Based on the “Diary of a Wimpy Kid” books, the school musical tells the story of Greg Heffley, a middle-school student navigating the challenges of adolescence.
William Allen Middle School students will perform their spring show, “Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Musical,” on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, March 6, 7 and 8.
“Our musical team is made up of dedicated teachers who are artists in their own right,” said Sarah Ginter, musical director at the school. “They devote countless hours to our musical production, and I believe it’s what makes our program as successful as it is.”
Based on the “Diary of a Wimpy Kid” books, the musical tells the story of Greg Heffley, a middle-school student navigating the challenges of adolescence. As Heffley dreams of becoming popular and making his mark, he faces obstacles like bullies, embarrassing situations and family dynamics.
The “Diary of a Wimpy Kid” book series, written by author and illustrator Jeff Kinney, follows Heffley as he records the daily trials and triumphs of friendship, family life and school in his diary entries. The first of the 21-book series was published in 2007 and more than 300 million copies have been sold around the world, according to www.wimpykid.com.
“This show is for anybody who’s ever been a middle-schooler, who’s raised a middle-schooler …” Ginter explained. “And at its core, ‘Diary of a Wimpy Kid’ is about growing up and fitting in and figuring out who you are. That’s a story that I think everybody can understand.
“The musical is fast, it’s funny and it’s really full of a lot of heart,” she added, “and you don’t really have to read the books to enjoy the musical, but if you do, you’ll feel like the pages will just jump out right onto the stage.”
Seventh grade students Callum Reid and Harlan Gooberman will alternate playing Heffley, whose focus on popularity often makes him short-sighted and almost costs him his closest friend.
“I feel like we can learn from each other’s mistakes and we can communicate to each other when we’re on stage and off stage,” Reid noted, “and maybe he (Gooberman) can tell me something about the first two shows that I should know for the last two shows.”
“They read the character differently, and they each bring their own interpretation of Greg Heffley and that, for me, has been a really exciting thing to watch them grow into this character but in two very different ways,” Ginter emphasized.
“This is my first show that I’ve ever done, but I’ve always been really interested in musicals,” Gooberman offered. “It’s just really nice being a part of this whole community of people … Since it’s my first musical, I’m looking forward to seeing what it feels like to be out there performing on stage in front of so many people.”
Seventh-grader Asiya Jafry is playing Chirag Gupta, Heffley’s quick-witted and wily classmate who is enthusiastically engaged in a years-long prank with Heffley. This is Jafry’s second year performing on stage and she says it’s fun to make new friends and build a community she can trust.
“They are in an ongoing prank war,” Jafry observed of Gupta and Heffley, “and they just like to goof around and prank each other … I’m looking forward to performing and seeing everybody and seeing how well it’s going to go, because I know that we’ll be really good.”
Seventh-grader Nina Thompson will play Rowley Jefferson, also a first-year, 11-year-old middle-schooler with a sunny disposition and a positive outlook on life. He’s almost blindly devoted to Heffley, but capable of standing up for himself. Thompson has been performing on stage for five years, and she enjoys becoming another person.
“He’s very kind and loyal, but I feel like he knows how to stand up for himself when he needs to,” Thompson explained of Jefferson. “I’m really looking forward to putting everything together – all the makeup, all the costumes, all the run-throughs. It’ll all be worth it for the final result, and I’m really looking forward to being Rowley.”
Eighth-grade student Lena Hatcher will play Patty Farrell, an ambitious, driven and over-achieving classmate of Heffley’s who sees success as the only destination and has a grudge against Heffley. Hatcher has been performing since second grade, and one of the things she loves most is diving deep into her character and finding out how similar they are to her.
Like Farrell, Hatcher puts her all into everything she does.
“She has a really long, ongoing rivalry with the main character Greg, and she takes school really seriously, and she’s always prepared and responsible, and she just wants to be the best at everything,” she offered. “ … I’m really looking forward to having a good time with my friends and portraying my character as well as I can …
“Just having fun overall with all the cast and putting it all together was really amazing.”
“Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Musical” will be performed in the school auditorium at 7 p.m. on Friday; 2 and 7 p.m. on Saturday; and 2 p.m. on Sunday. For tickets, visit cur8.com/40920/project/136521.
