For two nights, MacArthur High School’s senior students took to the stage to perform an array of comedic sketches and musical/dance numbers as part of Levittown’s annual Variety Show. Traditionally, MacArthur High School seniors peform in the variety show to help fundraise for the senior class.
Billy Butler, a MacArthur senior and member of the Peer Leader dance number, said that participating in the show takes great commitment.
“No matter what else is going on, I know I have to be there,” Butler said of his rehersal schedule.
Faculty advisor Christina Reynolds said that preparation for the show requires 100 percent commitment, even from the busiest students in the school. In order to get ready for showtime, on May 17, students practiced two hours each night for the last two and a half weeks.
“For a variety show that is, at times, rough and ready, it comes together nicely and is a wonderful high school memory,” Reynolds said.
The show is a collection of skits that spoof moments in high school day-to-day life, as well as feature more serious musical talent. For MacArthur High School student Ben Zilka, who participated in the skit “Senior Parking Lot” and dance routine “Battle of the Boy Bands,” the annual variety show is a way to help build commraderie among classmates by bringing the senior class together.
“We have been looking forward to this since freshman year and have been planning our skits the entire time we’ve been in high school,” Zilka said.
Lauryn Stillman described the show in a similar fashion, as a means for seniors to become closer, while Sal Randazzo called it “senior memory.”
“It’s a tradition,” said Randazzo. “Our turn to show off our talents and have fun.”
“Senior Parking Lot” tells of the everyday confusion caused by students driving their cars in a high school parking lot, while “Substitute Teacher” mocks a substitute teacher’s inability to correctly pronounce students’ names.
The show also featured several dance numbers, including an epic showdown between N’Sync and the Backstreet Boys. There was also a performance by the senior chorus, a hula-hoop number, a color guard demonstration and much more, all leading up to the finale, which this year featured a dance number by the Peer Leaders and choreographed by Lindsay Lippolt.
“The variety show is a great way for seniors to express themselves and showcase talents that their peers may not have been aware of,” said MacArthur student James Knoebel.
