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Staff Writer

ANTAGONISTIC PROTAGONISTS – Tim Ahern and MacKenzie Hamilton play the lead roles in “Crazy For You,” presented by Goffstown High School beginning Feb. 17. The play is the Broadway version of a reworked Gershwin musical. (Elizabeth Dubrulle Photo)

Lovers of Gershwin music can enjoy a show filled with some of George and songs when students at Goffstown High School perform the Gershwin musical, “Crazy For You,” on Feb. 17 to 19.

The show represents months of planning and rehearsing by both students and faculty, with auditions being held all the way back in October. Since November, the crew and cast have been rehearsing two hours a day, five days a week, with a sixth day added to the rehearsal schedule as the show's debut draws near.

The entire performance marks a significant input of students and teachers' time. Four faculty members supervise the show, with four more pitching in to help the orchestra, which is composed of 15 students. More than 25 students are in the cast, with another 25, who have been affectionately dubbed “techies” by the cast, managing the backstage, lights and sound. Students also created the sets and made or borrowed all the costumes for the show.

The time commitment, although intense, is one of the reasons faculty support the school’s musical every year.

“Investing this much effort in something teaches students some important life skills,” said music teacher Josh Desrochers. “It’s a huge experience in time management and professionalism. And students must keep their grades up to participate. They don’t get a lot of breaks in that area.”

Students from all grade levels are involved with the show, although the majority are juniors and seniors.

“Crazy For You” is playing at Goffstown High School Thursday, Feb.17, through Saturday, Feb. 19, 7:30pm. Saturday matinee, 2pm. Tickets: $8 for adults, $5 for students in advance or at the door.

For many, participation in the musical limits their ability to join other extracurricular activities, but it’s worth it, according to the kids. Despite the grueling schedule, they are full of enthusiasm for the curtain to go up.

“I’m more excited than nervous,” said the show’s lead actress, senior MacKenzie Hamilton. She estimates that she has spent four or five hours a day preparing for her performance since being cast in the role of Polly Baker in the fall.

“This is my home,” she said of the 400-seat Hieber Auditorium at the high school.

Hamilton’s counterpart, Tim Ahern, who plays the Bobby Child, professes to be slightly more nervous, mainly because of the dancing his part involves.

Almost the entire cast had to learn to tap dance for the show, a task undertaken by choreographer Katie Proulx.

Daunted by the complexity of the dance component, the show’s organizers hired Proulx, a local dance teacher and 1999 graduate of the high school, to plan out the numbers and teach everyone tap.

“I almost put them through a version of boot camp to get everyone ready for the big dance numbers,” Proulx said, “But they all seem to love it, even the guys. Everyone was initially skeptical that they could do it, but they did a great job learning. It’s opened them up to a whole different world.”

Music teacher Doug McKernan professes undying confidence in the ability of the students to master the material, even when the guys acted more like soccer players than dancers.

“It’s a challenge the kids really rise to,” McKernan says. “This is the real Broadway show, too. It wasn’t designed for high school kids.”

“Crazy For You” debuted at Broadway’s Shubert Theater on Feb. 19, 1992, to rave reviews. The show was a reworking of George and Ira Gershwin’s 1930 hit “Girl Crazy,” which the producers found too dated for late 20th-century audiences, although the music proved timeless.

Writer Ken Ludwig wrote a new script, which was still set in the 1930s but including some of the Gershwins’ favorite songs, including “I Got Rhythm,” “Embraceable You,” and “But Not For Me.” The popular show ran for four years and won three Tony Awards.

McKernan praised the school’s support for the musical, stating that on opening night, the audience will include lots of faculty and staff.

“I’ve heard the musical referred to as an important part of the culture of the school,” McKernan says.

He shrugs off all the late nights and weekends he works to prepare for the performances.

“It’s a tremendous amount of energy and effort that everyone puts in in a relatively short time,” he said. “The end result is always exceptionally rewarding.”

“Crazy For You” runs at Goffstown High School from Thursday, Feb. 17, through Saturday, Feb, 19, with nightly performances at 7:30 p.m. and a Saturday matinee at 2 p.m. Tickets cost $8 for adults and $5 for students and can be purchased in advance or at the door.