- By Linda Glaser
- Entertainment
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Current Broadway hit 'School of Rock' comes to Ithaca this summer with a regional premiere by Running to Places (R2P). A heartwarming show with a wild edge, this comic rock musical will get your feet tapping and your head bopping. The show runs Aug. 10-12 at Ithaca High School's Kulp Auditorium.
Shows currently on Broadway usually can't be produced elsewhere, but "School of Rock" has been made available exclusively to youth companies. Normally the difference between seeing a show on Broadway and locally is that Broadway shows feature adult professionals, says Joey Steinhagen, R2P artistic director, "but for this show, the kids in the Broadway production are the same age as the kids in R2P. We have incredibly talented kids so this is really close to an authentic Broadway experience."
After being kicked out of his band for bad behavior, ne'er-do-well Dewey Finn (Dom Bisbee) badly needs money. He poses as his best friend, Ned Schneebly (Mark Dodici), to become a substitute teacher at a prestigious private school. When he discovers the students can play music, he decides to use them to get revenge by competing in the Battle of the Bands. With Lucy (Madelyn Morris) on guitar, Freddie (Maggie Schneider) on drums, Lawrence (Andrew Kaiser) on keys, Katie (Gabi Rose) on bass and Summer (Samara Schwartz) as manager, even shy Tomika (Tori Payne) finds a place as the band struggles against parents, principal Rosalie Mullins (Emma Ellis), and Ned's girlfriend Patty (Ana Luisa Brady-McCullough) for a chance to prove themselves.
"It's a feel good rock version of the 'Music Man,'" says Steinhagen. "The kids in the band discover their own creativity and how to be true to themselves. Their parents define success as great jobs and lots of money; through the inspiration of this charlatan teacher who despite himself turns out to be the real thing, the kids discover success through authenticity. It's a ton of fun for families because it's so empowering for kids."
The rock musical, with music by Andrew Lloyd Webber, lyrics by Glenn Slater and a book by Julian Fellowes, is based on the 2003 film of the same name and was nominated for multiple Tony Awards, including best musical.
The contract to produce "School of Rock" requires that the actors have to play the instruments themselves – live, no faking it. "There are real rock stars in this show," says Steinhagen. "Dom walked into the audition with his own guitar; Jasper Fearon, who plays Theo, the leader of Dewey's former band, fronts a real-life band, The MonkeySquids."
In encouraging the "inner rock star" in the cast members, resident music director Jeremy Pletter is joined by sound designer Jordan Fearon, who previously ran the School of Rock program in Fall Creek Elementary and serves as "rock coach" for the show. Harmony Malone's choreography follows a similar theme, emphasizing the joy in movement and dance. Costumes are by Liz Woods, lights by R2P alum and co-director of the recent "Songs for a New World, Caitlin Mallory. Janet Olsen manages props.
"School of Rock" is exclusively sponsored by Inn on Columbia, with scholarship level support from the Savage Club of Ithaca, Northeast Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine and an anonymous fund at the Community Foundation of Tompkins County. Additional grant support is provided by Park Foundation, Triad Foundation, and is made possible in part with funds from the New York State Council on the Arts, administered by the Community Arts Partnership of Tompkins County, with season-long support from CSP Management.
The show runs one weekend only: Aug. 10-12, Friday and Saturday at 7 PM, Sunday at 2 PM.
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