This year’s spring musical, “White Christmas,” at Seton School was a success. There were five performances before more than 430 seats, and every show was sold out, with a waiting list for the last two nights. Mary Kate Vander Woude, a former Seton student (’07), volunteered to direct the musical for her first time. She did a spectacular job bringing White Christmas to life on stage.
“It was incredible,” she said. “Directing the musical this year was a privilege that I am so very grateful for. The Seton musical has a legacy and a tradition that has been passed down for years and years, one that brings our entire community together and creates something beautiful. To be a part of something so much bigger than oneself has been an honor and a complete gift. It was also just a whole lot of fun and a very joy-filled experience.”
Erin Vander Woude produced the show assisted by Nancy Bauer. Seton School had two amazing musical directors, Shannon Catabui (’95) and Dan Arnold. Three Seton alumni were this year’s vocal coaches, David Catabui (’18), Michaela Catabui (’20), and Michael Allen (’22). Ann Pennefather (’15) and Gwen Dixon were choreographers.
Vander Woude, the director, chose the musical largely because of the number of chorus scenes. This musical provided plenty of opportunity for the many cast members to be onstage for much of the musical. “One of the more challenging (and fun) aspects of the musical this year was the size of our cast,” she said.“It took a great deal of thinking and drawing up different game plans to create a way where every student could be in the first and second act and really feel like an essential member of the show.”
This year’s production had the largest cast in school history, with more than 170 cast members. “Sometimes it can be difficult, especially with such a large cast, which includes all different levels of experience,” said Catabui. “This show in particular had more songs with challenging harmonies than we have done in the past. I am so proud of the cast for their perseverance. The results (were) enjoyed by the audience every night.”
“It is exciting to see (and hear) the growth of each cast member from our first rehearsal to our opening night,” she added. “Music is a wonderful gift from God and I am overjoyed to help students utilize that gift.”
The musical had 10 chorus scenes, perfect for such a large cast. One of the largest chorus scenes was the opening scene of Act II, with the song, “I Love a Piano.” This scene had 49 chorus members as well as two of the leads, Phil and Judy, all on stage at one time. This scene had long and detailed choreography, including tap dance, making it very engaging. Many people who watched the show shared that this scene was one of their favorites because of the many different choreographed dances in one short scene. Many other scenes had large numbers of dancers, as well, such as “The Best Things Happen While You’re Dancing,” which had more than 60 cast members on stage. The number of large chorus scenes made the musical much more entertaining, and showed that an incredible amount of time and planning went into each and every scene.
The musical at Seton depends on hundreds of students and volunteers, and shows the true spirit of the school and community. This show was only possible because of the sacrifices that the parents and volunteers made. It is special opportunity for students to show their God-given talents and to be involved in the community.
