# What plays are performed in high schools nowadays? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [February 2, 2012, 4:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-plays-are-performed-in-high-schools-nowadays/611549 "2012-02-02T16:00:56Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2012, 9:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-plays-are-performed-in-high-schools-nowadays/611549/21 "2012-02-02T21:46:03Z")
> [@a35362](#): > > I can’t _believe_ any school would okay _Grease_ for a high school cast. The moral of the story is “You have to be a slut to fit in and to have a boyfriend.” What high school wants to send that message? > [@WhyNot](#): > > Not in the play (not in the movie, either, but thanks to a real quick cut and Danny taking off his Letter sweater, the point is somewhat lost.) > > The moral of the story in the play is that people who want to make it work make sacrifices to make themselves fit better with the other person, even if their friends think they’re crazy. Plus, there’s sort of a Gift of the Magi thing going on, where Sandy gets slutty and Danny gets preppy, and then of course they don’t “match” in the other direction from where they started out. > > Hey, I didn’t say it was a great moral, but there it’s less one sided than people often claim. > > And yes, we did it in high school. The biggest concern was Rizzo’s pregnancy scare. The biggest concern \*should \*have been all 30 girls in the cast flashing the boys back stage just before “Greased Lightening”, but the parents never found out about that.😃 IMO, the original play was far better than the movie. Better story, better music, no disco-beat Bee Gees. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2012, 9:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-plays-are-performed-in-high-schools-nowadays/611549/22 "2012-02-02T21:51:01Z")
For some modern plays and musicals, a cleaned-up “school edition” will be prepared. That’s how the high school I attended decades ago did Rent a few years ago. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2012, 9:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-plays-are-performed-in-high-schools-nowadays/611549/23 "2012-02-02T21:56:01Z")
[This page](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grease_%28musical%29#Grease:_School_Version) from Wikipedia lists some of the differences in the school version of Grease. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2012, 10:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-plays-are-performed-in-high-schools-nowadays/611549/24 "2012-02-02T22:02:49Z")
> [@a35362](#): > > I can’t _believe_ any school would okay _Grease_ for a high school cast. It’s very common- my high school did it, too. I think the message kind of sucks and the music and characters are crappy and annoying respectively, but it’s a hit for nostalgic reasons and nobody complains. My high school did a lot of Shakespeare, and they were pretty ambitious with the musicals at times. They stage Les Miserables after I graduated, they’ve done a few Sondheim shows, and things like that. They’ve done The Grapes of Wrath a few times. ---
**Author:** ![SeldomSeen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/7ba0ec/32.png) [@SeldomSeen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SeldomSeen)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2012, 10:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-plays-are-performed-in-high-schools-nowadays/611549/25 "2012-02-02T22:31:36Z")
_The Brothers O’Toole Hello Dolly_ Both done by my kids’ High School within the last few years. And both quite good. ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2012, 11:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-plays-are-performed-in-high-schools-nowadays/611549/26 "2012-02-02T23:40:01Z")
Question for those of you who’ve done/seen Sondheim at the high school level…was it any good? I mean, be honest now. Sondheim is _hard_, even for professionals. All those dissonant chords and rhythms that only flirt with logic… I’ve gritted my teeth through a couple of Into the Woodses, and it’s just brutal, even with a pretty talented high school cast. ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2012, 11:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-plays-are-performed-in-high-schools-nowadays/611549/27 "2012-02-02T23:43:41Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > [This page](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grease_%28musical%29#Grease:_School_Version) from Wikipedia lists some of the differences in the school version of Grease. :eek: They got rid of “Worse Things”?! That’s only the best song in the whole darn show!!! Glad we did the regular version. I think there was one line of dialogue changed, and Kenickie was supposed to sing “The chicks’ll dream” twice instead of “The chicks’ll cream”. Of course he didn’t. ---
**Author:** ![Pitchmeister](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pitchmeister/32/3459_2.png) [@Pitchmeister](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pitchmeister)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2012, 11:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-plays-are-performed-in-high-schools-nowadays/611549/28 "2012-02-02T23:51:36Z")
Not sure if that qualifies as nowadays, but 11 years ago, we did Harvey and Once Upon A Mattress. If I feel nostalgic and want to remember it, I look at pictures and listen to the Broadway Cast Album, the video is too painful to watch… 😛 ---
**Author:** ![notfrommensa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/f14d63/32.png) [@notfrommensa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/notfrommensa)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2012, 11:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-plays-are-performed-in-high-schools-nowadays/611549/29 "2012-02-02T23:58:26Z")
In 1979, my class did Pygmalion. I had a small part but I can’t remember what it was. ---
**Author:** ![missinformation](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d07c76/32.png) [@missinformation](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/missinformation)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2012, 12:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-plays-are-performed-in-high-schools-nowadays/611549/30 "2012-02-03T00:46:34Z")
The high school down here is doing Footloose this year. I know they also did Seussical the Musical…not sure what else… When I was in school (horse and buggy days) they did The King and I, Two by Two (about Noah’s Ark), Grease, West Side Story, The Music Man… ---
