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COVID can’t stop ‘Freaky Friday,’ the musical

PHOTO PROVIDED Two cast members are pictured during “Freaky Friday.” The musical was performed at Central Mountain High School in March.

Are you interested in dancing? Singing? Elaborate plots? Freaky plots?

If you answered yes to some or all of these questions, then you would’ve loved the musical Freaky Friday performed by Central Mountain’s own students. The performance was held on the 19th, 20th, and 21st of March.

These students have spent many tireless hours working towards an amazing performance despite all restrictions the pandemic has brought forth. I took the liberty of asking a few individuals some questions regarding the play and their performance.

They told me that Mary Rodgers based the play on the novel “Freaky Friday”. The plot is “a funny, heartfelt show about a mother and daughter who magically swap bodies. “They walk in each other’s shoes and have just one day to make things right again”, senior Kelly Long inquires.

The students who participated in this wonderful production were working diligently for months, and at one point were even rehearsing remotely! Auditions were held in November of 2020 and practices began as soon as Christmas break came to a close. From there, they practiced every week day to keep the tradition of a musical being performed every school year.

PHOTO PROVIDED The cast of Central Mountain High School’s “Freaky Friday” are pictured during a scene from the musical which was performed in March.

In every play or musical theater performance, there are roles to be filled and performed. A few roles included senior Kelly Long as Katherine Blake, an overworked mother who runs her own catering business. Senior Ella Talbot as Ellie Blake, a rambunctious teenager and the daughter in the mother-daughter duo that the show is centered around. Sage Levi, as Wells, a student at the fictional high school. Some people had to take on more than one role! Like Taylor Shaffer who played Mrs. Time, a lady who owns a time shop, as well as Gretchen’s mother, the parent of one of the lead’s best friends.

After getting more of a feel for the show and the roles students we’re playing, I asked some cast members what they were most looking forward to and their answers were solely based around the audience and the chance to perform in general. Ella Talbot states, “I think I’m most excited to just be able to perform. COVID has made it hard for everyone in the performance world to do what they love, and I’m incredibly grateful and excited that I have the chance to put on a show.” Kelly Long passionately stated, “The feeling of sharing your heart and soul with an audience while they come along on a journey with you is unlike any other. This show means so much to me and I am most excited to be able to see the reaction of the audience as they take this journey for the first time.”

Like any other thing that requires interaction, COVID has interfered again.

But, the show must go on and so it did. Cast members stated that they rehearsed in zoom calls to keep the show from being held back! ”

The ever-prevalent COVID-19 has had its grizzly fangs in the production since day one,” says Sage Levi. “We are all forced to wear masks which at the beginning of production was extremely difficult because a thick piece of fabric really inhibits your ability to sing. However, we now have been given special masks that allow us to do our job much easier.” The cast was given clear masks to show off their talents much easier and put on an astounding performance.

The overall worries seemed to revolve around getting shut down for the second year in a row thanks to this pandemic. COVID-19 seemed to give these students a break this year, because they got to perform on all three dates, and even got to sell online tickets so people could watch the performance from the comfort of their own home. The play seemed to sell out pretty quickly and the general consensus seemed to be that everyone was pleased with the outcome. We can’t wait to see what the drama club surprises us with next year!

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