This year Hoover High School presented Cinderella the musical February 22-24, 2024. The show involved many talented cast members, pit members, tech crew, and everybody who helped with props. This Cinderella is a timeless classic that had a modern twist that had everyone impressed.
The show contained 27 overall songs that the cast invested multiple hours in perfecting, and creating their own unique musical. Along with the cast, the pit orchestra’s contribution was important in completing these songs.
“Pit is very important for bringing the sounds in musicals alive.” Student Reagan Hawk, a senior in the pit orchestra said,“It’s also better for adjusting to the cast member in case they take more or less time for things.”
Pit orchestra also puts a lot of time and work into the musical that can often be overlooked with the acting of the cast members or physical aspects like the props.
“A regular rehearsal is from around 2:45-3:30.” Hawk said. “We run through as much of the music as we can. Rehearsals started in early January and are every Friday”.
In addition to this year’s musical, a significant change in the pit orchestra’s location since previous years. The location change focuses more on the acting aspect of the musical. Hawk expressed her opinion on the movement of pit orchestra.
“The pit moved from in front of the stage to on it behind the sets” Hawk said.“I would also love to go back to in front of the stage so I could watch the musical too”.
The magnetic cast had everyone drawn towards the show, showcasing their dedication to the play. The effort was displayed by the confidence the cast had during the show and the smoothness of the play.
“The cast of Cinderella the Musical has been rehearsing the musical for three months now” Student Andrew Reynolds, who’s role was a knight and The Duke of Cheshire, said. “A typical rehearsals consists of music warm up, tweaking a few songs, marching into place, guarding the castle, and making sure that Prince Topher is safe”.
Although some may think this was a traditional tale of Cinderella, Ms. Brown, the director of the musical, chose to take a different narrative approach. The untraditional narration showed more of the characters personalities in this fairytale.
“In this story the Prince has two balls or banquets to finally find his true love through the absence of one of Cinderella’s glass slipper” Reynolds said. “There’s nothing I would change about the aspect of the musical, I think the story is more than just a fairytale because it teaches people how to treat others and to never give up on your dreams”.
While the tech crew may have not devoted as much time as the cast or pit orchestra, they’re involvement is essential for how the musical is run and presented to the general public.
“Another group which contributed a huge amount to the show is our technical team” Ms. Brown said. “This consists of lights, sound, costumes, hair, makeup, props, and scenic construction”.
Despite the fact that tech crew helps with the positioning and moving of these props, don’t get it confused with the Theatrical Design and Entertainment classes. These classes are dedicated to designing and creating props for specific parts of the musical.
“The Theatrical Design and Entertainment classes worked together” Ms. Brown said. “They built the sets, painted the sets, and designed lighting and sound”
The first to get a sneak peak of the musical were the 5th graders on Thursday, February 22. Ms. Brown expressed the reactions and how much the 5th graders enjoyed the musical.
“The kids always enjoy it and our highschool students love seeing the younger children” Ms. Brown said. “Their reactions are always priceless”.
Overall, the 2024 production of Cinderella at Hoover High School showcased not only collaboration, but dedication and creativity from all of the cast, tech crew, pit orchestra, and prop contributors. As the curtains close on this year’s musical, many are excited for what next year’s musical has to offer.
