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By Alex Moore, Lord Botetourt High School

Lord Botetourt High School put on their school production of “Harvey” by Mary Chase as their Spring play.

Showing three times in late April, the play was hysterically charming.

It was about two and a half hours of entertainment it was worth it.

“Harvey” is about a man, Elwood P. Dowd, whose friend, is an imaginary six-foot tall rabbit. His sister is determined to fix this “problem” by admitting him into a psychiatric center.

The actors and actresses who played the characters did a brilliant job. When the props changed, there was old music playing to keep the audience interested. There was also an intermission between acts.

Every moment seemed to play out perfectly and I cannot recall a single thing I would have changed.

There was no better way to spend my Saturday night than to be amused by this wonderful play.

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By Julia Rogan, Patrick Henry High School

Patrick Henry Players’ production of Les Misérables, with showings March 15, 16, 22 and 23, was exceptional.

It outshines the musicals from the previous years at the school. The cast was excellent; their voices blended and it was amazing.

The play takes place in 19th century France and tells not one story, but five. Jean Valjean, played by junior Isaac Anderson, is a poor man sent to prison for stealing bread for his starving sister and her child.

Fantine, played by senior Taylor Zadell, had a child out of wedlock. She has to work and pay for her child that lives with an innkeeper and his wife in a different town. Fantine’s daughter Cosette, played by junior Mikayla Gunn, was mistreated and was used as a slave for the innkeeper and his wife and their daughter Eponine, played by senior Alexa Vasquez.

Javert, played by senior Raekwon Moore, wants to bring Jean Valjean to justice for violating his parole. has been chasing Jean Valjean forever, before Javert commits suicide. There is also a story about some college kids trying to start a revolution to change France and help the poor people. They eventually lose and all of the students save for one die.

The costumes were pretty well decided. However, in the beginning where they introduce Javert and Jean Valjean in prison, I thought the costumes could have looked a little more wretched and threadbare.

The play was very well cast, and I felt the strong emotion during most of the play.

While I understand why fake guns may not be allowed in lieu of the recent shootings, it was a bit confusing when students used their hands to create invisible guns. If you didn’t play close attention, you would have not noticed they were holding invisible guns in their hands.

Also there were no guns, but they used swords.What I found interesting, was that even though fake guns were not used, fake swords were used, along with a cannon and the sounds that a canon makes. I believe swords and cannons are classified as weapons.

The play kept me enthralled. It was a wonderful, sad (hence the name) and inspiring story.

The innkeeper and his wife provided comic relief to lighten the tragic plot.

It didn’t seem like this would be a play for young children to attend, due to its sexual references, prostitution during the song “Lovely Ladies,” and mild cussing.

While watching the revolutionaries I felt inspired. Though their cause seemed lost and like they would lose before they started fighting, they didn’t give up and still fought until they all fell at the barricade. “Enjolras,” the leader, played by junior Charles Sellers, was very charismatic and Grantaire, a revolutionary, played by junior William Merten, was his polar opposite. He served as comic relief during dire situations.

Overall it was a great play. The cast and crew deserve a five-star rating and a Tony Award. It was above and beyond my expectations.

By McKinley Saunders, Lord Botetourt High School

John Mayer’s newest album, “Born & Raised,” was released a year ago, on May 22, 2012. Now I know what you are thinking: why am I writing an album review on this now?

Well, I am writing a review on this album now, because even after almost a year passing, I still think its the best album that has come out in a while.

Mayer’s past albums and songs have had a pop vibe, but in this album the songs have a folk, blues, country and a little rock-and-roll vibe.

I enjoy all genres of music, but I enjoy classic rock oldies the best.

This album is the best combination of old and new. This is a great album with amazing songs.

My two favorite songs on the album are “Something Like Olivia” and “If I Ever Get Around To Living.” But what are you doing still reading this? Go check it out for yourself!

