Lois & Clark Forums Forums General Discussion Off Topic Calling All Theater Geeks

Help! Need some brainstorming here...

I need some ideas for a musical that a high school might perform (kids ages 14 thru 18) with the following criteria:

1 - musical
2 - must have both a strong male and female lead
3 - the lead characters must be involved romantically or the story about them becoming involved romantically

Any great ideas? Throw them all at me...

Thanks
Lynn

West Side Story
Oklahoma
Kiss of the Spider Woman (define romantically <g>)
Jesus Christ Superstar (define "romantically" 2 <g> )
Pirates of Penzance ( define "musical" <g>)
Phantom of the Opera
Les Mis
Miss Saigon (well not so romantically there but...)
Little Shop of Horrors
Rent

c.

Pretty much anything by Gilbert and Sullivan fits that bill. Their plays are all musicals, involving an ensemble cast, but centered around some unlikely/difficult romance between the male lead and the female lead. They may not be your typical high school plays, but they're not that unlikely if the theater teacher happens to be a fan.

So, take your pick. Pirates of Penzance, Iolathne, The Sorcerer, The Mikado, Pinafore, Ruddigore... Actually, if you want a list, you can look here. That's a summary of the plays put together by the group I used to work with (as a techie). They also have a links page that can give you more information if you're interested.

Hope that helps.

Paul

I remember doing The Music Man in my high school.

I wouldn't suggest Rent. The many sexual and drug references wouldn't go over well in most high schools. Phantom would be too expensive, unless you go to school in Beverly Hills.

Other suggestions:

Carousel
Grease
Into the Woods
My Fair Lady
Kiss Me Kate


This website has a list of "child-friendly" musicals, most of which I've seen performed in high schools.

Grease also has some adult themes that might not go over so well with high school parents, etc. And much as I love Rent, I don't think high schools can even get rights to it; it's still running on Broadway. I hate to say it, but most high schools do old musicals because they're cheaper <g>.

I love Little Shop of Horrors, but the stage version ends with the plants killing the leads and taking over the world. So not really romantic at that point, and definitely not a happy ending.

When I was in high school, we did Oklahoma (ugh, I hate that show!), The Secret Garden, and Guys and Dolls. From those three I'd vote for Guys and Dolls; it gives you two male leads and two female leads to pick from, and both pairs end up happily together by the end.

Of course, my favorite musical these days is Aida (which is now available for licensing!). But that also involves both leads dying at the end, so maybe not the direction you want to go . My second favorite is Wicked, but that's not really a love story...

At any rate, good luck picking one
Kaylle

I like a lot of Karen's suggestions. I actually saw a kid's (around 10-12 years old) version of The Music Man a while back and it was excellent. It's also one of my favorite musicals. You can't beat strong leads like Harold Hill and Marian Paroo. The kid who played Harold Hill was amazing. He could belt out "Ya Got Trouble" and "76 Trombones" without missing a beat.

A second favorite of mine is Singing in the Rain. The songs are wonderful and the dancing is incredible. If you have an up-and-coming Donald O'Connor or Gene Kelly in your group of kids, this one's for you.

Grease is also a very good musical with kids at just about the right age.

Another one not mentioned would be Hello Dolly! The female leads are actually stronger than the male leads here, but it's a great story. You actually get three pairings here instead of only one. Just don't find a female lead who sings like Carol Channing.

If you don't mind kids playing adults, there's always The Sound of Music with the governess and the Captain. The older kids could play the adults while the younger kids could play the von Trapp children.

My son's favorite musical is Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. His favorite song is the title song. It's funny when he sings it since he's only just turned five. lol

Though I love My Fair Lady, there really isn't any romance in it, though the two leads end up together. Plus I wouldn't classify Eliza as a strong lead. She stands up for herself finally after being walked all over, but winds up going back to Professor Higgins.

You didn't mention how elaborate the production would be. Is it going to be something minimalistic like Our Town or potentially big like Evita?

Anyway, lots of good suggestions from everyone here. Hard to pick a loser.

Grease was done by my school a couple of years ago, so the adult themes can be adapted.

Guys and Dolls was also done in my school about 10 years ago - and it's a really nice show (course I didn't actually see it <g> but I saw the movie and a play at a different place, and liked it).

Julie

How could I have forgotten Grease! So much fun. Guys and Dolls, too.

c.

When I was in high school we did
Oklahoma,
Guys and Dolls,
The Merry Widow - this was my favorite.

All worked very well. And I like Paul's suggestion of G&S too.

Kathy

Doing it for Sugar, wasn't that a musical, adapted to a Marilyn Monroe movie later on? Funny subject matter, cross dressing, mafia, what's not to love?

TEEEEEEEJ