On Feb. 29, MTPA took the stage to perform the opening of this year’s spring musical, “Fame.” Through the artistic abilities of our school’s students, the stage was briefly transformed into this iconic 80s story.
The musical showcased the talent of the many skilled singers at MTHS. Of these students, standout performances included Grace Kline and Gabrielly Muller Melo. They delivered phenomenal vocal performances throughout the musical, but really shone in their respective emotional solos in “These Are My Children” and “In L.A.” Alongside these powerful voices, the entirety of the cast defined the entire production, with its 45 members singing clearly throughout the entire show.
In addition, “Fame” prominently featured dancing. The entire stage erupted into precise movement during numbers like “There She Goes/Fame” and “Dancin On The Sidewalk.” Finneghan Forrester and Terrell Russell especially showed incredible talent playing ballet and hip-hop dancers respectively. Dance Captain Giana Billiard and the many dancing ensemble members also performed exceptionally well.
The show also incorporated instrumental musicians into the production. The pit orchestra was above the stage instead of below it, allowing its 11 members interaction with the cast and directly showing their incredible musical talent.
However, “Fame” was especially unique in that cast members themselves played instruments during the performance. Notably, Oskar Filippo played the piano and violin, Benjamin Schnabel played the trumpet, Addison Journey played the drums and a brass ensemble was featured. These instrumentalists, both in the cast and the pit, added a unique element to the musical that highlighted the many talents of the students at MTHS.
Despite all of these highlights, no performance is perfect. The entire cast was no doubt exhausted after an intense week of rehearsal, and minor slip-ups in singing, dancing, and acting were unavoidable. Nevertheless, the students pulled through and carried on, and their performance remained excellent.
Finally, without the 79 students involved in the backstage crews of MTPA, “Fame” would never have been possible. These students did everything from building the set and creating props and costumes to reconfiguring the stage between scenes and adding special sound and lighting effects. The many production crews working behind the scenes made this year’s spring musical a reality and helped the performing students look their best.
Overall, everyone involved with “Fame,” including the singers, dancers, instrumentalists and people doing all three, performed excellently as they brought this story to life. Congratulations on another incredible spring musical!
