The students of Birch Run High School provided a very entertaining flash back to the 80’s on Friday night through their performance of “Back to the 80’s”.
The show, written by Neil Young, was artfully directed by Mrs. Gail Worden, Miss Wendy Holt and Mrs. Mary Gigliotti. The story consists of a true teenaged plot, as if pulled right from your favorite 80’s afternoon special or possibly even an episode of Saved by the Bell.
The plot begins with Corey Palmer, played by Jacob Miller, introducing you to his senior class through narration. He’s backed up by his two best friends Alf and Kirk, played by Randall Hang and Kris Maurer, as he attempts to run for class president.
Like in any teen romantic comedy, there’s always the beautiful girl that the lead yearns for, that would be Tiffany Houston, played by the lovely Lexi Welch, with the required best friend role of Cyndi Gibson filled by the talented Shay Johnson. But, what would any good teen story be without the “bad boy”? Cody Hobson brings the role of Michael Feldman to life, think Zack Morris without a conscience.
As expected, the hero of the story tries and fails, and tries again, with his nemesis sailing by until the final lesson is learned.
The show is filled with obvious and subtle references that any child of the 80’s would appreciate. From the name of the school they attend “William Ocean High”, to the mix and match combination of the character’s names derived from very recognizable names of that era.
The audience at many times bopped and sang along to the many musical performances that broke out, including one reminiscent of the “We are the World” performance with many icons of the 80’s paid tribute to in costume.
The amazing supporting cast included Mary Talley, Betzi Sawchuk, Tai Nalewyko, Michael Lynn, Tyler Timmreck, Sarah Fogg, Sarah Crispell, Apryl Scheffler, Eric Timm and Mr. Roger Rothe.
The most memorable and stand out performances included Taylor Vitany as Ms. Shenna Brannigan. Vitany’s amazing performance in numerous songs showed that her vocal ability is not one of an average high school student. However, the show was stolen by one Nathan Placer in the role of Feargal McFerrin as the class nerd. Placer provided much comedy both from center stage and as background to the other performances.
All in all, the show was filled with memories of the 80’s and great performances from some talented local students. It also provoked many of us to look at the fashions on display and think “what were we thinking?”
The Birch Run High School cast will have a repeat performance on Saturday night at 7pm.
Video Clips on YouTube.com
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