Drama Club ready to ‘Bring it On’

It’s rare that Wantagh High School’s drama students get to play characters their own age, but that’s exactly what they will do when the curtain opens on “Bring it On: The Musical” next week.

Based on the second “Bring it On” movie about competitive cheerleading, the Drama Club will perform four shows. It is their second musical of the year. Director Heather Romano said that while she usually does a regular play in the spring, a talented senior cast had her switch it up. “There’s more stage time for more kids in a musical,” she said.

Senior Samantha Sanpietro plays the lead role of Campbell, a girl at Truman High School who achieves her goal of becoming captain of the cheerleading squad, but is later transferred to Jackson High School.

Sanpietro said she relates to her character, as she is just as dedicated to dancing as Campbell is to cheerleading. For Sanpietro, this is the first play where she really gets to demonstrate her dancing skills on the Wantagh stage.

Other senior cast members include Tylar Benedetto, who plays Kylar, a ditzy cheerleader; Erin Bortell, who has the role of Skylar, a cheerleader who thinks highly of herself; Tyler Dema, who plays La Cienega; and Dan Wynn, playing Campbell’s second boyfriend, Randall.

Dema will portray the first transgendered character ever on the Wantagh High School stage. La Cienega is on the dance crew at Jackson and is accepted for who she is. “It’s so different than anything I’ve ever played,” said Dema. “It’s so great. I love it.”

Sophomore Jess Persky plays the main antagonist, Eva, a manipulative cheerleader who is responsible for Campbell being transferred to another school.

Vincent Esposito, a junior, plays Steven, Campbell’s first boyfriend. Outside of school, Esposito is a competitive cheerleader with New York Cheer, so he is excited to do a play about it. “I like how I get to show everyone else about cheerleading,” he said.

Alexa Sgroi, a sophomore, is Danielle, the outgoing and self-assured head of the dance crew at Jackson. “I love how she’s so strong,” Sgroi said. “She’s not afraid to be herself.”

That’s the message of the play, the cast members noted — love yourself for who you are. Romano added that for a show about cheerleading, it’s rather deep.