For the first of their biannual field trips to Manhattan, the concert choir headed to Manhattan on Tuesday, Oct. 21 for an evening filled with dancing, singing, and acting.
Atypical of their matinee-revolved experiences, students gathered in the chorus room after eighth period in preparation for the long-awaited excursion. After a short LIRR train ride, the concert choir arrived at Penn Station, where students then walked uptown to Ripley-Grier Studios, one of Manhattan’s premier rehearsal spaces. Before The Outsiders-themed workshop, many opted for a pick-me-up from the Dunkin’ and Starbucks nearby. Junior Mackenzie Reis emphasized, “I love the city, and I’m so glad I got to explore with my friends. I also had enough stars for a free drink, so it made my day even better.”
At Ripley-Grier Studios, concert choir members learned a brief segment of “Grease Got a Hold”, from The Outsiders musical, along with its corresponding choreography. Concert choir teacher Barry Wyner expressed, “The choreography excerpt we worked on for a solid hour was just 16 bars from The Outsiders, which gave us a taste of the rigors of performing on Broadway.” Through this, students were able to display, and learn, Broadway singing and dancing techniques. Dinner followed their performance-based workshop at the Playwright Celtic Pub, where students dined on various foods from tacos to chicken fingers.
Following dinner, students walked a few blocks downtown to Westside Theatre, where Little Shop of Horrors was showing. Gaining inspiration from the 1905 story “The Flowering of the Strange Orchid” by H.G. Wells, Roger Corman adapted it into a film in 1960. The story was then adapted into the well-known musical by Howard Ashman and Alan Menken, which first premiered in 1982. The musical and story alike revolve around nerdy, orphaned flower shop assistant Seymour, and his popular coworker, Audrey. After a solar eclipse, Seymour finds an exotic plant that feeds off flesh, and he decides to name it Audrey II, after his crush, Audrey. The plot thickens when Seymour is driven to commit murders to feed the plant in order to bring in business at his struggling Skid Row flower shop.
Today, Little Shop of Horrors has been showing off-Broadway, rather than in large, high-scale theatres typically seen on Broadway. While some may view this as a downside, it allowed concert choir members to feel more immersed in the show. Wyner added, “Since Little Shop of Horrors was in a smaller theatre than other Broadway shows we’ve seen, I felt it was an even more communal experience. It was also very funny, and there’s something about laughing together that’s always super fun.” After the two-hour show, with a 15-minute intermission, students waited outside the stage doors for signatures and selfies. Sophomore Sharon Alfred explained, “As my first time going to an off-Broadway show, I didn’t know I could meet the cast after, especially because of how talented everybody was. I also felt like I was able to connect with my class a lot more and build new relationships.” To conclude the evening, students and chaperones hurried to Penn Station for the 9:52 PM train back to Lynbrook.
