A ‘play’ ful, musical and spirited month

The talented students of Lawrence High School demonstrated their musical and acting skills last month. On Feb. 8 and 9, the LHS Buskins (one of Lawrence’s dramatic productions) presented “Death of a Salesman” a riveting tragedy based on Arthur Miller’s play of the same name, under the direction of chorus and dance teachers, Tom Riley and Laila Sales, respectively.

Preparation for the play took about two months, with many late nights, in which members helped one another in learning lines, stage directions, and even bringing in props and articles of clothing to make the event a success. Through their performances, the talented cast members brought the characters to life and held the audience captive. The evening definitely proved to be an enjoyable one for the families and friends of Lawrence who attended. Senior Tony Perrella, who played the character Happy, said, “I thought the play went very well; All of our hard work and effort paid off, and we had a terrific result.”

Students at Lawrence had the opportunity to show off their talents during Valentine’s week, in the Love Your Life Concert-an evening devoted to music and its enjoyment. The event was held on Feb. 15, under the supervision of advisor Karin. Kind.

The turnout was huge with both students and teachers performing side by side. The concert opened with a drum performance by music teacher Alan Katz playing along with the Life Skills students, followed by several other Acts. Riley showcased his wide vocal range with the song “Waving Through A Window” from the musical “Dear Evan Hansen,” accompanied by music teacher Brian Stabile on the piano. Students Amanda Romero, Kellyn Merchan, Noa Benitah and Joseph Baracaldo performed duets, while Dan Rizzo, David Monroy, Natasha Berlyne, Jerry Reyes, Hayden Metz, and Syed Bukhari displayed their skills on instruments such as the drums, cello, guitar and piano.

Accompanied by student Josh Gonzalez on the piano, student Sharon Morales sang “Lay Me Down” by Sam Smith. The concert ended with students Rizzo, Reyes, Metz, and Monroy playing Lucky Chops’ version of “Feel Good.”

The immense success of the concert would not have been possible without the support of the stage crew members who worked hard behind the scenes, and even saved the day for student Berlyne who suffered a small mishap as her guitar strap broke during her guitar performance of “Basket Case” by Green Day along with Monroy and Gonzalez.

On Valentine’s Day, members of the Future Homemakers of America Club held a teddy bear and chocolate covered roses sale. Both were delivered throughout the day to students from their “secret admirer.” All proceeds were donated to the ALS Association.

Students returned to school after President’s Day week, and were excited to celebrate the high school’s second Spirit Week, especially Pajama Day on Monday and Battle of the Classes on Friday. This year’s theme for Battle of the Classes is superheroes with freshmen wearing Green Lantern apparel, Batman for sophomores Superman for juniors and Black Panther for seniors. February was an eventful and enjoyable month at LHS.