Review of Honk, the Middle School Musical
Review of Honk, the Middle School Musical
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Last Sunday (December 2), I went to the Littleton Middle School Drama Program’s production of Honk, a musical by Anthony Drewe and George Stiles that is based on “The Ugly Duckling.” The show had fifty-five cast members plus backstage crew, and was directed and produced by JulieAnn Govang. The music director was Ashley Sheldon.
The story follows Ugly (Lisa Hood), the ugly duckling, from before his birth to his inevitable transformation into a beautiful swan. The show begins with Ugly’s mother (Ella Byrne-Cabot) and father (Brian Beltrami) waiting for the eggs to hatch. When Ugly finally hatches, the rest of the farm and the family (other than Ida, Ugly’s mother) are horrified by how, well, ugly Ugly is. Ugly is tricked into wandering away from the nest by Cat (Clarice Carter) and eventually cannot find his way home. The rest of the show follows Ugly’s journey back to the nest, while Ida and Cat try to find him. Along the way he meets a flock of geese, sophisticated chickens and cats, swans, and bullfrogs. In the end, Ida and Ugly are reunited, and Ugly transforms into a beautiful swan, loved by the rest of the farm.
From left to right: Ugly (Lisa Hood), Drake (Brian Beltrami), and Ida (Ella Byrne-Cabot)
The set was simple, but effective. I loved the director’s choice to use a combination of fabrics, ensemble members, and lighting to portray different settings. The band sounded beautiful, but was, at times, loud enough that the actors seemed to be competing with them. The costumes were adorable. I am always impressed by Susie Nichols’ talent (I have worked with her on more than one occasion) to create costumes that bring the audience into the world of the characters.
I think Govang and Sheldon did a good job of casting the show to accentuate the talents of their students. I am impressed that they were able to mold the show to accommodate that number of students without having to make cuts. That being said, there were moments of excellence and unfortunately weaker moments as well. I think some songs were just too high for the cast to sing them comfortably, and some actors could have enunciated their words better.
On the other hand, I was pleasantly surprised by the talent of some of the students. Lisa Hood (Ugly) and Ella Byrne-Cabot (Ida) were both very impressive singers. I also loved the relationship between these two characters. Kaitlyn Cadwallader (Queenie) and Elizabeth O’Neill (Lowbutt) were another example of a great onstage relationship. I could tell that these pairs of actors had done a lot of work together--it really paid off.
From left to right: Lowbutt (Elizabeth O'Neill), Cat (Clarice Carter), Queenie (Kaitlyn Cadwallader), and Ugly (Lisa Hood)
In addition, I loved the ducklings, and also their adorable costumes. I also wanted to give a shout out to the entire cast as well, as every character was important to build the world and story of Ugly. I also know how much work goes into a show behind the scenes and that every one of these kids must have spent a lot of time working on the show.
The ducklings and their father, Drake (Brian Beltrami)
Bullfrog (Maddie Meyers) and Ugly (Lisa Hood) in their number "Warts and All."
There were a lot of scenes that I enjoyed, but my absolute favorite number was “Warts and All.” Ugly had just met a beautiful swan and was feeling pretty bad about himself when he meets a bullfrog. Bullfrog (Maddie Meyers) tells Ugly (with song and dance) that “out there, someone’s gonna love you, warts and all.” For me, Maddie Meyers stole the second act. She is an excellent singer and was remarkably confident in herself. If Meyers and Hood weren’t enough, an entire ensemble of frogs came out and began doing an adorable (but messy) kick line. I loved it.
I am glad that I was able to go see Honk. It was hilarious and overall a very enjoyable experience. For anyone who didn’t get a chance to see it, make sure you go to the next LMS Drama production because all of these kids are really talented. That will most likely be sometime in the spring, although I do not believe it has been announced. In the meantime, mosey on over to the LHS Auditorium for the Littleton High School Drama production of Anne of Green Gables (January 10, 11, & 12).
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