Cleveland Metropolitan School District’s ‘Bring It On’ is an explosion of sight and sound

In early October of last year over 120 students assembled downtown in the Ohio Theatre at Playhouse Square. They were there to try out for one of the fifty roles and crew positions for the 19th Annual All City Musical to be held the following April. After literally hundreds of hours of rehearsal and run throughs they have been deemed ready to present to the world the Cleveland Metropolitan School District All City Musical production of Bring It on: The Musical under the direction of All City Arts Program Director Kimberly Sias. The show features book by Jeff Whitty (Avenue Q) with music by Lyn-Manuel Miranda (In The Heights and Hamilton) and Tom Kit with lyrics by Amanda Green.

The Northeast Ohio area is renowned as a supplier of phenomenal talented performers who through the local college programs such as Baldwin Wallace, The Cleveland School of Music and Case Western Reserve University to name a few make their way to professional careers on Broadway and various touring groups. But where does this raw talent come from? For some it begins by their appearing in the professionally coached productions of the All City Musical Program.

This year’s show is possible through the collective efforts of producing partners that include The Musical Theater Project, The Human Fund, The Edwin D. Northrop II Fund, The Fowler Family Foundation, The Gund Foundation and The Reinberger Foundation.

Bring It On: The Musical is a story that combines the cutthroat world of competitive cheerleading with an environment filled with fierce high school rivalries in which nothing is deemed more important than bringing home the trophy no matter what the cost in friendship. It’s a story filled with loyalty, jealousy, betrayal, forgiveness and triumph (or as many high schoolers watching the show will say, “…business as usual”)

Campell Davis has been chosen over her friends Skyler and Kyler to be head cheerleader at Truman High School. During tryouts, perennial school mascot Bridget fails once more to make the squad but is chosen to wear the parrot mascot outfit for yet one more year. Campbell takes a risk on Eva (a lowly Sophomore) and welcomes her to the squad. After Truman High wins “the spirit stick” at Cheer Camp and with a mere two weeks before the beginning of the school year Davis receives a letter telling her that through some “creative redistricting” her house has been surgically selected for Campbell to attend the inner-city Jackson High School where no cheer squad exists.

Campbell fights the school board to no avail and on her first day at Jackson High School she meets up with Bridget who was also transferred. Bridget is an old hand at not fitting in and shows Campbell how to survive in this new and frightening environment. The duo meet up with the hip-hop dance crew “The Queen Bees” that is made up of Nautica, La Cienega and crew leader Danielle who promptly picks Bridget for the crew (who has become extremely popular at Jackson High) but rejects Davis’ request to join.

Later, Bridget takes Campbell to the Burger Pagoda where Danielle works and after Campbell defends Danielle from some harassing rich girls Danielle allows Campbell in the crew but only if she dances at a school dance in an ancient (and smelly) Leprechaun outfit leftover from when Jackson High was a predominately Irish neighborhood. Campbell kills it at the school dance as the Leprechaun and Danielle relents and allows her to join the crew.

Now that Campbell is dancing with the crew she hatches a scheme with promises of non-existent college scholarships and live MTV appearances as prizes from the National Cheerleading Competition. Campbell convinces the crew to become a cheer squad and even lies that Michael Jordan was once a cheer leader in Junior High School. Slowly the crew (now squad) convinces other students to join and they begin practicing cheers under the tutelage of Campbell and Bridget. Surprisingly, at the Regional competition the Jackson squad finishes second under Truman High which qualifies both teams to compete in the Nationals. But all is not rosy as the squad finds out that Campbell has lied about the prizes and most important about Michael Jordan’s non-existent cheer leading stint.

It is easy to see that the five and a half months of intensive training has paid off. This show is as professionally executed (and in some cases better) as any production you will likely see on the Playhouse Square stages including the many Broadway Series shows. This energetic group of high schoolers is talented way past their years. The lively combination of dance and gymnastics by returning choreographer Kevin Marr II working in partnership with cheer coach Romell Williams is nothing short of phenomenal.

Inda Blatch-Geib’s costuming is true to form in its authenticity and the lighting design by Colleen Albrecht adds to the excitement of the many ensemble dance numbers. Stan Kozak undertakes the herculean task of designing the sound seeing that all the principles’ voices are crystal clear. He nails it. Most important is the music performed by Dr. David M. Thomas’ handpicked orchestra that fills the theater with wall to wall sound.

There is a bit of language and mature subject matter that might not be deemed appropriate for younger children but high schoolers will love this show.

For nineteen years the talented production staff of Cleveland Metropolitan School District has gathered groups of diamonds in the rough and polished them until they gleam. This year’s show Bring it On: The Musical</I> is amazing in its diversity and scope. Buy a ticket and see for yourself just how good they are.

The Cleveland Municipal School District’s production of Bring It On: The Musical will be performed on the Ohio Theatre stage at Playhouse Square located at 1511 Euclid Avenue in downtown Cleveland, Ohio on Friday, April 27 at 7:30 p.m., Saturday, April 28 at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday, April 29 at 3 p.m. General admission tickets are $15 and may be purchased online at www.playhousesquare.org, by phone by calling (216) 241-6000 or by stopping by the Playhouse Square Ticket Office located in the outer lobby of the KeyBank State Theatre.