As the end of the school year rolls around, the Grants Pass High School Theatre Department wipes off the dust and shares a two-weekend long, virtual run of their upcoming musical revue titled: Musical "REVIEW"ing the Situation! directed by Justin Hauke.
As spring becomes warmer and warmer and dissipates into summertime, the theatre community in Grants Pass works diligently, while still keeping up with COVID-19 protocols. A few shows have made it to the stage in the months of April and May, including Barnstormers Theatre’s production of Postmortem by Ken Ludwig and GPHS Experimental Production’s rendition of Eric Coble’s Ghosts in the Machine. Making its way to the screen, as our 2020-2021 school year comes to a close, is our theatre department’s annual musical: a musical revue bearing the name of Musical “REVIEW”ing the Situation!
The cast list first came up in the middle of this past January, where a series of solo numbers and a cast of ensemble members took shape after a close review of the auditions that were submitted at the beginning of the school year. The idea of how everything would come together was a slow, but thoughtful process. After another month passed, the rehearsals spiraled into action and have become daily and rigorous ever since.
This revue focuses on many different aspects of life, touching on subjects that are lighthearted and easygoing, and others that contain much more depth. The contrast is beautifully arranged with the help of costumes, lights, choreography, and general direction, which have all been contributed by students and staff. Many numbers are even modernized as a way to reflect on our current, worldwide situations and how we can attempt to tackle them.
When asked about the message behind the revue, the director, Justin Hauke, stated:
“Each number reflects on a certain feeling, situation, or trial that everyone may or may not have experienced during the pandemic. It shows that we’re all human and we experience the same things as everyone else. A Lovely Night and Women and Sandwiches… those are both simply about falling in love. We’ve all been there at one point. What It Means to Be a Friend… how important friendships within our life are. Reviewing the Situation: the title song of the show… it’s about mulling things over and taking in the issues ahead of you. During COVID, we’ve all had a lot of time to think and be with ourselves… I think, at this point, we’ve done so much thinking-- we’re done now. We want to share with people what we know and how we feel. This show provides a lot of that.”
Musical "REVIEW"ing the Situation! Virtual Poster created by Sean Glover
The show also provides a wonderful, wide assortment of musical numbers, some of which are from Broadway shows that are very well-known (Hello Dolly!, Fiddler on the Roof, Man of La Mancha) and others that some people may have never heard of (Once on This Island, 13, You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown). Despite the wide genre that all of these songs fit within, the musical revue is fully wrapped up in a performance that spans approximately forty-five minutes, with a background accompaniment that includes Christine Morrison on piano, David Miller on bass, Cyle Ziebarth on guitar, and Dave Hegdahl on drums.
Screencap from "A Little More Homework" from GPHS Theatre's Musical "REVIEW"ing the Situation!
The show will premiere, fully filmed, via Show Tix4U.com on the following dates: June 4th, 5th, 11th, and 12th at 7:30pm, and June 6th and 13th at 2:00pm. If you’ve watched any previously performed plays with Barnstormers or GPHS Theatre during the COVID-19 pandemic, you’ll recognize the format, which bears the same method of purchasing and streaming shows as before. Tickets will be sold for a general fee of $10, so make sure you order yours ahead of time to get the best virtual seats in the house (wink, wink).
Enjoy the show streaming this June, and remember to buy your tickets as soon as possible because, if you don’t, Hauke claims that: “We’ll turn you into the biology’s class next dissection.”
