Coto, Emily Mannix, Greg Mako Lisa Miller, Claire Reddan, Stephen Rivera, Crysta Sotirhos and Camille Susarchik.
Shows are at 7 p.m. at the HHS auditorium Friday and Saturday, and March 23 and 24. Tickets are $10 and can be bought at the door or reserved by calling 874-0147.

