March 12, 2004

Back to the table of Contents Page

Classifieds

Palo Alto Online

One singular sensation

by Elizabeth White

Holly Bliss, a sophomore at Palo Alto High School, stands on the stage at the school's 550-seat Haymarket Theater, singing about how she felt compelled to get plastic surgery to improve her looks.

Elan Maier, a 15-year-old freshman, sings about how geeky he's been throughout his life and how kids used to laugh at him at school.

The two students aren't actually singing about themselves, though. They, along with 15 others, are starring in the school's production of "A Chorus Line," the famous Broadway musical by Michael Bennett. The musical, which opens on Thursday, centers on a group of twenty-something New York City dancers auditioning for a part in, well, a Broadway musical.

"It's mostly about people's insecurities and what's shaped them as people," said Hannah Junkerman, a Paly senior who plays Cassie, a woman who, after a stint in Hollywood, swallows her pride and tries out for a part in the show. The catch is, she has to audition in front of her former lover and director, Zach, played by Paly senior Aaron Spolin.

Spolin, who's been in 30 plays since elementary school, said the production is a lot to take on, especially for many of the students who have no dancing experience.

"We're learning how to dance together," he said. "It's pretty rigorous; we're rehearsing every day."

Paly drama instructor Kristen Lo, who is directing the show, said it's the biggest project she's taken on since coming to the school three years ago. She said she'd rate the show a PG-13, having taken out some of the more offensive words.

"Some high schools might not want to talk about things," she said of the show's sometimes-heavy sexual content. "And I really want to create a department that addresses what students are going through, rather than covering it up."

While it may seem too adult for a bunch of high schoolers, the play deals with things all kids have to address while growing up, she said.

"As a theater department that is responsible for educating its community in theater, you don't want to avoid anything," she added.

"A Chorus Line" opened on Broadway on July 25, 1975, at the Shubert Theatre. It closed there on April 28, 1990 -- after 6,137 performances. For some time, it held the record as the longest-running musical in Broadway history ("Cats" later took the title). It won nine Tony awards, the New York Drama Critics Award and the Pulitzer Prize for drama. It has been produced in more than 20 other countries.

Maier, who plays Bobby, a geeky comic-relief character, said he didn't expect that Bliss' number "Dance Ten, Looks Three" -- which references "T and A" multiple times -- would make it into the show.

"I think that there will be some angry mothers," he said. "But I think it's a good thing."

Not only did Lo think the students could handle the content of the show, she also thought they could handle a grueling rehearsal schedule. She and the students started work on the production in December, when casting was finalized.

"I really want to step up the department and I really want to get people in the seats," said Lo, 26, who attended Gunn High School. "These characters seemed to have a lot of depth and really present a challenge to the talent we have."

And that talent is extensive, said choreographer Gay Richard.

"It's always exciting to see how far I can get them to like to move and feel the joy of body work," Richard said. "Some of them have never even thought of using their bodies and it's fun to see them discover that."

She said the students have worked extremely hard on the dance-intensive production. "They're very enthusiastic," she said. "They give everything they can."

Michael Najar, Paly's choir director and the play's music director, said putting on a musical the scale of "A Chorus Line" sets a precedent for good theater in the future.

"We're trying to make the arts at Palo Alto High School more prominent -- to feature their talents more prominently," he said. "There's nothing like a musical to do that."

Although the students sometimes run out of energy, Lo said they always step up to the challenge when there's more work to be done.

"They're being good sports," she said. "And I think they won't really understand what they're getting out of it until opening night. Anything of worth takes an immense amount of work and I think they'll be really proud of themselves."
Elizabeth White can be reached at lwhite@paweekly.com.

What: "A Chorus Line"

Where: Palo Alto High School's Haymarket Theatre, 50 Embarcadero Road in Palo Alto

When: The show opens on Thursday at 8 p.m. Additional show times are March 19 at 4 p.m. and March 20, 25, 26 and 27 at 8 p.m. There will also be an opening weekend gala on March 20.

Cost: Tickets are $5 for students and $10 for adults. Gala tickets are $15 ahead of time and $20 at the door.

Info: Please call (650) 329-3857.

E-mail a friend a link to this story.