Palmer High to stage ‘Alrighty Then: A ’90s Musical Review’

PALMER — With students inside the Palmer High School theater busy painting sets Tuesday and the smell of paint wafting out the door, Stan Harris and Kathy Sage joked about the musical review that’s about to take flight there.

Titled “Alrighty Then: A ’90s Musical Review,” the play takes the audience on a trip through time back to the 1990s.

“It doesn’t seem nostalgic to me either, but it is to them,” Harris, Palmer High School’s music teacher, jokes with Sage, who helps promote Harris’ productions.

Harris said that when one of the school’s English teachers came up with the idea for a ’90s review he started looking through publishing companies to find one he could adapt. There really weren’t any, so he wrote one.

“The students had some input,” he said.

The list of songs is kind of immense. There are a lot from the era’s most popular Disney movies — “Aladdin,” “The Little Mermaid,” “The Lion King,” “Mulan” — but the rest would be found on any ’90s nostalgia streaming radio station: “Linger” by the Cranberries; “I Don’t Want to Miss a Thing” by Aerosmith; “I Only Want to Be with You” by Hootie and the Blowfish’ “I’m Too Sexy” by Right Said Fred. There’s a whole section on boy bands and girl groups — N’Sync, Spice Girls, Dixie Chicks.

“It’s been fun,” Harris said. “It’s been quite a challenge.”

Seth Blohm, a junior at Palmer High, said his songs include that Aerosmith hit and one of Elton John’s songs from “The Lion King.”

“I’ve been in plays here before, but this is my first music review,” he said. “It’s a lot of fun.”

Blohm sings in a jazz choir and competes in vocal competitions, so singing is kind of his thing.

Senior Garrett Wixon sings the Hootie song and also “Under the Bridge” by the Red Hot Chili Peppers.

“I’ve been really enjoying this actually,” Wixon said.

He said he likes that he’s been able to become better friends with people in the cast.

“I never would have thought I would even try doing anything like this,” he said.

Senior Sarah Graffeo sings a Mariah Carey song, the Cranberries’ hit and one form “Mulan.”

“It’s a bit crazy at times, but I really do enjoy this,” she said.

Her favorite part? Disney.

“I know that’s not what you people think when you think ’90s,” Graffeo said, “but I love Disney songs.”

Sophomore CJ Jeffers sings No Doubt’s “Don’t Speak,” among others.

“I love it. It’s really cool,” she said of the experience.

Contact Andrew Wellner at 352-2270

or andrew.wellner@frontiersman.com.