Lynn English students staging review of Hollywood musical moments

LYNN – From 1930s Broadway to the 3-D movie “Kung Fu Panda,'” Lynn English High School drama students are reliving the history of Hollywood in a collection of songs, dances and sketches they’ll perform for the public this weekend.The series of performances, called a revue, will span decades of popular film moments from the 20th and 21st century, said Lynn English’s drama club director, Larry Lowe.”It’s all songs that are in the popular lexicon of music,” he said.Students jigged to “Mary Poppins'” “Chim Chim Cheree” and hustled to the disco piece “Night Fever” from the 1970s dance film “Saturday Night Fever,” during a recent rehearsal that capped off two months of work.Rehearsing for the review taught students about the history of American film, Lowe said.View a photo gallery of the rehearsal.In a silent black-and-white film the students acted in, edited and produced for the review, an old-time producer recruits a waitress at a diner for a show.Freshman Caitlyn Sawyer said scenes like that opened her eyes to Broadway in the early 20th century, before Hollywood was a big thing.”We learned how they used to do things back then,” she said.Lowe said he had to explain to the actors some of the humor from earlier pieces, such as lines from a 1930s burlesque sketch called “Crazy Horse.””It kind of goes over their head,” he said.As the show progresses toward more modern-day films, junior Zhane Burton said she loved learning songs from pop-culture movies.”I wanted to get more into musical theater,” she said as she explained to freshman Tyler Brown, who is dancing in “Chim Chim Cheree,” the plot line to “Mary Poppins.””Look it up on Netflix,” she finally said.Brown said he enjoys the review because it allows him to dance a variety of genres, even though he might not know about the movie he’s paying homage to.”I think everyone can relate to the dances in one way. I like being cheesy,” he said, swinging his arms, elbows pointed up, back and forth in an imitation of the chimney dancer featured in the song.More than 40 students with a range of interests and talents signed up to perform in the review, said choreographer Sherrill Ellis, who put together dances of songs from movies like Disney’s “The Little Mermaid” and the 1980 Broadway musical “Fame.””There’s a lot of different kids, a lot of different abilities,” she said. “But I include everyone.”Junior Jonathan Nap got to tap into his martial arts skills for a kung fu-based dance from the 2008 computer-animated movie “Kung Fu Panda.””I enjoy being active and actually doing something to show others what I can do and entertain the audience,” he said.Nap said he believes this upbeat show will be a memorable one for movie fans of all ages.”It’s always good to see a show that you can always remember,” he said.Amber Parcher can be reached at [email protected] You Go? Lynn English Drama Club’s revue “Hollywood” will be held 7 p.m. Friday and Saturday at the high school auditorium, 50 Goodridge St. Tickets are $7 at the door.