By
Tim O’Sullivan ‘24
and Frank Perrone ‘24
SJR Media Club
The SJR Performing Arts department recently announced that the school's Winter Musical will be 'Mystic Pizza'. SJR Media Club members Tim O'Sullivan and Frankie Perrone caught up with John Asselta, who is in his 30th year as Director of Performing Arts, to discuss the upcoming musical.
What is Mystic Pizza and what is the musical about?
“Mystic Pizza was a movie in 1988 that launched the career of Julia Roberts. It is the story of three young ladies who work at a pizza store in Mystic, Connecticut, and they each have a love interest and dreams, and personalities that are joined together through their work but are very, very different. Mystic Pizza the movie and now Mystic Pizza the play is all about their journey with the three men and their lives, their aspirations for life itself, and what it is like to grow up in a small town like Mystic, Connecticut.”
Why did you choose Mystic Pizza over some other possible shows?
“I got to see the world premiere of Mystic Pizza at the Algonquin Playhouse in Maine in September, and I was blown away by it. I had seen the movie and liked it a lot. The stage production is very, very true to the movie, and what they did so interesting is that they took songs which were hits in the eighties and nineties and inserted them into the show, which really made it a full-blown Musical. In Mystic Pizza, every single song was a standalone hit from the 80’s and 90’s.”
This is Mystic Pizza’s first High School performance and second performance ever. What are your hopes and expectations for this show?
“Well, once before we got a chance to Pilot a show which was Miss Saigon. It had never been done on a High School level and they weren't sure how it would work. When we were given the script, there were parts of it that we didn't agree with and there were things that were not appropriate for high school. We got to change things and we were a part of the creative process. To have the opportunity to do that again with something like Mystic Pizza is very exciting.”
There are many people who want to get involved with the show, but they are not really “on-stage people.” What are some ways that they can get involved without performing on stage?
“First of all, there are people who look at a High School Musical here at Saint Joes and say “Oh, I would like to do that but I can’t sing.” Not every person has to be a soloist. There are many people who can sing in the Ensemble. When you sing with other people who are in tune, you become a better singer and more in tune yourself. There are also plenty of acting roles in this show. In addition to being a member of the cast, there are very important roles in the stage crew, sound crew, lighting crew, and in the overall production of the show. It takes a lot of people to put on a great show.”
Tim and Frank also caught up with Thomas Snyder ‘23, who is a member of the SJR Performing Arts and will be a part of the Mystic Pizza cast.
Thomas, what has your experience in the SJR performing arts been like and how has it changed you as a person?
“Through the SJR Performing Arts program, I have grown much closer with my brothers in this program. Because of Performing Arts, I have learned a lot and grown overall as a performer.”
What are you most excited about Mystic Pizza?
“I am most excited for it being a new soundtrack, and it’s a bonus that it is made up of all 80’s songs and hits. I am a huge fan of 80’s music.”
Would you recommend joining Mystic Pizza to your fellow classmates?
“I would absolutely recommend this to my fellow classmates, because being a part of the musical is a whole new way to experience the brotherhood at SJR.”
If you are interested in being a part of Mystic Pizza, go to http://www.sjrtheater.com/ to find out more.