After a duration of silence, the drama department has released a new update: Little Women has been cancelled in favor of a revue of last year’s musical, Matilda. The show will be cut down to a smaller time length in order to allow for more safety precaution, however students and faculty of City High remain excited at the aspect of working with their fellow theatre enthusiasts. 

Doug Lestina, the technical director of the City High Drama Department, is looking forward to getting the musical started. 

“Most of it is not because of Matilda specifically, but because our fantastic theater students have an opportunity to get working again,” Lestina explained. “Just having the chance to spend some time together and do what we love is the best part.”

Maya Richards ‘21 was cast in both Matilda as well as Little Women, and shares Lestina’s enthusiasm towards reconnecting with the theatre community. 

“I was happy with whatever they chose to do because I just wanted to hang out with people and be a part of something again,” Richards said. “I really am looking forward to seeing people and getting to perform the best we can one last time.”

Despite the sudden uptake in moods across the theatre boards, there is concern that the musical may face similar fates to previous shows, resulting in yet another cancelation in the music department. Rachel Meehan ‘21, who is cast as Miss Honey in Matilda, is hopeful for the performances’ success, but realizes that there are still factors that may propose challenges to the show. 

“I think the most challenging part of doing Matilda this year will be to keep student’s morale up throughout the whole process,” Meehan commented. “The performing arts have been hit especially hard during the pandemic, and I anticipate there will be many people constantly worrying about the musical getting shut down. Many, if not all, of the fine arts performances and concerts have been cancelled, so I think it will be challenging to remain positive as well as making sure we are following all the public health guidelines to keep us and our families safe, so there might be the possibility of a show later in the year.”

Matilda began rehearsals on February 9. Students log into Zoom for vocal rehearsals and gather at City to learn choreography. As of now, the show is scheduled for the weekend of April 16.