Three Westwood High School students will be performing in Lyric First Stage productions of "Coriolanus" and "As Thousands Cheer" running from Aug. 8-12 in Boston.
Senior Connor O'Brien, junior Jackson Harrington, and sophomore Colin Burke all have prominent parts in the productions.
"Coriolanus" is Shakespeare's final tragedy, and one of his greatest and most provocative. Unfolding as both personal tragedy and political thriller, this powerful drama tells the story of a great Roman general whose arrogance leads to his own downfall.
Revered as an exalted war hero, Coriolanus is manipulated by his power-hungry mother, Volumnia, and doomed by his unwillingness to compromise his principles as his world spirals out of control in his quest for vengeance. This production explores powerful similarities between the actions of the common man in Coriolanus' time and those of the "99%" of today's Occupy Movement. Jackson Harrington plays the lead role as Coriolanus.
"As Thousands Cheer" is Irving Berlin and Moss Hart's melodious, laugh-laden 1933 musical review filled with songs that are among Berlin's most famous, including "Heat Wave," "Easter Parade," and "Supper Time."
With scenes drawn straight from the newspaper headlines of the day, this Broadway hit sends barbs far and wide: the Hoovers leave the White House - and the President gives his cabinet a Bronx cheer; John D. Rockefeller refuses to accept Radio City as a birthday gift; the Metropolitan Opera radio broadcast is interrupted by (gasp) commercials; and the Supreme Court decides that musicals cannot end with reprises! As Thousands Cheer is a delightful musical the whole family can enjoy!
Tickets are currently available and full performance schedules can be found on the Lyric Stage website.
Lyric First Stage is a summer program for young artists (ages 14-20) run by The Lyric First Stage Company of Boston, designed to create an environment where, with professional mentors, a company of enthusiastic teens can explore ideas through text, music and movement, and refine their confidence and artistry in a series of workshops and a repertory theatre production experience.
