Ruben Uribe
Gadsden County News Servcie
In the first show of the 2025 Summer Season for the renowned Quincy Music Theatre, Big Bend and Panhandle audiences were wowed with a seafaring odyssey delving occasionally into a mystic and reflective quest. A showing of Moana Jr., an adaptation of the now classic Disney film, was fitted as one of the two summer intensives and had its grand premier on Friday, July 27. It played throughout the weekend until Sunday.
It was directed executively by Jessie Sanders, choreographed by Kenari Green, and directed musically by Lane Haugh. Music and lyrics were produced by Lin-Manuel Miranda, Opetaia Foa’I, and Mark Mancina. The book was adapted by Susan Soon He Stanton, and music and orchestrations were adapted and arranged by Ian Weinberger.
The tale was one as old as time and space. Moana Waialiki (Isabella Bailon/Candace Dantley), a brave Polynesian girl, braved a dangerous quest after the crops of her village fell prey to a contemptible blight and the local fish populus slowly began to inch away day after day. After setting sail from her home island of Motunui, she encountered the ancient and powerful demigod Maui (Hatch Liebenhaut) with whom she developed a deep, candid rapport with. Along the way, she confronted mythic beasts of forgotten legend while saving Motunui from destruction and finding herself in the midst of the struggle. Beloved musical numbers such as “How Far I’ll Go”, “You’re Wel-Wel-Welcome,” and “Shiny” made a spectacular comeback. While being an adaptation of the film, there were slight alterations made to this version which will account for the cast of mostly young actors – in which audiences found themselves particularly wowed.
Many of the crew gave their thoughts on the performance, reflected on the developments both personal and technical, and overall gave greater insight into the process of developing such a professional performance for audiences.
Lane Haugh, Director of Music, had much to say about coaching and finding the drama in song with Moana Jr.. “There is a lot of feedback involved, while teaching, working, and underscoring the points of the music. There are at least three languages which I had to teach over the course of these six intensive weeks, to a cast of ages from 5 to 13,” she said. This was Lane’s second show as Musical Director, but one she has been preparing for all of her life as the multiple academic degrees conferred upon her involve both performing and musical education from both Virginia Tech and Florida State. She currently teaches at Apalachee Elementary Magnet School. “I naturally transitioned into teaching music during COVID when all of the performances were stunted, and it has been my pleasure to work here with the kids at Quincy Music Theatre in helping create Moana Jr.,” said Lane. “This one was a hoot! It’s fun, and awesome, and everyone here seems eager to learn, especially the fearless children we have as the cast members,” who Lane says she is deeply proud of. She extends her gratitude to her partner especially, who has been very supportive during this production process.
Mahlon Mosteller, who has the role of Stage Manager, describes it as “different than acting.” Having previously played a part at the Quincy Music Theatre, she had much to elaborate on. “There’s a lot of things you don’t think about logistically as an actor. How things are supposed to flow and be organized, for example, you have to consider since this is a far more administrative position,” mentioned Mosteller. Yet despite this, she found it exceedingly comfortable to speak to the crew and cast because of this previous experience as an actor and a previous work position, working at a daycare center. “I have always loved working with kids, and of course there is a lot of communication involved, lots of translation moving through various roles.”
In the role of choreographer is Kenari Green, a Quincy native, owner and leader of his own dance company. “I’ve been dancing all of my life, which is over twenty years of dancing,” professed Mr. Green. He has been choreographing for theatre projects for over three years, including last year’s Descendants at QMT as well as Legally Blonde a few years previous. “Every time I work here, I learn something new, and I always give my learning back to those who taught me it, the growth. Especially with this younger crowd.” Kenari’s inevitable goal, he mentioned, is to reach the entertainment industry and profess his skills to a wider audience.
Hannah Routt, who is camp manager and who has worked with QMT before with Aladdin Jr., finds there to be a lot of opportunities for learning in Moana Jr.
“Theatre kids are a different breed, which is to say they are all artistic and focused. That makes this four-week interval far easier than would otherwise be the case; we all really had to move with swiftness,” remarked Routt. While not teaching at Woodville K-8, she loves participating in theatre and musical shows, which she describes as her favorite thing in the world. “I am glad because programs like this right here in our back yard help us reach developing kids, who all benefit from participation in the arts – especially the classical ones. This requires a lot of introspection, and definitely mixing Summer Camp with musical theatre allows children the opportunity to experience many emotionally intelligent perspectives.” Like Lane, her love of teaching and theatre allowed her to progress easily into her current administrative role, that of Camp Manager. “I adore and love these children.” Routt has been teaching children since 2013.
Ava Reed, who fulfills the role of Prop Creationist, said, “I had to lock-in.” While describing the role as “exhausting her creativity” she dually describes it as “exhausting, but in the best way.” Her experience with creating was a fluidly complex one. “We really had to embrace the atmosphere, and the art of Disney is usually pretty cut and dry in the interpretative sense, so there was no issue for me there. But it does require a lot of effort, as in working late to have every prop ready.” For this production, Ava describes as having learned many skills such as carving wood for canoes, repurposing household materials to create metal jellyfish, and even including the children themselves in the artistic process. “For some of the ‘fish eggs’ you have seen in this production, I had our cast of children paint rocks and express their creativity in patterned, textured styles. It will be so awesome to have the children see their own art on the stage. Prop work is truly fluid like that,” admitted Ava. “If I was stuck on one thing, I could just move on to the next temporarily, before finding my art block to disappear.”
Moana Jr. was sixty minutes long, with a single, brief intermission, and was the first of the two Summer Intensives, with Be More Chill premiering at the beginning of August.