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By Neale Butler, North Cross School

North Cross School’s annual spring musical opened to a packed audience on  April 12, with a second show the following night.

The musical was a modified version of the famous Disney movie “Aladdin,” with actors and actresses ranging from fourth-graders to high school seniors.

Aladdin was played by freshman Tristan Johnson-Hodges, and the role of Jasmine was played by senior Emily Chandel.

The story follows Jasmine, who has spent her whole life inside castle walls when she meets and falls in love with Aladdin, a mischievous street juvenile. Jasmine is forbidden to marry him because he is not a prince.

Aladdin meets a genie, played by freshman Jack Fishwick, who gives him three wishes. One of his wishes is to become a prince so he can marry Jasmine. Right before they get married, Jasmine learns he is not really a prince.

Her father the Sultan, played by junior Zach Austin, sees how much she loves him, and they are allowed to get married in the end.

The musical was directed by North Cross choir teacher Andrew Miller and choreographed by middle school english teacher Robin Garrett.

I liked how the musical followed the movie but wasn’t an exact copy of it.

While being a love story, I was still entertained by many humorous parts of the play. The character Jafar, played by junior Ryan Hunt, and Iago, played by junior Nicole Chaney, were particularly funny because they were able to really become their characters.

A mural painted on the wall behind the actors of buildings in India set the scene, and the costumes worn by the characters made them easy to identify.

The play lasted about an hour and a half, which I thought was good.

The cast and crew were able to pack a lot into the time they had, and it was easy to tell many hours of practicing had been put into the production.

By Alexandra Rouse, Salem High School

Recently, I had the opportunity to sell merchandise at a musician’s show in downtown Roanoke. More than ecstatic, I couldn’t refuse the offer. How many teenagers can say that they sold merch for one of their favorite artists?  It wasn’t until after I said yes that I realized that the venue was at a local bar.

I immediately assumed that being younger than 21 would result in many complications. But after getting my situation cleared with the establishment, everything was fine as long as I was with the band.

Sitting behind the merch table the night of the event, I wondered why live music is so often limited to an audience that is strictly over 21.

“Live music has become an adult thing to attend, mainly because teenagers don’t have the time, money or transportation to attend the shows,” said Allison Raines, a senior at Salem High School. “By the time people are over 21, most of them have cars and jobs, so they can buy tickets for live music.”

Raines, a music enthusiast, has seen a number of shows live in a variety of genres. In the Roanoke area, she has seen Old Crow Medicine Show, The Lumineers, the Avett Brothers and James Taylor, along with numerous artists that she has seen out of town, including Bruce Springsteen and U2, to name a few.

“In the past, my parents have literally helped me get into live shows because in most cases they’ve provided me the money and transportation. It wasn’t until last summer at the Old Crow Medicine Show concert that I drove myself  to the Civic Center,” said Raines. “But, my mom still paid for our tickets, thankfully.”

Michael Drougas, a junior at Salem High School, believes that instead of money, technology plays a larger role in the lack of teens at live shows. Read more »

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By Scott Bledsoe, Hidden Valley High School

Each spring, many area high schools put on a play or a musical.

This year, some members of our staff attended the productions at their respective schools and wrote reviews.

Watch out over the next several days for our reviews.

“Westside Story;” Cave Spring and Hidden Valley High schools

The lights dim. People in the audience silence their mouths, as well as their cell phones. The curtains go up and for two hours, “Westside Story” is brought to life by the student actors and actresses.

Two rival high schools, Cave Spring and Hidden Valley, came together this spring for a joint production about two rival gangs, battling out their differences amidst the rough landscape of New York City.

The stage was set with an amazing cityscape background. All of the buildings’ windows glowed when the light hit them.

The actors and actresses were dressed in period 1950s costumes, except for members of the Puerto Rican Sharks gang, who were decked-out in bright shades of red, purple and black.

