The Connection

With Director Katherine Miller likening it to a “Disney-Channel movie,” Paul VI High will present “Emma, a Pop Musical,” April 8-10. This musical comedy is set in modern day and is chock full of Top 40 hits through the decades.

“It’s a riff on the Jane Austen novel, ‘Emma,’ which later became the movie, ‘Clueless,’ and this is a musical version,” said Miller. “It’s set in Highbury High, a boarding school. Emma is the matchmaker for her friends, but doesn’t recognize love for herself. She matches up everyone with the wrong people, but it all turns out fine in the end.”

The cast and crew of 70 has been rehearsing since February – and having a great time. “The actors are very lively and talented and are enjoying the music,” said Miller. “And they’re having such fun performing something modern, not a period piece. For their costumes, they’re mainly raiding their own closets.”

Describing the show “light and frothy,” she said it’s a teen musical, but one all ages will enjoy. There’s lots of singing and dancing, with 24 songs ranging from “Going to the Chapel” to “Girls Just Wanna Have Fun,” “Be My Baby,” “Heartbreaker,” “Unwritten” and “Roar.”

“The audience will love the wide spectrum of music, and it’s a quick show,” said Miller. “Emma – who thinks she’s got the world figured out – learns the world may have other plans.”

PLAYING EMMA, a senior like herself, is Abby Rozmajzl. “Emma put two teachers together and they found true love, so she thinks she has a gift for matchmaking,” explained Rozmajzl. “She then focuses on Harriet, a sophomore who caught the bouquet at the teachers’ wedding.”

Rozmajzl said Emma genuinely wants to help other people and isn’t seeking praise for it. “She’s a popular girl, but not a stereotypical one; she’s a nice girl with a good reputation,” said Rozmajzl. “She’s outgoing, has a bubbly, cheerful personality and tries to be the best she can.”

Noting how different she is from Emma in real life, Rozmajzl called Emma more of a “valley-girl-type,” but playful and self-confident. “It’s difficult being in high school, playing a high-schooler; you have to be careful not to overact,” she said. “But I love playing her because I get to run around and be a huge ball of energy, the entire show. Emma also has a soft spot and comforts her friends when they’re down.”

Rozmajzl’s favorite number is “King of Anything,” which she performs with a character named Jeff. “We have a singing faceoff and taunt each other while bonding like friends do,” she said. “We just get to be ourselves and have a playful chemistry onstage, and the dance we do to it is so much fun.”

She said this show has both “Clueless” and “Legally Blonde, the Musical” vibes, and the audience will love “the combination of the old-fashioned music with modern-day, high-school problems.”

Junior Stephen Artner portrays student Jeff Knightley. “He’s nerdy and uptight, but lovable,” said Artner. “He gets to substitute-teach chemistry and biology while the [just-married] teachers are away. But it’s awkward because the students are used to seeing him as another kid, and now he thinks he needs to be above them. He’s also friends with Emma and secretly has feelings for her.”

Artner loves his role because, he said, “I’m quirky, myself. But I turn up that notch 100 percent to play Jeff, and playing him is a blast.” He sings “King of Anything” with Rozmajzl and also likes Lisa Loeb’s song, “Stay,” because it’s so pretty. He says the audience will enjoy all the music “everyone already knows and loves,” and “the story’s cheesy, but entertaining.”

Playing Harriet is junior Caleigh Davis. “She’s a shy sophomore who looks up to Emma because she’s a cool senior,” said Davis. “She’s naïve and inexperienced in life; if she’s at a party, she’d hang out in a corner. Last year, I was Harriet in real life, so that helps; I’m basically playing myself, but with quirks. Harriet’s shyer and more cartoonish.”

COMPARING THIS PLAY to “High School Musical” or “Camp Rock” from the Disney Channel, Davis said, “The audience will like seeing us portraying an energetic, crazy version of high school where everything’s just magical.”

Junior Nathaniel Smith plays Frankie Churchill, a national pop star who left Highbury High after his freshman year. But he returns to be a surprise guest at a party welcoming a new student. “He’s flirty with the females, but eccentric and flamboyant,” said Smith. “He likes everyone to look at and pay attention to him, but he’s not too bright. I really enjoy playing him because I get to be over-the-top onstage and don’t have to hold anything back.”