Justin: Minnesota high school musicals will have you dancing in the aisles

I didn’t plan on geeking out over high school musicals. Two summers ago, I saw Jefferson High School’s production of “Les Miserables” in Bloomington, only to support a friend’s son who was in the chorus.

I downed three cups of coffee before taking my seat, convinced that I’d need all the help I could get to stay awake. Boy, was I wrong.

The show was as riveting as any professional production of the 40-year-old favorite I’ve ever seen, and staged by folks who have spent less time on Earth than protagonist Jean Valjean spent in jail.

This wasn’t a fluke. St. Paul Academy’s interpretation of “Hadestown” in May was also impressive.

Those kids you wrote off as TikTok-scrolling dolts are doing spectacular things — and you don’t have to be one of their parents to relish it.

“I think it’s fun to get away from that stereotypical image of how teenagers are,” said Aniya Bostick, who starred in Apple Valley High School’s “Sister Act” last fall. ”You’re seeing a different level of maturity.”

Bostick was one of roughly 1,000 Minnesotans who participated earlier this month in the Hennepin Arts Spotlight Showcase, which gives out awards for outstanding achievement in musicals both on stage and behind the scenes.

But, like the Tonys, it’s mostly about the performances.

Over the course of two nights, roughly two dozen schools seized the opportunity to do numbers at Minneapolis’ State Theatre.

Great River School’s performance of “One Day More” from “Les Miz” had some audience members leaping to their feet. The performers from Hill-Murray School’s “Six” exuded so much bounce that they could have been starring in an energy-drink commercial. For Lakeville South’s “Singin’ in the Rain,” the cast pulled off the nearly impossible task of tap dancing in sneakers.

The most impressive moments of these nights were when the “best of best” collaborated on numbers from “The Wiz,” “The Great Gatsby” and “Wicked,” learning challenging choreography with only two weeks of rehearsals.

These performers aren’t quite ready for the Great White Way, but many would make it past the first round of “American Idol.”

“There’s magic happening around the state. I just wish more people knew about it,” said Ari Koehnen Sweeney, vice president of arts education and partnerships for the Spotlight Showcase. “These high schools are beacons creating beautiful things around the year.”

Two of this year’s acting standouts, Bloomington Kennedy High’s Indigo Gabriel and Duluth Denfeld’s Reagan Kern, will get a chance to shine on an even bigger stage. They earned a spot in the Jimmy Awards, a nationwide celebration hosted by Josh Groban at Broadway’s Minskoff Theatre. You can watch them, as well as other stage, technical and orchestral winners, live starting at 6:30 p.m. Monday on jimmyawards.com.

“Just seeing someone experience what they want to experience and do what they want to do is so beautiful,“ Gabriel said during a post-show party emceed by former Spotlight Showcase participant Dylan Rugh, who starred in the Children’s Theatre Company’s recent production of “Frozen.”

Gabriel owes a lot to Niccole Jordan — and in more ways than one. In addition to being Kennedy High’s musical director, Jordan is Gabriel’s mom.

“Athletes in high school have to have been in club soccer since they were in second grade,” Jordan said. “But kids in high school with natural talent can walk into auditions without any training. We can just pick up the ball and go.”

While making time to travel with Gabriel to New York, Jordan is busy preparing for a production of “The Addams Family,” a process that started with auditions last month and won’t end until the curtain goes up over Halloween weekend.

Like hundreds of music teachers across the state, she’ll work nights and weekends for months, toiling tirelessly behind the scenes to help students shine.

“For me, the goal is to build a community,” said Glenn Morehouse Olson, who was named Hennepin Arts’ 2015 Theater Educator of the Year for her work with Bethel University and St. Francis High School. “The show is icing on the cake.”

A high school director plays a unique role — part taskmaster, part den mother.

“The real trick with teenagers is to respect them,” Olson said. “They’re scared of me when I raise my voice. But I never wanted to be one of those ‘yelly’ directors. My daughter was in a summer show where the director used a coach’s whistle. I was like, ‘That’s not going to be me.’”

Students appreciate being pushed to their limits.

“There is so much vigorous work going on, even just doing one scene over and over again,” said Yahaira Nok-Chiclana, who starred in White Bear Lake Area High School’s “Legally Blonde: The Musical.” “Every little part has to be correct, even if it’s a small thing like a flicked wrist or an energetic face. Those things can really make or break how the audience reacts.”

Nok-Chiclana and her peers are thrilled to entertain their family, friends and each other. She invites the rest of you to join in the fun.

“You’re going to see flips and amazing vocals. You’re going to see passion,” she said. “You’re going to walk out and say, ‘Oh, wow, I can accomplish anything no matter what age I am.’”