Broadway comes to IRHS in musical spectacular

“Let IR entertain you. Let them make you smile.”

Coastal Point • M. Patricia Titus
Michaiah Hook sings ‘Beauty & the Beast’ as part of rehearsals for the upcoming Indian River High School production, ‘A Night on Broadway,’ which will be performed on Friday and Saturday, May 18 and 19, at 6:30 p.m.

With a powerhouse year of musical talent, Indian River High School will be hosting their special “A Night on Broadway” musical revue next week.

Students will perform classic scenes and songs from “Wicked,” “Beauty and the Beast,” “Les Miserables,” “Jersey Boys” and more. Performances will be at 6:30 p.m. on Friday and Saturday, May 18 and 19.

Band instructor Mark Marvel is directing the show, which features Indian River’s top singers and musicians. He also arranged music for the 14-piece stage band, in which he also plays electric guitar.

“It’s a huge show,” Marvel said. “It’s going to be spectacular.”

Audiences can look forward to special effects from “Phantom of the Opera,” scenery from “Grease” and custom costumes.

“It’s going to be neat. I’m really proud of it,” Marvel said.

He laughed as he described “The Time Warp” scene from “The Rocky Horror Picture Show.”

“That’s gonna be funny,” he promised.

Though he had 30 years of teaching under his belt, Marvel has not produced a large-scale show similar to this one since the 2005 “Movie Magic” revue, which featured the best of film soundtracks.

“You don’t always have the kids to do it,” he noted. “[This is] a very special group. Our singers are amazing,” he said.

Marvel also praised the talented stage-band musicians.

“I just put the music in front of them. Most of them can play it without too much work,” which is valuable when writing a new show, Marvel said. “We’re having fun this year.”

He also noted the hard work that IR Band Boosters do to help with the costumes.

“I couldn’t do a lot of this stuff without them,” Marvel said.

All proceeds from “A Night on Broadway” will benefit IRHS Music Department. Tickets cost $7 each night, or a discounted $10 for both nights. Tickets will be sold at the door, in advance at the IRHS front office or through members of the stage band.

“If you like Broadway music, you’re going to love this. Come see it,” said Marvel.