PHOTOS: FTHS Patriot Players Present Hairspray the Musical

The (FTHS) Patriot Players sing, dance and spray their way through this year's colorful musical, "Hairspray".

"It's loud, it's fun, it's exciting, I love it! The whole cast and crew is really excited," said Corey Morre, the senior stage manager.

Hairspray is the story of Tracy Turnblad, a dancer who is a little larger than average size, played by senior Nicole Cirillo. When she decides to audition for the Corny Collins show, she finds out that her weight is not her only obstacle!

The show is set in 1962 Baltimore, during the segregation era. In addition to her own obstacles, Tracy also to integrate the all-white cast with her new friends Seaweed (Stephen Gonzalez) , Inez (Chelsea Zamot) and their mother, Motor-mouth Maybelle (Imani Deangelo-Cobbs). Along with her friend Penny (Samantha Mancino), Tracy fights the mean girl, Amber (Nicole Rodriguez), to win the title of "Miss Hairspray, 1962.

The students performed a preview for their peers on March 1 and Patch was invited (See the photo gallery above).

Moore said this preview was a great start to their three-day run of performances. "It was really rewarding when you get to see the audience really getting into. Today was definetely the best preview yet," said Moore.

This feeling of excitement comes after months of hard work. "We cast the show right before winter break and we've been practicing since January," said Corey Moore, the senior stage manager. "This past week is what we call 'Hell Week' or tech week. We practice 6 or 7 hours a day and bring all of the elements -- lights, actors, stage, live music --together."

In addition to the students, faculty members also put in the hours to make this musical come to life. The show is directed by FTHS Drama Teacher, Patt Giblin and choreographed by Kim Aleski who teaches English at the high school.  Instrumental Music Teacher, Edward Gattsek is in charge of musical direction and Susan Connors vocal direction. Susan teaches vocal music at FTHS.

If you want to feel the excitement and see how it all comes together, head to the auditorium of Freehold Township High School on March 1st, March 2nd or March 3rd at 7:00 p.m. The show will also be held on March 3rd at 1:00 p.m.

Tickets are $5 for students and senior citizens. The general admission fee is $10.