How To Succeed In Rehearsal

It’s time to take a serious look into the forgotten world that is the Christian Brothers’ ensemble.

When you hear the word “thespian” or “drama,” you probably picture one of Christian Brothers’ famous musical leads, like Allison Lian (’14) or Garrick Sigl (’15). But what may not come to mind are the brave actors expertly hand-jiving in the background.

Rehearsals for the spring musical are under way, and the cast is stacked with talent, and by cast, I mean ensemble. And by talent, I mean mastery.

Preparation has involved long hours of rigorous box-stepping (the most trying of dance moves in any high school theater production), intense singing sessions, and more than enough sass.

The Talon sat down with Christian Brothers’ most eager performers to find out what to expect from this year’s production of How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, directed  by Michael Jackson and accompanied by a cheeky Graham Sobleman.

“I play ensemble and Scrub Woman Number Two,” says enthusiastic senior and experienced cast member Katie Vrame (’15). “I’m very proud of that. I worked very hard to become this role and I’m really working on some character development.

Katie has devoted hours of her time vehemently rehearsing her one line.

“I’m thinking of trying different accents for different nights, so that’s something to look forward to.”

But that’s not all we’re looking forward to. Rumor has it that this year’s ensemble is first-rate. We can expect to find a lot of talent in the background as well as in the spotlight. Many chorus members have been practicing fiercely to make this show something really special.

“So far we’ve been doing a lot of singing,” says Emma Roberts (’18), who is often referred to among the cast as Chorus Number Five.

As a member of the ensemble myself, I can attest. We’ve been singing for three and a half hours almost daily, and my throat’s a-flamin’.

“The singing’s fun — it’s just a lot of high notes,” reveals Marliss Neal (’18), or as we like to call her, Chorus Number Seven.

Rehearsal so far has been rigorous to say the least, but hitting the high notes isn’t the only struggle these fabulous hams have to face.

Harmony parts are difficult and elaborate and staging can be perplexing for some of the less experienced cast members. But it’s all done in the name of show-business.

The show runs from the weekend of April 17th to the weekend of April 24th.So make sure to catch at least one dazzling performance this spring. You won’t be disappointed.