Photo courtesy of Manuel Santiago
By Carly Shaw and Ahmed Fayad, staff writers
Over 100 students from the FVHS advanced choirs, as well as some theater students, boarded a bus to take a drive to Los Angeles to see the twelve year old musical, “Wicked,” at the Pantages Theatre on Wednesday. A yearly tradition for the choir program, students in the past have had the opportunity to see shows like “Newsies,” “The Lion King,” “In the Heights,” and “Peter Pan.”
“Wicked was amazing,” said Manuel Santiago (’15). “I loved the performance and many of us got a lot of new pointers from watching it.”
Before the show, students had the chance to shop in Hollywood, see the sights surrounding the Pantages Theatre, and eat at the famous Miceli’s Italian Restaurant. At the restaurant they were met with singing waiters and a piano player who performed various songs, including many from Disney films and musicals.
“When the first waiter sang I thought it was so cool,” Zury Ramirez (’15), a member of Troubadours, stated. “Eventually all of our waiters performed and I realized that I would remember that dinner as the most fun dinner I’ve ever had.”
Photo courtesy of Kortnie Shaw
The students were able to learn from the professional performance and see where a classical foundation can take them.
“All of these Broadway musical cast members are trained as classical musicians and it’s important for our young singers to see and understand that,” said Kevin Tison, FVHS choir director.
Seeing these productions is a way to give the choirs an intimate look at a bigger genre of vocal music. The opportunity helps choirs with their performance, and is also a fun trip for students.
“It is an incredible experience for the students to see something truly mind-blowing,” said Tison.
