When You Wish Upon a Star
A Disney Musical Showcase this weekend
Watch the show’s trailer in the video above.
If you grew up singing the Oscar-winning “Colors of the Wind” from the animated film Pocahontas while prancing around in moccasins, or dressing as Ariel from The Little Mermaid for three Halloweens in a row, or watching The Lion King until the VHS tape wore out, you’re in luck.
Boston University’s premier musical theater company, BU on Broadway, is presenting When You Wish Upon a Star: A Disney Showcase on Friday, December 3, and Saturday, December 4, in Jacob Sleeper Auditorium.
Past BU on Broadway productions include Seussical the Musical, The Rocky Horror Show, and West Side Story, as well as more avant-garde vehicles. Founded in 1994, the student-run On Broadway puts up a production each semester.
This weekend’s Disney Showcase consists of a medley of songs from classics ranging from Pinocchio (1940) to Cinderella (1950) to the more recent Mulan (1998). Also featured are songs from nonanimated classics like Mary Poppins (1964) and the hit High School Musical (2006). The revue has a cast of 20, and in a comic twist, the characters in the revue (which include the major Disney princes and princesses) must navigate life as college students. Ariel is portrayed as ditzy, Sleeping Beauty as narcoleptic. The plot (with an original script) is loose and fluid, mainly serving to lead from one song to the next.
The showcase’s musical director is Tanner Knorr (CAS’11), assisted by Jessica Schaffel (SED’12). The choreographer is Paul Renolis (SAR’11), and the technical director is Alyssa Damiani (SED’12, CAS’12).
The show’s Pocahontas, Mia Sommese (CAS’13), describes When You Wish Upon A Star as the perfect diversion during finals season. It “does a great job of showcasing the childhood happiness college students forget about during this stressful time,” she says. “It’s the wonderful world of Disney coming to BU.”
When You Wish Upon A Star: A Disney Showcase is being performed tonight, Friday, December 3, at 8 p.m., and Saturday, December 4, at 3 and 8 p.m. at the College of General Studies Jacob Sleeper Auditorium, 855 Commonwealth Ave. Tickets are $8 for students and $10 for the general public, and are on sale now at the GSU Link, 775 Commonwealth Ave. The production is open to the public.
Erin Thibeau can be reached at ethibeau@bu.edu.
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