**Author:** ![Push\_You\_Down](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/push_you_down/32/9095_2.png) [@Push\_You\_Down](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Push_You_Down)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2012, 12:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-plays-are-performed-in-high-schools-nowadays/611549/31 "2012-02-03T00:52:47Z")
> [@WhyNot](#): > > Question for those of you who’ve done/seen Sondheim at the high school level…was it any good? I mean, be honest now. > > Sondheim is _hard_, even for professionals. All those dissonant chords and rhythms that only flirt with logic… I’ve gritted my teeth through a couple of Into the Woodses, and it’s just brutal, even with a pretty talented high school cast. We did it at my high school and it was cast for singers not actors. My school had a really good choral program. So the songs were really good…the acting was …terrible. ---
**Author:** ![NDP](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ndp/32/55_2.png) [@NDP](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NDP)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2012, 12:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-plays-are-performed-in-high-schools-nowadays/611549/32 "2012-02-03T00:56:44Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > For some modern plays and musicals, a cleaned-up “school edition” will be prepared. That’s how the high school I attended decades ago did Rent a few years ago. I wonder if they have any “school editions” of _Glengarry Glen Ross_ or anything else by Mamet? If they do, I can imagine they’re pretty short. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2012, 1:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-plays-are-performed-in-high-schools-nowadays/611549/33 "2012-02-03T01:00:36Z")
I was reading a newspaper article this morning about a high school drama club. The plays they were doing were _Grease_, _Hairspray_, and _Urinetown_. ---
**Author:** ![vivalostwages](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/d07c76/32.png) [@vivalostwages](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vivalostwages)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2012, 2:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-plays-are-performed-in-high-schools-nowadays/611549/34 "2012-02-03T02:19:28Z")
My cousin’s daughter performed in **Dead Man Walking** at her high school. ---
**Author:** ![expectopatronum](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/expectopatronum/32/173_2.png) [@expectopatronum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/expectopatronum)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2012, 2:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-plays-are-performed-in-high-schools-nowadays/611549/35 "2012-02-03T02:56:08Z")
i remember my school doing wizard of oz, bye bye birdie and into the woods. i think a lot of high schools do beauty and the beast these days too. ---
**Author:** ![pabstist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/e99b99/32.png) [@pabstist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pabstist)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2012, 3:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-plays-are-performed-in-high-schools-nowadays/611549/36 "2012-02-03T03:53:04Z")
My wife is a high school drama teacher, and I build the sets. This spring they are doing “The Odd Couple (Female Version)”, perfect since all schools lack male actors! Next year is “You’re a Good Man Charlie Brown”. She does a musical every other year. Recent years- Once Upon a Mattress (the prince was a girl) How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying (the big boss was a girl) The Hollow You Can’t Take It With You Anything Goes Moon Over Buffalo The Santaland Diaries (with 3 girls playing the part of the 1 guy) ---
**Author:** ![Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eyebrows_0f_doom/32/3119_2.png) [@Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eyebrows_0f_Doom)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2012, 4:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-plays-are-performed-in-high-schools-nowadays/611549/37 "2012-02-03T04:10:10Z")
> [@Marley23](#): > > They stage Les Miserables after I graduated, they’ve done a few Sondheim shows, and things like that. They’ve done The Grapes of Wrath a few times. I remember they did **Sweeney Todd** & **A Little Night Music**. My sister was in \*\*Sweeney \*\*so I saw that one, it was actually rather good considering it was all high school students! [The student](http://jaredzirilli.com/JaredZirilli/Home.html) who played the lead actually just appeared on Broadway last year! ---
**Author:** ![JpnDude](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/838e76/32.png) [@JpnDude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JpnDude)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2012, 6:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-plays-are-performed-in-high-schools-nowadays/611549/38 "2012-02-03T06:32:46Z")
My niece here in Tokyo has been a member of her all-girl high school’s drama club. In the past few years, they have performed Japanese versions of “Les Miserables”, “Wicked”, “Mozart!” and “Cats”. ---
**Author:** ![Eve](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Eve](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eve)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2012, 1:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-plays-are-performed-in-high-schools-nowadays/611549/39 "2012-02-03T13:42:21Z")
My friend Joe told me that at his Texas high school they did _West Side Story_, and both the Sharks and the Jets talked in broad Texas accents. “Hi-_larious_,” says Joe. ---
**Author:** ![Eonwe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eonwe/32/240_2.png) [@Eonwe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eonwe)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2012, 1:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-plays-are-performed-in-high-schools-nowadays/611549/40 "2012-02-03T13:56:36Z")
I music direct at a number of area high schools and one middle school. Shows I’ve done in recent years are: Little Shop of Horrors Grease Pippin The Wizard of Oz Once On This Island Beauty and the Beast Guys and Dolls Into The Woods Cinderella Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat Rent Pirates of Penzance Once Upon a Mattress (hate this show) Sweet Charity Chicago [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-plays-are-performed-in-high-schools-nowadays/611549.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-plays-are-performed-in-high-schools-nowadays/611549.md?page=3)