West takes the community to Neverland with Peter Pan

WEST PORTSMOUTH—Scioto County is teeming with talented young musicians across different school districts and nonprofit arts organizations, but, when it comes to school musicals, almost the entire community is eagerly awaiting the West High School musical performed by Ms. Linda Tieman. spring.

After a year of debate, then decision and finally rehearsal, the school is approaching the point where it is ready to open the curtain on the 2024 production of Peter Pan.

The show was produced and directed by Tieman three times during his storied career spanning 39 school musicals, not including other productions involved in the community.

According to Musical Theater International (MTI), the show is “based on the classic tale by JM Barrie and features unforgettable music by Morris “Moose” Charlap and Jule Styne with lyrics by Carolyn Leigh and Betty Comden and Adolph Green, Peter Pan is one of the most beloved and frequently performed family favorites of all time. This high-flying, Tony Award-winning musical has been performed around the world and has delighted audiences for 60 years.

MTI explains that the musical follows the classic story of Peter Pan and the Darling Children that we all know and love.

“Peter and his mischievous fairy sidekick, Tinkerbell, visit the Darling children's nursery late at night and, with a sprinkle of pixie dust, begin a magical journey through the stars that none of them will ever forget” , said MTI. “In the adventure of a lifetime, the travelers come face to face with a crocodile, a fierce Indian tribe, a band of bumbling pirates and, of course, the evil Captain Hook.”

The show features iconic songs including “I’m Flying,” “I’ve Gotta Crow,” “I Won’t Grow Up,” and “Never Never Land.”

Tieman explained that his students chose Peter Pan only after first choosing the South Pacific. According to the educator, a group of her male students vigorously advocated for the South Pacific title, but, as the year progressed, other students began to push for Peter Pan.

After much persuasion and consideration, all the students came to the conclusion that Peter Pan would be a profitable venture and the group of male students who were fighting for the South Pacific decided to pause their desire to play the role of military men for the opportunity to become pirates.

“There are only a limited number of shows suitable for high school students, so we inevitably have a few shows that we repeat over the years, however, it has been 11 years since we last performed this show for the last time,” Tieman said. “There are certain shows, like Les Mis for example, that we have done several times. I think there are some of these shows that are definitely worth looking into, not just for the music and the experience, but also for their historical basis. I'm trying to get through my shows and I feel like Peter Pan is fresh enough to be able to return to Nerverland safely. I have students who may have seen the latest production in first grade, for example. Some of them inspired this show and that's how this happened.

Tieman said she mostly stayed behind in the decision because she feels it is important to allow her students to have a say in the titles of their performances.

“I think it's important. Sometimes a little intervention is necessary, but other times things happen and the desire to display a certain title is there and there is no need to discuss alternatives or trying to change their minds,” Tieman said. “If kids don’t want to do a show, then they won’t do it well and the involvement won’t come with the enthusiasm that we really like. feel in our productions.”

Tieman explained that much of the school's success comes from the team that supports its productions.

“We've had the same team for many years and I really hesitate to mention these names because I'm sure I'll leave out someone important, but, more importantly, we have our set designers and builders Gary Tieman and Ed Ingles. We have community members who come to work when they can. These shows wouldn't be magical without our team. Heather Cate, our choreographer, is my right hand as accompanist. rehearsal and orchestra director Dr. Ryan Powell is our flight director and Sandi Dutiel is our dialect coach There are so many facets to a show and you can't do it alone; a dress or they play the tuba, you just can't do that without them.

Portsmouth West High School will open the curtain on Peter Pan on May 10 and 11 at 7:30 p.m. and May 12 at 2 p.m. at the Vern Riffe Center for the Arts. Tickets are $11 and $15. Entrance is available for purchase before the shows at www.vrcfa.com.

“Peter Pan rehearsals are going very well so far for the students. For me, it's a bit like childbirth; we kind of forget the negative points of certain things. This is a technically difficult show to rehearse, as much of it requires flying and you have to wait until technical week for that and the flight director. Plus, there are so many segmented scenes and sets, and you don't want kids to sit around and get bored, so you need to plan rehearsals around groups of characters and scenes to get the most out of your time. It's a tough show to rehearse, but it's fun and we're ready to go on stage.

Contact Joseph Pratt at (740) 353-3101, by email at [email protected]2024 Portsmouth Daily Times, all rights reserved.