With the Right Song and Dance, You Can Get Away With Murder
August 31, 2007 by Sarah Heath ·
Drama Department announces Chicago on slate for spring musical.
This spring the TJ Drama Department’s musical will be the hottest show you’ve ever seen; two brilliant Spartan staff members scored big by bringing the ever-popular musical Chicago to TJ.
Chicago is the racy story of a woman who dreams of making it big as a jazz singer in the 1920s only to be sent to jail for killing her lover. Readers may remember the story from the film version released in 2002 starring Renée Zellweger and Catherine Zeta-Jones. This production will be performed on a stage in the fashion of the original Broadway run powered by the infamous New York choreographer Bob Fosse. The stage musical was a huge hit in the seventies, traveling nation-wide. This spring Spartans can look forward to a musical, the likes of which has not been seen at TJ for many years. "A big show, but done well…we’re going to do some really neat things really well," said TJ drama guru Michael Palmieri.
Edwina Hebert is the department’s Musical Director, and Palmieri is the Artistic Director. They are looking forward to this spring with great anticipation. Their excitement over the production was obvious when Palmieri said, "We both think that this will be a really fun show for the cast crew and audience. And also a really big step in the growth of TJ Drama."
To snatch the rights to perform the show, Palmieri sent a heartfelt letter to the owner’s of the play’s copy rights. The show, including rights, scripts and music will cost the department only $3,000.
As for the racy nature of the show, Palmieri stated, "Any way you look at it Chicago is a little over the top. Our goal is to maintain the integrity of the show with the consideration that it is being performed on a high school stage. I guess you could say we intend to tastefully push the envelope."
The big band numbers will have live musical accompaniment. They’re leaning towards asking for the teaching staff’s musical talents to mix with student musicians, the same group who helped play the score at last year’s Godspell. The big dance numbers will be choreographed by Carole Fulkerson. Hebert said, "Its really exciting, TJ kids getting their chance to shine in a big name show. No one has done this in DPS since before 1985, if ever."
Heavy Metal: A Way of Life
August 26, 2007 by Ben Gilliland ·
It’s an angry steed on a never-ending course. With grace and speed, it’s an unrelenting force. His head thrown back, defiantly proud, under constant attack, it’s blasting, fast and loud. You can’t stop rock ‘n” roll! – Twisted sister.
What is heavy metal to me? A way of life? Maybe. I listen to heavy metal music every chance I get: in the morning, at night, in the afternoon, at school, in the car, even when I go to sleep. Some people may call it an obsession, but I like to call it a passion. Other music fans listen to their music all of the time though, so how is this any different?
Others tend to follow the “trend of the month”; they go out and buy whatever CD some big record company has engineered to be a hit, with a catchy beat and cliché lyrics. To them it doesn’t matter, it is just something they listen to and enjoy until the next big thing comes out, and they completely forget about what they were listening to a couple of months ago.
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