J.P. Taravella High School Presents ‘Edges’: A Modern Musical

by Guest Contributer September 16, 2019

351Shares

The cast of “Edges.”

By: Jen Russon

A teenage cast will perform a musical about the highs and lows of being in your 20s while navigating the digital age as millennials in the 21st century.

Performed over 100 times, Edges, by Tony Award-winning Benj Pasek and Justin Paul, is an equal parts comedic and heartfelt look at the loneliness young people feel in spite of, or maybe because of, social media.

J.P. Taravella Theater Director, Lori Sessions believes the one-night-only performance of Edges should be looked at as a coming of age story.

“This modern musical revue is about self-discovery. It’s got highly relatable songs for people of all ages,” said Sessions, adding she is thrilled at the way her cast made the millennial experience come alive on stage.

Edges has resonated with young people, especially, since its premiere in Houston in 2016. Writers, Pasek and Paul also brought audiences Dear Evan Hansen that same year which is based on the similar subject matter: young people dealing with their social anxiety in funny and unexpected ways.

Written in 2005 when Pasek and Paul were 19-year-old undergraduates, Edges was born of a mutual frustration the pair had with the roles they were being assigned while drama students at the University of Michigan.

They teamed up to write their own show and eventually won the prestigious Jonathan Larson Award for Edges.

Of all the many songs performed in the show, “Be My Friend”, also known among Edges fans as “The Facebook Song” will be performed by the Taravella cast in their production of the show this month. Other songs on the playbill include “Dispensable”, “Pretty Sweet Day” and “Ready to Be Loved.”

Because Edges was written by the same duo behind blockbusters, “The Greatest Showman” and “La La Land,” theatergoers can expect a gambit of emotion – from romance to the drama of being a 20 something.

Tamarac residents are invited to the performance of Edges, on Wednesday, September 25, at 7 p.m. Tickets are $10.00 and will be available one hour before the show at the box office just outside the theatre, located at 10600 Riverside Drive in Coral Springs. For more information call 754-322-2300.