Singin' and Dancin'

So my little sister is freakin' awesome! Tonight we went to the opening night of her school's dinner theater program, and she performed in seven songs. She's just too good for words. She moved my mom and aunt to tears, and I think I saw a couple of other audience members wiping away tears too.

The program was a musical review, so they performed selections from a number of musicals. Their first number was an ensemble number: "Footloose" from Footloose. This was the musical they performed at the end of last year, so I think this was a little nod to some of the alumni who had returned to perform tonight. The kid who sang the song was one of those alumni, and he also played Ren last year. It was nice to see him reprise the role--he's got some power in his voice.

The girls then performed "Wash That Man" from South Pacific, and the guys followed with "Nothing Like a Dame." Both numbers were very cute. "You're the One That I want" from Grease came next, and the kids who played Sandy and Danny were good--I really liked them.

Kate's first main song came next: "Step Too Far" from Aida. It's a trio between Radames, Amneris, and Aida; Kate played Aida and totally rocked the house! Aida is such a powerful part, and in this song she's so torn between her love for Radames and her love for her people. Kate really caught the conflict, and her voice was so strong.

The next number was a really cute one: "Agony" from Into the Woods, and it was performed by the two light/sound guys. I guess someone dropped out at the last minute, so the drama teacher taught these two the song in a couple of days. They were total hams, and really had the audience laughing; it was fun!

The next number was a montage of songs from Les Mis, and oh boy, did these kids really knock the socks off all of us! Kate played Eponine, and it was her songs "On My Own" and "A Little Fall of Rain" that brought my mom and aunt to tears. She was so, so good! The kid who played Jean Valjean was awesome too. He's got the purest voice--perfect for Valjean. "Bring Him Home" gave me chills up and down and all over.

"Seasons of Love" from Rent came next, and Kate had worked so hard on this song. She had a solo part in the song with some scatting and then a really, really high note. She was so scared that she'd bomb on that note, but she hit it! It was great, and I was so excited for her! "Grease Lightning" from Grease was a fun number too. The guys are all actually pretty good singers and got into their parts--unusual, I think, for young teenage boys.

"What's the Matter with the Man?" from Cinderella was a real hoot. This is my favorite song from this musical, and the two girls who sang it were so very obnixious--perfect for the ugly stepsisters! The guys had one last number: "Carrying the Banner" from Newsies. This was probably the best I've heard them perform this one--and I sat in on quite a few rehearsals. And that reminds me: funny story about this number. During the last rehearsal two of the boys are supposed to get into a "fight" and chase each other around the stage. They throw a couple fake punches at each other, and it's funny. Well, last night one of those fake punches turned into a real one. I guess, they just got too close, and one kid punched the other right in the eye. The Punchee then flipped the Puncher the bird before finishing the rehearsal. Good stuff.

The final number was "We're All in this Together" from High School Musical, which will be their play at the end of this year. This is actually a pretty fun song, I think, and their dancing was cute. Kate was Gabriella in this song--she's hoping to get the part again when they do the full play. The kids had a lot of fun with this final number, and the audience went wild for them.

Before we knew it, they were coming out for cutain calls and final bows. Then it was over. :(

But we've still got two more performances tomorrow! :)