PBS Wisconsin Music & Arts

upbeat music

Musical theater's really just been my life. Oh, I love musical theater. It's this vibe and this energy. I'm nervous, but I'm excited. It's really defined my high school theater experience.

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I started musical theater pretty young. I did one show when I was three. I don't really remember when I started. What I love most about musical theater is probably the community. I like singing. I really love dancing. Be on stage in front of a lot of people. And the opportunity to tell a story. And learning about, like, people. I wouldn't normally have an opportunity like this. It's almost hard to put into words. I'm really excited to take part in the Tommy Awards. It's definitely a wonderful experience being able to perform on a stage of this caliber. Ginormous stage. Rows and rows and rows of seats all the way up to the ceiling. Like, whoa, that's crazy. Life changing. - Breathtaking. Gratifying. - Extraordinary. There's nothing like it. -

Announcer

The 2016 Tommy Awards broadcast is funded in part by Julie and Larry Midtbo, Mary Ellyn and Joe Sensenbrenner, A. Paul Jones Charitable Trust, and Friends of Wisconsin Public Television.

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Welcome to the night - Just like that I got a dollar says your future's lookin' bright Right off the bat We get excited when the Cub Room has a Cub Welcome to the Tommys God, we love the night - You know we love you back It took a month to get accustomed to the height - To really get the knack It took a lifetime, but it all began to brew It all began to brew It all just kinda happened - It all just kinda happened Now we are here for you Welcome to the night The street is talking, mister Welcome to the night It's talkin' to you Listen Welcome To the night

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Well, hello there. How many people are at the Tommys for the first time?

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How many people have been here many times?

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All right! That's what I like to hear. Well, welcome to the 2016 Tommy Awards. To participate in the Tommy Awards, schools must be within a hundred-mile radius. So then the schools agree to have their school musical reviewed by a team of reviewers. We send three adjudicators out to see the show. They write thorough written critiques, and at the same time, they get nominations for all kinds of categories about their musical.

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Tonight, we are honoring 13 musicals as outstanding, and you're gonna see excerpts from their shows and medleys that they have put together. And for the first of them, please welcome to the stage, Divine Savior Holy Angels.

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I wish all

Into the woods It's time to go It may be all in vain, you know Into the woods, but even so, I have to take the journey "Into the Woods" is a culmination of all these famous fairy tale stories. There are giants in the sky There are big, tall, terrible giants in the sky And it's really their coming-together story and how they all come from separate worlds but struggle with the same sort of things. It tackles so many hard problems and struggles. You see real people with real problems and you can really connect to that.

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Careful the wish you make Wishes are children Careful the path they take Wishes come true Not free Careful the spell you cast Not just on children Sometimes a spell may last Past what you can see And turn against you Careful the tale you tell - Ahhh That is the spell Children will listen Though it's fearful, though it's deep Though it's dark, and though you may lose the path Though you may encounter wolves You can't just act - Though it's deep...dark You have to listen - Though you may lose the path...encounter wolves You can't just act, you have to think There are always wolves, there are always spells There are always beans or a giant dwells there So into the woods you have to grope But that's the way you learn to cope Into the woods to find there's hope Of getting through the journey Into the woods each time you go There's more to learn of what you know Into the woods but not too slow Into the woods it's nearing midnight Into the woods to mind the wolf To heed the witch to honor the giant To mind, to heed, to find, to think To teach, to join, to go to the festival Into the woods Into the woods Into the woods, then out of the woods And happy ever after I wish...

