“Not Another Teen Musical:” Endearing and entertaining

Writing, directing and performing a musical within four months is quite a feat for any actor in the musical show business. But working with six other co-directors in a group dynamic to consolidate over 30 songs into a musical format whilst pleasing each director is an accomplishment worth praising.

Last Thursday, Dec. 8 at 7:30 p.m. in Warren Auditorium, seven Sonoma State students completed such a task. With the guidance of their professor, Dr. Lynn Morrow, who directed the students in their process of creating a show from practically nothing, the students of Music 340 Musical Scenes Workshop performed a two-act play lasting around two hours.

 Upon speaking to Dr. Morrow after the performance, she explained the process in which the students must go through to create such a production.

"The students bring multiple musical scene and song selections to class, and they perform them while I get a sense of their vocal abilities. Then we track a general theme to the narrowed selection, create an arc to the show and create the dialogue and plot, all while only having two class sessions a week to accomplish this," said Morrow.

The students performed thirty songs from new and old musicals. Classic songs, such as "If I Ever Would Leave You" from Camelot, performed by Max Jennings, and "Put on a Happy Face," from Bye Bye Birdie, performed by Sarah Durham, added a traditional feel to the plot. But the theme of the show, titled "Not Another Teen Musical," was modernized as the students chose to center the plot around a group of friends and their struggles as they went through high school.

The audience was mostly SSU students and from their laughter and applause, they seemed to appreciate the light-hearted nature that the play cast over the acne filled, puberty changing and hormone raging, awkward ,young love, teenage years.

The show began with the tweens in an eighth grade homeroom, which is where the audience first begins to see the dynamics within the group. The first songs establish who likes who and who hates who as well as each character's persona, like which girl was the popular, oblivious one and who was her nervous and academically driven counterparts, as well as the awkward nerd, the jock and the social outcasts.

Audience member Noah Zepponi especially liked how the songs met each plot point and related so well to the direction of the play.

"The whole play transitioned very well," said Zepponi. The most intriguing aspect of the musical was that the students were able to form a whole story line based on songs that were almost completely unrelated to each other.

The second ensemble piece titled, "My Junk" that closed the first act was a true standout. With beautiful harmonies from the soprano and alto sections, the women of the cast were able to project their emotions and translate the frustrations they were experiencing through the song. Though some lines were occasionally forgotten, the actors were able to continue with their performance like pros. Most pleasing was the fact that the students were able to hit their jokes with sarcasm, but honest conviction.

In the first ensemble piece, titled "A Little More Homework," Jennings pronounced that during his sophomore summer he lost his virginity. The next line, exclaimed by his girlfriend in the play Aubrie Alexander, was juvenile and whimsical.

"Sophomore summer, I fell in love!," she said. The sweet innocence of each statement, although quite ironic in perspective, were what really took the audience in and won them over.

Stage Director of SSU's spring musical, "Oklahoma," Adrian Elfenbaum was also in the crowd that night. Elfenbaum says he enjoys the Music 340 for multiple reasons, but one especially.

"I have actually discovered some actors during these shows that I have asked to audition for the musicals at SSU," Elfenbaum remarked. This class not only allows students of any major to explore their musical horizons, but it also offers them a chance to broadcast their talents to possible future directors.

The hard work of each actor truly shined through in their dedication and graceful performance of their personally written and performed musical.