by Tony Annicone

High school hijinks abound in “Bring It On” which is the Hendricken Summer Stage’s 20th Anniversary show. It has music by Tom Kitt and Lin-Manuel Miranda, with lyrics by Miranda and Amanda Green and a script by Jeff Whitty and is loosely based on the 2000 movie version. It premiered in Atlanta, Georgia in January, 2011 and it concerns Campbell, a cheerleader at Truman High School who becomes president of the cheerleaders. Her greatest wish is to become president of the cheerleaders and win the championship. However there is a redistricting plan that forces her to go to Jackson High School which doesn’t have a cheerleading squad. Whatever will Campbell do at her new school? Will she win the new street wise kids over or be shunned her senior year? A leprechaun outfit figures heavily in her future at Jackson High School in “That’s My Girl” song and as she hits some bumps along the road at her new school, this show teaches us to play fair with people, treat them decently and how to finally and most importantly get along with each other with all our differences. It also examines bullying, depression, stress and peer pressure and how twenty years in the future these blips from high school won’t matter at all. Hendricken’s Summer Stage show is directed flawlessly by Peter Mancuso Class of 2015 who recently graduated from NYU with a degree in film study. His blocking of this musical is meticulous and well thought out. It is musically directed by Ryan Cox class of 2014. Choreographers Danielle Grilli and Teresa Pearson create some terrific cheer leading routines, hip hop dances and tumbling that leave the audience cheering in the aisles. It is not only high energy but teaches everyone how they should behave towards each other.

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