Haddonfield Memorial’s end of the year showcase features something for everyone
The Haddonfield Memorial High School Drama Club will present their end of the year showcase titled “Bulldawgs on Broadway in the New Millennium” on Saturday, April 29.
On April 29 at 7:30 p.m., the Haddonfield Memorial High School Drama Club will present its end of the year showcase titled “Bulldawgs on Broadway in the New Millennium.” This year’s show features music from 19 musicals, including “Wicked,” “Mamma Mia” and “Hairspray.”
“Bulldawgs on Broadway” allows students to participate in both large ensemble numbers as well as solo and group acts. Now in its third year, the showcase is the culmination of the drama club’s successful run of shows, said Director of Musical Theater at HMHS Matthew DiDonato.
DiDonato said he had planned to take a traditional approach to the showcase by incorporating musicals from the Golden Age of Broadway such as Rodgers and Hammerstein classics, but the students asked to do something a bit more contemporary. Ultimately, the students won out.
The goal with this year’s show is to appeal to a wide variety of tastes with a mix of contemporary pop pieces as well as songs from “throwback musicals” such as “Jersey Boys” and “Mamma Mia,” DiDonato said.
Coming off the club’s spring musical “42nd Street,” the group had three weeks to rehearse for the showcase. DiDonato said he can’t help but be impressed by the students’ ability to bring the show together in such a short period of time.
“We had an excellent spring musical this year, and this amazing group of students really became a family,” DiDonato said.
This year’s showcase features the entire company during the opening and closing numbers, which is something the club has not done in previous years, DiDonato said. Additionally, the piece features more movement and staging than in years past.
While every year the show features live musical accompaniment by piano, this year’s showcase also features bass, drums, guitar, keyboard, trumpet and clarinet to create a richer sound, DiDonato said.
Cuinlan Pedretti, a senior at HMHS, has been part of the drama club since he was a freshman, and the showcase has always been “a good time.”
“It’s way more casual than the spring musical,” Pedretti said.
Pedretti said he’s excited to perform a song from “Young Frankenstein” with his friends before going off to college to study musical theater.
Holly Robins, a senior at HMHS, said “42nd Street” marked the biggest production the club has ever done, and the hard work really bonded the group together. Going into this final production of the year, she said the drama club has truly become a close-knit community of students.
“There’s always a home here,” Robins said. “They’re always going to support you here.”
The performance will take place in HMHS’ auditorium. Admission to “Bulldawgs on Broadway in the New Millennium” is free, but donations will be accepted. Donations will be used to purchase theatrical lighting equipment for the school’s auditorium.
