St. Nicholas and St. Mary’s students present “Dizzy for Disney”

“A spoonful of sugar makes your medicine better,” sings pantomiming students from St. Nicholas and St. Mary’s School.Mark Guidish | Times Leader

“We have so much in common that it’s time to realize that the world is a small place after all…”

The 271 students at St. Nicholas and St. Mary Elementary School in Wilkes-Barre didn’t just sing the lyrics to “It’s a Small World” Thursday morning.

Some of the older children gently tossed their inflatable globes and left them floating around the gymnasium as they prepared for the “Dizzy for Disney” show, which will be performed on Friday, Oct. 6, at 6 p.m. was.

At another point during rehearsals, students pantomimed swallowing while singing “A Spoonful of Sugar” from “Mary Poppins.” When it came to the part about how sweets “helped medicines work,” they were hunched over on the floor. In a very fun way.

For more fun, come to the Walt Disney Company’s 100th Anniversary Show and watch young performers pantomime breaststroke while singing “It’s Better When Wet” to “Under the Wet.” “The Sea” from “The Little Mermaid.”

They strum imaginary guitars and sing “Remember Me” from “Coco.” And you can expect lots of foot stomping and dramatic arm gestures to the chorus of “Let it Go!” From frozen. “

“We wanted to fill the show with music that everyone knows,” said artist-in-resident Thomas Mark Fallon, who directed the show as the culmination of a 20-day residency. “The children, the parents, the grandparents.”

These last two groups will likely make up the bulk of the audience for Friday night’s show. Admission is free in this show, and every student has a role, from the smallest preschoolers, her 3-year-old and her 4-year-old. Tell the 7th and 8th graders who will be on stage while the middle graders sing from the bleachers.

Fallon said the program focuses on the students’ singing, dancing and other talents, and near the end of the show, 20 gymnasts perform cartwheels down the center aisle, and several members of the forensics team will serve as the narrator.

“I’m so proud of you all,” Principal Christopher Teague said as Thursday’s rehearsal drew to a close.

Artist-in-residence Fallon is a countertenor and has one of the rarest types of range among male voices. He grew up in Scranton and began his vocal studies as a boy soprano at the age of 10. A year later, he was selected to tour the United States with a professional symphony orchestra, singing the lead role in Gian-Carlo Menotto’s “Amahl and the Night Visitor.” ”

Fallons’ career includes recitals and concerts in opera, oratorio, Irish, Broadway, and sacred music. When she is not busy performing, she can often be seen preparing for youth concerts at schools and summer camps. Northeastern Educational Intermediate Unit 19, which named him Artist of the Year in 2006, also selected him as a sponsored registered artist for a residency.