19
Mar 2019
by Ellen Frantz ’19 (De La Salle House)
Every year on the first day of school I always joke that the only reason I go to school is to be in the musical. Being a senior, I have said this multiple times. I have been in a total of 11 musicals, but something was different about Annie. I don’t know if it was because I played my first ever leading role (Miss Hannigan) or because I was senior, but it turns out I was not the only one who felt this way. According to Trinity teachers who have been working here for years, Annie was one of the best–if not the best–musical they have seen at THS.
Musical director Mrs. Jarrett agrees that something was different with Annie.
“Lots of new faces brought new energy and new ideas,” said Mrs. Jarrett. “The cast took more care of stuff off-stage than ever before. No matter the role, everyone made their part big. And in the end, everyone pitched in to help it run.”
Student choreographer Lauren Koranda ’19 (De La Salle House) thinks the difference was in the subject matter since Annie is not about a romantic love story but is about finding hope in a time when hope was lost.
“It’s about finding family in the people around you that love,” Lauren began, “even if it isn’t in the most conventional way. This show was a fun change of pace from previous shows at THS as it not only included some of the most iconic music ever written with show stopping production numbers, but also contained some of the most genuine heart in any show Trinity has ever done before!”
From outside the production, Annie is also different than previous shows at Trinity because it brought in the most money. Annie brought in $10,000 in just ticket sales, selling about 1,000 tickets each of the three nights. Also, Annie raised $250 in donations to be given to the Catholic Charities Adoption and Foster Services along with the bracelet-making materials, binders, colored sand, and paper that Trinity and feeder school students donated in exchange for free admission to the show.
Katie Johnson ’19 (Loyola House) loved Annie so much, she came all three nights. What was different about Annie than the other shows she had seen at Trinity, in her opinion, was how “charmingly choreographed” it was and that was all thanks to Lauren Koranda’s talent.
Other iconic moments in the show include Jaime Carson’s emotional performance as Annie, McKenna Geisel’s (Star-To-Be) vocals and the “human-propelled” horse in “NYC,” Simon Gunther’s (Rooster) jazz split in “Easy Street,” Mr. Geisel’s featured role in FDR’s cabinet, and Twister the Dog’s (Sandy) spectacular performance.
If I could give any advice to underclassmen, it would be to get involved with Trinity’s musical. Whether it is onstage or offstage, I would encourage them to lend a hand with the production so some of their favorite high school memories can come from the music department just like mine have.