The troupe’s most recent triumph was an
appearance at the Fringe Festival in Edinburgh, Scotland, where the students
performed Arthur Kopit’s absurdist play “Indians.”
“Meet Me in St. Louis” will feature a cast of
30 high school students. Jeff McKinnon, who teaches theater arts and English at
the school, directs the show.
“I remember from when I was a kid watching
the Judy Garland film, and it made me feel good,” he said, explaining his
fondness for the story.
The 1944 film featured child star Margaret O’Brien
as Tootie, opposite Garland as her big sister, Esther.
The show includes such memorable numbers as “The
Trolley Song” and “The Boy Next Door,” with lyrics by Hugh Martin and music by
Robert Blaine, and the seasonal classic “Have Yourself a Merry Little
Christmas.”
“The stage musical wasn’t done until the ’80s,”
McKinnon said. “Martin and Blaine wrote some more music for the stage
production. It really does work as a stage musical.”
Alternating in the key role of the young
Tootie will be two Los Olivos School students, Jessica Leyva and Abigail
Mullin.
“The role of Tootie is pivotal to the story,”
McKinnon said. “With Jessica and Abigail I have two terrific performers, both
veterans of the Arts Outreach summer drama program, who are doing a terrific
job. I’ve never cast outside the high school before, but for this role we
needed someone roughly Tootie’s age to pull it off. They are fitting in nicely
with the high school kids.”
The musical recounts the story of a family
living in St. Louis at the time of the Louisiana Purchase World’s Fair in 1904.
The production will be mounted on the stage
of the high school’s Little Theatre, with choreography by Jasmine Day-Riley and
costumes by Tatiana Dascomb. Musical direction is by the school’s music
teacher, Cameron Clarno.
McKinnon said the production will feature “the
most elaborate stage set in memory” in the Little Theatre.
The show will run Thursdays through
Saturdays, 7 p.m. Dec. 4-6 and Dec. 11-13, and at 2 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 7.
Tickets are priced at $10 for adults and $5 for students.
Reach Margo Kline at mkline@syvjournal.com.