In a flurry of flips, jumps, and twirls, ACHS’s 2024 Spring Musical Bring It On! does not fail to live up to its name.  Based on the already iconic movie franchise of the same name, the musical was co-written by Lin Manuel Miranda and Leslie Green in 2011.  Over the last few months, Titan thespians have worked hard to bring their vision to life. The production, directed by student director Yahney-Marie Sangaré and executive director Leslie Jones, with stage management by KD Bectel, has some of the most ambitious choreography ever performed on an ACHS stage.

Contrasting the Theatre department’s fall play Everything Happens at Night, Bring It On! is a silly, exaggerated take on high school life and the competitive world of cheerleading. The show’s soundtrack has some noticeable bops, such as What I Was Born to Do, Do Your Own Thing, It Ain’t No Thing, and Killer Instinct. With a specific poppy and upbeat sound, alongside some rap/hip-hop influence that is definitive of any Lin Manuel Miranda work, it’s a catchy show that guarantees a good time.  

“I would also say the nature of the content of Everything Happens at Night allowed me to be a lot more connected to [the] cast, crew, and the process as a whole,” said student director Yahney-Marie Sangaré. “Dealing with the difficult content of a show about Black-Jewish relations in 1953 and racial terror was very different than a peppy high school cheer story. Both shows have their merits in their own unique ways, and doing Bring it On! required me to stretch my usual conceptions of theatre.”

The show stars Senior Maria McLemore in the lead role of Campbell as her senior year is flipped on its head after an unexpected school redistricting.  Ripped away from her beloved Truman High, Jackson High is not as preppy and pink as she’d like it to be.  Former mentee and current rival Eva causes Campbell to give into desperation as she tricks the Jackson High students into reviving their school’s cheer squad to compete at Nationals for an alleged ‘scholarship’.

Eva, played by Kit Vontz, is a clear standout performance in the production.  Her transformation from naive freshman to ruthless cheer captain is delightful to see.  Most evident in her song Killer Instinct, where it’s revealed she was behind Campbells redistricting while she quips about Ghengis Khan.  The energy Vontz brings to the character makes Eva pop out on stage.

Indisputably, the show’s choreography is where it shines the most. 

“My favorite part of Bring It On! was probably teaching the stunts. Though it took up a lot of time, I think that we ultimately had fun being able to give that spectacle element.” said Sangaré.

 Dance choreographer Deonte Sharpe and Cheer Coach Charles E. Miller helped bring the blocking to life with help from student choreographers Jayden Benitez, Ariana Singleton, Sydney Payne & Isabel Hurd.  Sequences of spins, kicks, and more cheer pyramids than you can count define the musical. Actors have gone the extra mile to make their cheers dazzle, with spring musical dance workshops starting as early as September of this school year.  With 23 musical numbers, and just as many dance sequences, Bring It On! easily distinguishes itself from years past.

“I knew going into this show that our actors have their different strengths when it comes to their theater craft, but we have to build up their different weaknesses so that they become their strengths,” said executive director Leslie Jones.

No spectacular performance would be possible without a spectacular crew.  A swarm of stage managers, set designers, sound designers, and plenty of others lay the foundation for the rest of the production.  Campbell and Eva’s rooms are portrayed by a rotating bed prop, which is clever and quick in transitioning between locations.  Jackson High’s metal detector feels right at home after ours were implemented late last year, and their custom painted lockers help similarly immerse the audience.  As for costume design, actors’ cheer outfits are cute and coordinated, although Campbell’s Leprechaun number is a personal favorite.

“Performing in Bring It On! was extremely fun!” said Lilac Haynesworth, who plays Jackson High’s dance crew leader, Danielle.  “Being on stage was an extremely rewarding experience on its own. Genuinely just knowing I was able to deliver scenes in whatever way I see fit with even the slightest acting choice made me want to push to become better every night.”

It wasn’t all smooth sailing.  With the script leaving room for interpretation, it was up to the production to decide how they wanted to characterize each role.  Throughout the production, actors were forced to confront and overcome their weaknesses head on. 

“Although my role was extremely fun, I didn’t like how difficult it was to connect with her character and make her seem real,” said Haynesworth. “A lot of her lines just seemed alien in a way that made bringing her character to life a real challenge. The scenes leading up to Danielle’s big fight with Campbell seem to be completely up to me on how she is characterized. And this was terrifying to do on stage.”

Overall, Bring It On! is a sweeping success for the ACHS theatre department.  As a fan of the original movie series but unfamiliar with the stage production, it was easy to be blown away by how polished this production was.  It is definitely a different tone, feeling more silly than snarky, but that isn’t bad or unwanted.  Especially backed by ACHS’s remarkable costumes, sets, blocking, dancing, acting, and singing, it was a remarkable achievement to pull off.  

Most importantly though, Bring It On! marks Jones’ last show at ACHS.  With 22 years of a 33-year long teaching career spent at ACHS, there is no doubt that she will be deeply missed by all Alexandria theatre lovers.  She has, alongside Hope Bachman, directed and produced many of ACHS’s theatrical productions over the years.  

“I would like to say thank you to all of the children that I have taught on the Elementary, Middle and High School levels for 33 years because there would be no me without you.  To all of the casts, crews, student leaderships, faculty leaderships and Consultants that I have worked with over the course of 22 years of directing and producing high school theatre, I thank you, thank you, thank you, for making my job so much easier and fun!” said Jones.