By Cristina Damato and Leah Corpus
The WPHS musical, "Pippin," was performed on the February 7, 8, and 9 and
despite the snowy conditions, there was still a satisfactory audience turnout on all three nights. The last show was emotional not only for the seniors, but also for the freshman, sophomores and juniors, because it was their last show with the seniors.
Senior Lance Anthony, who played Pippin, left a parting message to the underclassmen: “To anyone who does it next year, be sure to take in every moment! It is a lot of late nights and tiring musical rehearsals, but I promise by the end of it, you will miss it a ton!” Frankie Flora, a faithful member of WPHS pit, was glad his last show as a senior went so well. “I’m really glad actually that this is the senior show because the music was incredible. Everything was so good and I feel like I could not have had a better show for senior year.” As post-show sadness from the cast and crew lingers, excitement arises as the possibilities of next year’s show start to unfold. Many of the seniors-to-be are planning to suggest "Mean Girls the Musical," which seems to be a favorite.
The freshmen of Pippin are so happy to have finished their first show at the High School; as first-timers, many didn’t know what to expect. They noted that it was a welcoming environment with fast friendships formed between cast, crew and pit (orchestra). Despite ups and downs and through long rehearsals, everyone was able to come together in the end.
“My favorite part about the show was being able to meet so many talented people and grow genuinely strong bonds with them… Everybody this year has been so welcoming and kind to all the freshman and my thanks goes out to them,” stated freshman Ellie Conley.
Sebastian Casanova, who played Pippin’s stepbrother Lewis, said “I loved having it be my first high school show: I met so many extraordinary… people and so many extremely talented people… I feel like I represented by grade as the only lead freshman. I feel I delivered my role to the best of my ability and found it rewarding as it was difficult because I was among so many vocally gifted people… Being on stage was one of the best feelings ever… I felt like I was making a mark as an actor here…”
“My favorite part about performing in "Pippin" was definitely the bond among the cast and crew. The energy we shared on stage was incredible, and it felt like we were all part of something truly special. Plus, the story of Pippin is so meaningful, it was an honor to bring it to life with such a talented group of people” said Haziel Perez.
Zohar Rivel was delighted that "Pippin" was her first WPHS show, and said, “I will definitely audition for the musical next year. I have always loved musical theatre, and being a part of the wonderful cast of Pippin has taught me so much!”
Anissa Bagby shared the challenge of portraying the Leading Player, a mysterious character. She said, “We don’t know her backstory or even her name." This left Anissa to “come up with my own background for her in my head, which was harder than I thought.”
Lance also shared the complexity of his role. In addition to vocal challenges and high notes, Lance had to grapple with who his character was. He said that “Because [Pippin] is a show within a show, I had to choose when to perform as Pippin and when to perform as the player playing Pippin (whom I liked to call John).”
Frankie emphasized the sense of community that becoming involved in the musical can bring. He appreciated being around like-minded people who would enthusiastically and spontaneously play music. He also noted that “people don’t try to take a day off just because they want to – they always want to be there.” Lance added that it was really special to find people who would “laugh WITH me when my voice cracks and never AT me.” He also felt that it came “full circle” to perform in a leading role with Anissa, who has been the other half of a “dynamic duo” for “all these years.” Anissa agreed that her favorite part of her experience being in the musical was performing with her friends.
Drawing off experience from shows going back to "Little Shop of Horrors" their freshmen year, all three seniors encouraged students interested in auditioning to give it a go. Lance said that “it may seem daunting, but I can assure you that the entire cast and creative team are so supportive and you will have the time of your life.” Anissa added that students should “not be nervous; you are joining such a special group and will have so much fun – don’t worry at all.”
Frankie stated that it is “literally a no-brainer” and that “if I went through high school without pit [orchestra], my life would be completely different and I feel like I would not be where I am now without it.”
With this in mind, keep your eyes peeled next year for a musical announcement, and consider joining the cast, crew, or pit to become involved in an amazing production. This show would not have been possible without all the hard work, direction and dedication of Ms. Cruz, Ms. Tori Kulak (“DirecTori”) and Ms. Tori Lopez (“Toriographer”), Mr. Casity, and Mr. Allen, who put all the involved students on the “right track."
The Orange congratulates all members of the cast and creative team on an EXTRAordinary show!