Don Ross Secondary students are warming up their vocal chords and strapping on their dancing shows for the school's first ever musical with the performance of Fiddler on the Roof Tuesday and Wednesday (March 3 and 4).
Auditions were open to the entire student body and the end result is a group of talented and dedicated performers, said principal and co-director Christine Perkins.
"It's a huge commitment and with young kids who are so busy and so active in the community and in sports and outside of school events and musical lessons and all sorts of other things we had some turnover but we ended up with a great cast," she said.
Fiddler on the Roof is set in early 20th century Russia and combines elements of Jewish folklore and Broadway musical. Grade 10 student Lyndon Jhuty is playing the lead role of Tevye, a dairyman and father of five daughters who struggles to maintain family and religious traditions.
Out of character, Jhuty is doing a good job balancing rehearsal time with being a goalie for the Squamish Midget Rep hockey team. Co-director Dayle Rousseau expects him to knock the socks off of audience members.
"He's excellent. He's worked really, really hard and he's pretty much always on stage so he has the most lines and the most songs. He brings professionalism to it," she said.
Jhuty said he has been working on his vocals with teacher Erin Borsoff, who started Don Ross's first choir this year. There's one scene in particular that will stand out for its entertaining combination of dance and song, he said.
"The wedding scene is really creative with singing the whole time and the dancing at the end is going to be really intricate. It's really fun," said Jhuty.
Gabriela Verdicchio is playing the part of Tevye's wife Golde and young fiddle extraordinaire Jocelyn Pettit is performing prior to the show and as the fiddler in the performance.
The musical will be presented in the round theatre style so the audience is located on all sides, said Rousseau.
"It's very intimate and it makes the audience feel that they are part of the town," she said.
The show starts at 7 p.m. both nights and there are 150 tickets available for each show. Tickets are $5 available in advance at Don Ross and $10 at the door. The school's Interact Club and the Emmanuel Boys Rescue Center will receive $1 from each ticket sold.
