This Wednesday, March 6, 2024, Northwestern State University of Louisiana’s Department of Theatre and Dance had its first showing of R.L. Stine’s “Goosebumps the Musical: Phantom of the Auditorium.”
This production is an ever-so-slightly spooky musical. There are plenty of comedic elements throughout the show. Stine’s piece combines multiple elements, making it an enjoyable experience for all ages.
The opening number, “Goosebumps,” which was performed by the whole cast, set the scene for an amazingly spooky experience.
The set was designed to look like a two-story school interior. Flashing lights, paired with the intelligent use of fog machines, helped to create an immersive experience. The crew did an amazing job transporting the audience into Woods Mill Middle School, where most of the musical takes place.
Phoenix Aura Woods as Mrs. Walker and Mia Rodriguez as Tina Powell, performed a powerhouse duet to the song, “The Legend.” This left the auditorium filled with applause.
Between the powerful vocals from both performers to the dancing from the whole cast, the performance was nothing less than spectacular.
The character, Brooke, played by Elizabeth Cook, along with her best friend, Zeke, played by J. Cole Becton, delivered a phenomenal, nostalgic performance portraying the two loveable main characters that one may be used to seeing in the “Goosebumps” series.
Sadly, as one would expect during opening night, there were some technical difficulties. During “My Story,” performed by Kwincy Pierre as The Phantom, the mic had cut through, but Pierre quickly recovered and projected out his voice to where people could hear his spectacular ballad all the way towards the back of the audience.
There are truly no small roles, only small actors. This production proved that. Ava Schorr as Cami and Leslie Israel as Anna were two of the most comedic parts of the production. Between Anna’s recurring clown joke and Cami’s screaming joke, the two “smaller” roles contributed to the overall comedic factor of the production.
Between the spectacular dance numbers, the amazing comedy and the overall hard work of the whole cast and crew, NSU Theatre and Dance’s production of R.L. Stine’s “Goosebumps the Musical: Phantom of the Auditorium,” surely did not disappoint. The spooky musical delivered a comedic and thrilling experience for people of all ages.
To catch this musical in action don’t miss out on the other three days of the production. March 8 and 9 will have a show at 7:30 p.m. and it will end on Sunday, March 10 with the 2 p.m. performance.
