We are so pleased to be bringing you tonight's show.
Every single year this note mentions that we like to bring a bit of variety to our programming and giving the students different types of show each year. Well, we'll have to say it again, because with Anything Goes, we'd like to think that we've given our four-year seniors a pretty full picture of what musical theatre can be: they've done two contemporary musicals based on classic novels–one dramatic (Little Women) and one comedic (James and the Giant Peach). Last year, we took on a Rodgers & Hammerstein classic (Cinderella); our first Golden Age show in several years. Over these four years we've tackled a variety of different stories and very different musical styles. This year, with Anything Goes, we return to a show that SHS has produced at least twice in its history, but not since 1998. Anything Goes is a classic that represents much of the best that the American musical has to offer: a funny script, colorful characters, and an array of memorable songs by one of America's most iconic songwriters, Cole Porter. It seems like Frank Sinatra recorded roughly half of the songs of this show, and a look at the casting history of Anything Goes is like a who's who of the legends of musical theatre.
Given the opportunity to be involved in a show with such history, the students in our cast, crew, and pit orchestra have risen to the challenge. This year, in the performing arts our ensembles have been full of experienced seniors *and* enthusiastic newcomers. This has been a pretty thrilling combination–to have given our freshmen in particular a full year to work with such a strong group of seniors has been a great experience, I believe, for all involved. These students work really hard–there are two different dance numbers in this show that may be the longest ones we've ever done, and rehearsing those to fine-tune them has been a challenge for our cast and orchestra alike. We are always impressed by how our students show their dedication to our shows–almost all of them found the time over the last few weeks and months to balance this show with other commitments. We also continue to be pleased to include students from Somonauk High School in our cast and crew. This is the third musical with their involvement, and since then we've also had students involved in our fall play and Madrigals as well! We also have students from Serena and Yorkville playing in our pit orchestra. Making art is all about collaboration, so getting to work with students from the wider local area is special. That they're willing to juggle two different school schedules and work out a way to get here multiple times a week is a testament to their passion for the arts. We're glad to have them.
As mentioned (and evident if you've seen the other pages of this program), this year we have a large number of departing seniors. This is one of the largest and most involved classes we've seen over the years, and the dedication they've shown over the years has been truly astounding. We thank them for their leadership and the tremendous amounts of time they've put into making our performing arts programs as successful as they've been. They will be missed.
Thank you for your support of the performing arts at Sandwich High School. We hope you enjoy the show.
--Kevin Pajor and Taylor Marshall
