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Sportee t (Chain mail LASHBROOK‘S on a molded is C td sls bottom 0 WESsTMOUNT PLACHE U iLE {19â€"88 6 â€"5%7 30 85 FAIRWAY ROAD Available in Lfi adss Bronze ) 1 9 â€" 89 4 â€" 2 8 8 d BE DAZZHLD‘ 10 + WATERLOO CHRONICLE + Wednesday, March 28, 2007 LX"big." â€" And that‘s something many young peoâ€" ple today can relate to, says Sir John A. Macâ€" donald student Benny Or, who is playing the character of Josh in their upcoming proâ€" duction, Big: The Musical. When Deanne Gladding, a vocal and drama teacher at SJAM, asked them what they wanted to perform this year, the conâ€" sensus was Grease. "But because everybody does Grease, we didn‘t want to do it," she said. The breaking point for him is when he attends a carnival and runs into his childâ€" hood crush at the roller coaster. When he‘s turned away from the ride because he‘s too short, the humiliation is more than he can Musical teaches SJAM students that ‘big‘ isn‘t always better "I‘m growing up, but I‘m still the kid I am inside, so losh kind of reflects me in a sense," said 16â€"yearâ€"old Or, who is in Grade 11. musical Instead, they decided on Big: The Musiâ€" cal, an adaptation of the 1988 movie, which starred Tom Hanks as Josh. At the beginning of the show, Josh is tired of being a kid who has to follow the rules and take out the trash. _ Large lesson Sir John A. Macdonald students, from left, Matt Honsberger and Benny Or, both 16, rehearse a scene from Big: The Musical, the school‘s upcoming production. _ Big wasn‘t the students‘ first choice in a 11 13â€"vearâ€"old Josh Baskin wants is to be By Jennirer OrmstON _ Chronicle Staff He wishes upon a magical machine â€" called Zoltar Speaks â€" that he will become "big." bear. To his surprise, the reflection he sees in the mirror the next morning is of a 30â€"yearâ€" old man, not a teenager. In the end, Josh realizes being "big" isn‘t as easy as he thought it would be, and he goes back to being a kid. _ â€" So, Josh â€" now a boy trapped in a man‘s body â€" and his best friend Billy head to New York to find the carnival, which has left town. Along his journey he gets a job at famed toy store FAO Schwarz, where he learns some adult lessons, from dealing with conâ€" flicts in the workplace to falling in love. _ This is SJAM‘s second musical in its threeâ€"year histary, and they hope to continâ€" ue putting on one every other year. "It‘s a little bit nutty to do a big show every year," Gladding said. â€" The cast has been rehearsing since the end of November, and lately they‘ve been practising three nights a week and on Sunâ€" days to get ready for opening night tomorâ€" rOW. "It‘s been kind of tiring," said Lisa Henkel, a Grade 9 student who‘s in the choâ€" rus. "But it‘s worth it because if we didn‘t do this, it wouldn‘t be as good as it is." The production has become a school ARTS FOCUS s Nmiré® orwsto® moto Sir John A. Macdonald students practise one of the musical numbers from Big: The Musical The art and construction departments created the set, the guidance department is selling the tickets, a math teacher is the house manager and some business teachers helped with the advertising. The audience shouldn‘t expect a night of classical music, like in the Sound of Music, Gladding said. Instead, they‘ll see @M upbeat, modern show, set in the 1980s. The cast will sport attire typical of that era, like acidâ€"wash jeans and Tâ€"shirts. "He talks about how he has this ‘aweâ€" some‘ job at this toy company, and the girl‘s friends laugh at him because they‘re lawyers and bankers who wouldn‘t quite describe their jobs as awesome or cool," Gladding said. And for Grade 11 student Matt Honsâ€" berger, who plays Billy, a lot of the humour comes from joking around, which is someâ€" thing he can relate to. project, with 22 teachers involved in some way, along with many Grade 9 students in the tech and stage crews. One English teacher â€" Peter Vandermas â€" will even take the stage as Zoltar, the carâ€" nival machine. . _ One of the funnier scenes takes place in New York, where "big" Josh goes out to dinâ€" ner with his new girlfriend and her friends. Especially when Billy‘s wisecracks get him in trouble. Comfort at its best P ang fIf% For Or, who has been performing for the last three years, the highlight of the show is the last act, called We‘re Gonna Be Fine. _ As the plot builds, it leads up to this highly emotional moment "It‘s going to make you cry, I think." Gladding predicts. "Usually musicals end with a big fullâ€"cast number. But this show ends on a sort of quiet note with just a few of the main charâ€" acters in the last scene." Big offers a great family night out, comâ€" plete with jokes and music, said Henkel, who, in addition to her chorus role, also plays the princess at the toy store, among others. And, it‘s better entertainment than a movie for around the same price, added Or The show will run on Thursday, Friday and Saturday in the school‘s theatre at 7 Tickets, which cost $15 for adults, $10 for seniors and students, and $5 for children, can be purchased at the school during lunch or at the door. When describing Josh‘s crush, for instance, Billy makes a hand gesture indiâ€" cating the size of her breasts. Of course, Josh‘s mom walks in and catches him. "It‘s something that I think could happen to me," he admitted. "We‘ve worked really hard, and think the house should be full," she kidded. Doubletpipe Oval _ e Serpentine Nappa sandle on a stack heel aNMFER Ormston Proro