Mega Concert "Contemporary Musical Theater"

(November 16-17, 2023)

The Mega concert is a huge deal at our high school. The choir kids use it to raise money and they spend weeks and weeks getting ready. Even if I didn't have a kid in choir, I would go. It's a really fun event.

This year was even cooler than usual, because we have two kids in choir, and Ivory is in Chamber, so she gets to do some extra things. But even on top of all that, Ivory auditioned with Kelsie to be the MCs of the show and they got it! For you, this means more video than usual and you can watch what you want and just view pictures if you don't. Ives and Kels did such a great job. They were the cutest.

The theme this year was Contemporary Musical Theater, which is a favorite of mine, and honestly a breath of fresh air after the Jazz year. (sorry Jazz) Ivory and Daisy auditioned for a duet and sadly didn't get picked. They sang Meg and Christine's duet from Phantom of the Opera and it was amazing. However, there is a lot of things that go into choosing and I liked most of the other choices for the concert. And perhaps it would have been a bit much for Ivory to MC and have a specialty number. 

Let's get into the concert. Obviously I focus on my kids, but you'll get to see a couple other things as well. There was a large group number at the beginning, but the song was from Rent and I haven't seen that yet. I just saw a trailer for a movie about how Rent was written, starring Andrew Garfield. I wonder if it will be any good...

Then Ivory and Kelsie came on and kicked off the show. Their sketch was two girls going on a road trip to New York and Ivory wants to play Musical Theater music on the way. Kelsie is skeptical, but she goes along with it.

At their next interlude, you find them at a diner, where they meet a sweet waitress, Jada. Jada went on to sing, She Used to Be Mine from Waitress. (Which I also haven't seen. Maybe I'm not as big of a fan as I think...) I'm sad I don't have Jada's number. It was lovely.

Chamber Choir was up next. They sang songs from Dear Evan Hansen. (Um...I haven't seen that one either. How embarrassing.) But I did recognize the songs. Probably many people heard songs they recognized from the concert, although they may not have realized they were from musicals. 

The next encounter for Kelsie and Ivory is at a random park, but it yields great rewards.

It leads into Zach's solo, which was amazing. I made Tyler record it the next evening. (And YES, I've seen Beauty and the Beast.)

Then it was Con Brio. This was Daisy's time to shine. She had a solo in Mama, I'm a Big Girl Now, from Hairspray. (I've seen parts of that one...does that count?)

Kelsie and Ivory were back after that. They made it to New York! 

After a few specialty numbers and one really funny number (Always Look on the Bright Side of Life from Spamalot) Ivory and Kelsie were back, still in New York and looking for another adventure.

That bit led into some numbers from Greatest Showman. (Yes!! I've seen that one.) I'd also seen many of the shows highlighted in the specialty numbers. There was Les Mis, Thoroughly Modern Millie, Wicked, Beauty and the Beast, and Newsies. My favorite was I Dreamed a Dream duet performed by two girls. The harmony was fantastic.

Our MCs were back to find love for Ivory. It almost works. I had Tyler record the second night so we could get Parker's song. Totally worth it. (And no...I haven't seen Hamilton yet. No Disney+)

The combined girls did a great number from La La Land, Another Day of Sun. It was super cute. Both Ivory and Daisy were in it, but it was really hard to find Ivory for most of it. She was in the back on the left side. Daisy was right front. 

Last choir up is A Cappella. They did several selections from Hamilton. It's a great medley.

And so the Mega Concert draws to a close. So does Kelsie and Ivory's road trip. Goodbyes are hard, but the promise to stay in touch takes away the most bitter sting. 

The closing song was from Wicked (which I have seen!!!) For Good, was a great choice for a closer. And Ivory and Daisy even were near each other. 

It was a wonderful concert. I was able to go both nights. Everyone split up and went the night that worked best. Here's the group night one.

Granny V made it night 2. 

My kids are so talented. It was fun to watch them stretch and try new things. I'm very grateful to Mr. Taylor who organizes this event so many kids can experience this type of production.