The leading male role, Tony, was played by Hidden Valley senior Will Duff. He did an exceptional job portraying the role of the starstruck Tony, who is in love with Maria. The way Duff delivered his lines and the tone of his voice gave way for a very convincing love of Maria.

The leading female role of Maria was shared by two girls who alternated show nights. The night I saw the play, Hidden Valley junior Amanda Data played Maria. Her vocals were stunning. I was dumbfounded by her voice. If she doesn’t end up on Broadway, then I don’t know who has a chance. In addition, Data’s acting was superb, with a very convincing Puerto Rican accent.

The supporting cast, which consisted of the leaders and members of the two rival gangs. the Jets and the Sharks, did an excellent job with the numerous musical numbers. The stage was full of talented and, it seemed, well-experienced dancers and singers.

It was interesting to note there was an absence of actual weapons in the production.

In a knife fight scene, no actual or fake knives were used. Tony just pantomimed stabbing someone in the stomach. In the final scene where Tony is shot, a fake gun isn’t used. Instead an L-shaped piece of wood was used.

I realize that the use of weapons is a sensitive matter given recent events, but I don’t see the harm in letting kids use fake weapons in school plays that require them. It’s a play; it’s fictional.

The answers are in! Click on the “Read More” link to see the answers to our schools quiz. Read more »

Think you know all there is to know about high school? Take this quiz compiled by our Edge staff and see how well you’ve been schooled on schools in our region. We’ll publish the answers on our blog on Friday.

UPDATE: The answers are in! Click here to see how you did on the quiz.

– The Edge

1. Which school’s Air Force JROTC marksmanship team came in fourth this year at national competition?

A. Radford
B. Cave Spring
C. Glenvar
D. Franklin County

2. What school was named after the governor of Virginia who served from 1768-70?

A. William Fleming
B. Lord Botetourt
C. Patrick Henry
D. William Byrd

3. At which school did former President Bill Clinton speak at during the 2012-13 school year?

A. Northside
B. William Byrd
C. Patrick Henry
D. Lord Botetourt

4. Which school’s Forensics Team has won eight consecutive state titles?

A. Salem
B. Glenvar
C. Hidden Valley
D. Patrick Henry Read more »

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By Saloni Patolia, Hidden Valley High School

Director John Madden gives an interesting twist on William Shakespeare in his 1998 film “Shakespeare in Love.”

In the movie, Joseph Fiennes plays the titular William Shakespeare, the world-famous playwright who penned greats such as “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” and “Hamlet.”

The movie is not a new point of view on one of Shakespeare’s plays, but is rather a twist on the life of young Shakespeare and his inspiration for his famous play, “Romeo and Juliet.”

In the movie, young Shakespeare is a struggling poet, playwright and actor. He has an all too familiar case of writer’s block and can’t seem to write anything worth reading.

But when he meets Viola de Lessep, played by Gwyneth Paltrow, the two begin a love affair and Shakespeare finds inspiration for the immortal “Romeo and Juliet.”

The film captured a realistic love story and I strongly recommend it to Shakespeare lovers and first-time Shakespeare fans alike. The movie, like many of Shakespeare’s plays, captures love, comedy and tragedy, and ties them all together to make a wonderful film.

By Jessica Wiegandt, Lord Botetourt High School

Small sounds of dings and rings are audible from smart phones and tablets may be due to a game called Ruzzle.

Ruzzle is a new application available for handheld devices that allows users to connect with their contacts, Facebook friends or random opponents to play the word game.

Ruzzle was created by MAG Interactive in March of 2012. The game seems to have since skyrocketed into popularity, and I’ve noticed  students at Lord Botetourt High School have become avid players.

The app consists of a board of letters, each contained within a small box. The player drags their finger around the screen to create words out of the letters. It’s like a jumbled up version of Boggle.

The player is on a two-minute time limit to get as many points as possible to beat the opposing player. (The longer the words, the better, and some letters can even earn a player extra points.)

The app is a game for iPhone and Android owners who are players seeking a new word game to play.