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I like singing a lot. That's my main thing. But I also like being on a stage, learning about my part and digging into the story. Our children's children gonna have trouble Oh,

we're in trouble - repeat chant

Trouble, trouble We're in terrible, terrible trouble That game with the 15 numbered balls is the devil's tool

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Devil's tool Oh, yes, we've got trouble, trouble, trouble Oh, yes, we've got trouble here We got big, big trouble

With a T all

With a capital T - Gotta rhyme it with P

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Rhymes with P - And that stands for pool That stands for pool Stop! Pick a little, talk a little pick a little, talk a little Cheep, cheep, cheep, talk a lot, pick a little more Pick a little, talk a little, pick a little, talk a little Cheep, cheep, cheep, talk a lot, pick a little more Pick a little, talk a little, pick a little, talk a little Cheep, cheep, cheep, talk a lot, pick a little Pick a little, talk a little - Good night, ladies Cheep, cheep, cheep, cheep cheep, cheep, cheep, cheep Good night,

ladies al l

Pick...talk...pick...talk... ch eep,cheep,cheep,talk...pick... Good night,

ladies all

Pick...talk...pick...talk... cheep,cheep,cheep,talk...pick... Good night,

ladies al l

Pick...talk...pick...talk... ch eep,cheep,cheep,talk...pick...

We're going al l

Pick...talk...pick...talk... ch eep,cheep,cheep,talk...pick...

To leave you al l

talk a little,pick a little talk... pick... talk a little Now - Cheep cheep cheep cheep cheep ch eep cheep cheep cheep cheep... Pick a little, talk a little, cheep

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To leave you al l

Seventy-six trombones led the big parade With a hundred and ten cornets close at hand They were followed by rows and rows of the finest virtuosos The cream of every famous band Seventy-six trombones caught the morning sun While a hundred and ten cornets blazed away To the rhythm of Harch, Harch, Harch All the kids began to march And they're marching still right today

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To leave you al l

Long, long ago So long ago, I hardly know when My great-great-grandmother Now and then stepped out with a gypsy Of course, you will say she was A little bit tipsy But tipsy, no, no Of their love there wasn't a doubt So I can't wait to get The stage all set So I can let The gypsy in me out

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To leave you al l

I like the island Manhattan I know you do! Smoke on your pipe And put that in

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To leave you al l

I like to be in America Okay by me in America Everything free in America For a small fee in America

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To leave you al l

And to pursue life Just to share its pleasures And belong That's what I've been here for All along Each day's a brand new Life

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To leave you al l

Nobody ever treated me kindly Daddy left early Mama was poor And I'd meet a man And I'd follow him blindly He'd snap his fingers Me, I'd say, sure And suddenly Seymour

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Suddenly Seymour He purified me He purified you And suddenly Seymour Suddenly Seymour He showed me I can Yes, you can Turn your face away From the garish light of day Turn your thoughts away From cold unfeeling light And listen To the music of the night Close your eyes and surrender To your darkest dreams Purge your thoughts of the life You knew before Close your eyes Let your spirit start To soar

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And you'll live As you've never lived Before

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Old Man Trouble I don't mind him You won't find him 'Round my door -

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Ah I got rhythm I got music I got my man Who could ask for anything more I got daisies, in green pastures I got my man Who could ask for anything more -

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It took a lot of time to learn the dancing. Nobody knew how to tap dance. And it all came together. We had some boys who were in football and we recruited them to tap for us.

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Who could ask for anything More Who could ask for anything more

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Supercalifragilistic expialidocious Even though the sound of it Is something quite atrocious If you say it loud enough You'll always sound precocious Supercalifragilistic expialidocious Um-diddle-iddl-iddl, um-diddle-ay um-diddle-iddl-iddl, um-diddle-ay um-diddle-iddl-iddl, um-diddle-ay um-diddle-iddl-iddl, um-diddle-ay You know, you can say it backwards, which is, Docious-ali-expi-istic fragi-cali-rupus. She may be tricky, but she's bloody good.

