There have already been a few discussions on this show, but I'll offer my take.
I watched and enjoyed a few episodes, and realized that the greater the span of years since the original production and the present, the more I liked it.
So I jumped ahead to the 1975 Los Angeles High School production of Anything Goes (almost as long ago as my last/only high school stage appearance, in the chorus of Li'l Abner).
And wow - this was a terrific re-production. It helped that some still had terrific voices (and it's not to be expected that everyone will be able to sing these roles decades later - even if they could originally, as high school musical casts are often a mixed bag). The biggest thing was that they had fun with their flubs. I had a big smile on my face throughout the performance excerpts and would have loved to have seen the whole show.
There is always a bit of background on the alumni, some more than others, and there's always a sad note of something life has thrown in the path of at least one of the performers. And there's talk of cliques, feeling "unseen" in high school etc. Traditional reunion stuff. But for the 1975 episode, the show's the real thing - bravo/brava to the LAHS cast for their performances. |
