Grayslake Central, North high school students prepare for spring musical

Students from the fine arts department of Grayslake High School District 127 sang and danced during a dress rehearsal Monday for their upcoming performance of "Once On This Island."

More than 100 students from Grayslake Central and Grayslake North high schools are working together to put on the annual spring musical about young love between a peasant girl and a wealthy, mysterious stranger set on a tropical French Caribbean island.

"It's been a lot of fun. It's a different style of show than we've done before so it involves a lot more singing and dancing," director Maureen Ritter explained during the rehearsal at Grayslake Central High School.

In this play, Ritter said, most of the dialogue and lines are sung, and most of the students are onstage 90 percent of the time.

"Once On This Island" is a 1990 Broadway play by Lynne Ahern and Stephen Flaherty that involves a peasant girl named Ti Moune, played by Pauline Moll, saving the handsome and wealthy Daniel, played by Kyle Fisher, after a car accident on the island. The modern musical fable involves their love transcending various social classes, but hindered by temperamental gods.

"I absolutely adore it. It such a fun, and joyful and jubilant show," said Moll, a Grayslake North senior. "This show especially, there is something that every audience member can relate to. We are really excited to show it off to people."

This year's production will be presented March 13-16 in the Grayslake Central High School Theatre.