Learning to do the twirl was the hardest part for me. I had to really try to keep up with the others. I didn’t get nervous or anything. I’m going to be a famous movie star one day!”first-grader Cicily Adcock
CULLMAN – On Friday and Saturday, April 22-23, Sacred Heart Elementary School students performed “The Lion King Jr.” at Stone Bridge Farms. The musical is based on a book by Roger Allers and Irene Mecchi and the Broadway production directed by Julie Taymor. Sacred Heart’s show was directed by Rebecca Whited, the music teacher at the school. Popcorn, soft drinks and fuzzy lion ears for the little ones were available which helped make the show movie quality!
“We started working on the show in the middle of January,” said Whited. “We are excited because ‘The Lion King’ is a big production. The kids have worked really hard; they did a lot of the painting and helped with some of the masks. It’s been a school-wide thing,” she continued. “The physical education teacher, Holly Winfrey, did all the choreography.
“We have about 40 students in the play, which for our school is a good amount. The age range is 4K through sixth grade. The hardest thing was finding someplace different to perform, a sound system and that kind of thing,” she smiled.
Friday night’s performance had a pit choir made up of Sacred Heart School alumni. Musicians from Huntsville traveled all the way to Cullman and provided music for the little singers that took the stage both nights. The stage was filled with all sorts of colorful animals like lionesses, deer, giraffes, zebras and fireflies.
Several young actors really stood out for their outstanding portrayals. The primary cast for the performances was:
- Ayla Loegler – Rafitki
- Anna Kline – Scar
- Rowan Hines – Zazu
- Isaiah Linn – Mafusa
- Nick Holland – Young Simba
- Campbel Whaley – Older Simba
- Abby McBride – Young Nala
- Maddi McBride – Older Nala
- Madison Moody – Timon
- Grayson Olszowka – Pumbaa
- Claudia Fallin and Ashley Morris – Sarabi
- Angelina Hughes – Sarafina
- Brianna Garcia and Aubrey Hastings – Shenzi
- Arianna Rossi and Shelby Mitton – Banzai
- Aiden Hays and Emilie Grutowski – Ed
“I loved being in the play,” giggled first-grader Cicily Adcock, who played one of the lionesses. “Learning to do the twirl was the hardest part for me. I had to really try to keep up with the others. I didn’t get nervous or anything. I’m going to be a famous movie star one day!”
“I really enjoyed the show. The costumes were wonderful. The music was great and it was a wonderful evening,” said Nancy Joiner.
See the full photo gallery on Facebook at http://qrne.ws/show.
