Staples Players, the Staples High School theatrical group, performed a series of three shows this past weekend, opening their performance of the critically acclaimed broadway musical, “Newsies.” Chosen as one of five high schools in the country to be given the rights to pilot the show before the rights are publicly released, the Players’ production contained a complex intermingling of difficult dancing with elaborate singing numbers.
“I was really impressed by the talent of the students; the dancing was insane,” social studies teacher Drew Coyne said after seeing the performance on opening night. “The success shows how much work was put into the production, so I am very proud of them.”
The advanced tickets went on sale on Oct. 23 and nearly sold out all eight shows in a matter of hours. The production was enjoyed by a large number of Westport families along with many individuals from surrounding towns. Some Staples alumni even made the flight back home to see it.
“I thought the show was fantastic. It was awesome to come back and see everyone working so hard, and it showed,” Remy Laifer ’17, a former member of Staples Players, said. “Also, it was refreshing to see people that have never gotten leading roles kill it.”
With another week of productions ahead, members of the cast have found themselves particularly satisfied with the first week of performances.
Cast member Amanda Samuels ’19 is excited to finish the production on a high note. “Even though we were all exhausted at times, the adrenaline and great audiences helped us keep our energy up and put on four great shows,” Samuels said. “Hopefully we keep up the energy in the upcoming performances.”
Players will be putting on four more shows between Thursday, Nov. 16 and Saturday, Nov. 18. Tickets are nearly sold out. Limited tickets can be purchased at http://www.staplesplayers.com/. There also will be a limited amount of tickets being sold at the door 30 minutes before each of the upcoming performances.