AMHERST - Putting on a show about a long sleep could make you exhausted, but the students at Cumberland North Academy are far from tired. In fact, they are ready for their performance tonight of the Hundred-Year Snooze.
"It's by Dave and Jean Perry and it's the Sleeping Beauty story," said musical director of the play Nancy Tucker.
The students tell the story of a beautiful princess who pricks her fingers on a spinning wheel and falls into an enchanted sleep for 100 years. Tucker promises the crowd will thoroughly enjoy the play and maybe bust a gut with a few laughs.
"It's told with some tongue and cheek and some funny bits," she said. "It's fun to go back to fairytale land, we've had a lot of fun with this one."
Tucker said she divided her cast of students into two groups to make sure all the students have a chance to play different parts and sing in the chorus.
"We have two casts," she said. "Right now, we're dress rehearsing with the orange cast on stage and yesterday we did a dress rehearsal with the apple cast. On the night when they're not on stage they will be in the chorus so they get to do both. That way, we can give more children parts."
Tucker also said it was a great way to find a replacement if, by chance, a cast member fell ill.
The students will be collecting free-will offerings at the door to help cover the cost of putting on their play. The students will also be getting a DVD copy of their performance.
Student Juliet Bartlett is excited for her performance in the play. Bartlett also helped create the T-shirts that the chorus members will wear as they sing during the play.
"I was just thinking of an idea and I was like 'Hey, we should be Z's in the castle,'" she said. "The teachers thought it was a good idea. They put it on the shirt and now I'm amazed."
Bartlett said Tucker's enthusiasm when doing any musical always inspires the children. "It's really fun," she said. "Whenever you do plays with Mrs. Tucker, it's always super fun because she makes it fun."
The students will perform tonight and Thursday at the school at 7 p.m.
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