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So when the cat has got your tongue There's no need for dismay Just summon up this word And then you've got a lot to say Pick out those 18 consonants And 16 vowels as well And put them in an order that is very hard to spell S-U-P-E-R R. C-A-L-I-F R-A-G-I-L

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I-S-T-I-C-E-X-P-I- A-L-I-D-O-C-I-O-U-S

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Smarty pants. S-U-P-E-R C-A-L-I-F R-A-G-I-L I-S-T-I-C-E-X-P-I- A-L-I-D-O-C-I-O-U-S Here we go! Supercalifragilistic expialidocious Even though the sound of it is something quite atrocious If you say it loud enough You'll always sound precocious Supercalifragilistic Supercalifragilistic Supercalifragilistic Expialidocious Supercalifragilistic expialidocious

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But a girl sweet as you Has a future You have hope as each new day dawns Girls like you Always get to see Ireland Give my love To the leprechauns

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'Stead of landing on Plymouth Rock Plymouth Rock Would land on them In olden days, a glimpse of stocking Was looked on as something shocking But now, God knows Anything goes

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Who do you love, I hope Who would you kiss, I hope Who is going to be I hope, I hope, I hope it's me Who do you want, I hope Who do you need, I hope Who is it going to be I hope, I hope, I hope it's me

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Who do you love, I hope Who would you kiss, I hope Who is going to be I hope, I hope, I hope it's me

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I'm quick on the trigger With targets not much bigger than a pinpoint I'm number one But my score with a feller Is lower than a cellar Oh, you can't get a man with a gun When I'm with my pistol I sparkle like a crystal Yes, I shine like the morning sun But I lose all my luster When with a bronco buster Oh, you can't get a man with a gun

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kickline tempo

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There's... No people Like show people They smile when they are low Even with a turkey that you know will fold You may be stranded out in the cold Still you wouldn't trade it for a sack of gold Let's go on with the show Let's go On with the show

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We're performing "American Idiot." We were the first ones actually to do it-- like, a high school production. So that was really cool. It was actually also my first show. I'd never done a play before, so "American Idiot" has, like, a special place in my heart. It's a really upbeat song, like, a really rock 'n roll song, and it's high energy, and it really sets the mood of our show. And it basically follows the life of these three boys going through suburbia and finding their true purpose in life. Don't wanna be an American idiot

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Don't want a nation under the new media Can you hear the sound of hysteria The subliminal mind... America

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Welcome to a new kind of tension All across the alienation Where everything isn't meant to be okay Television dreams of tomorrow We're not the ones meant to follow For that's enough to argue Hey! Well, maybe I'm the freak show America I'm not a part of the redneck agenda

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Now everybody do the propaganda And sing along to the age of paranoia Welcome to a new kind of tension All across the alienation Where everything isn't meant to be okay -

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Television dreams of tomorrow We're not the ones meant to follow For that's enough to argue Don't want to be an American idiot One nation under the new media

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Don't want to be an American idiot One nation controlled by the media Don't want to be an American idiot One nation controlled by the media Welcome to a new kind of tension All across the alienation Where everything isn't meant to be okay Television dreams of tomorrow We're not the ones meant to follow For that's enough to argue Hey! Whoo-hoo! Hey!

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See the pretty girl in that mirror there Who can that attractive girl be Such a pretty face, such a pretty dress Such a pretty smile, such a pretty me I feel stunning And entrancing Feel like running and dancing for joy For I'm loved By a pretty wonderful boy Poor, all my life I've always been poor I keep asking God what I'm for And he tells me, gee, I'm not sure Sweep that floor, kid, oh I started life as an orphan, child of the street Here on Skid Row He took me in, gave me shelter A bed, crust of bread,

and a job - chorus

Ooo-oo Treats me like dirt, calls me a slob Which I am I don't steal, and I don't lie But I can feel and I can cry A fact I'll bet you never knew But to cry in front of you That's the worst thing I could do

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and a job - chorus

You are all I ever want But this I am denied Sometimes in my darkest thoughts I wish I'd never learned What it is to be in love

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and a job - chorus

And have that love returned Is it written in the stars Are we paying for some crime Is that all that we are good for Just a stretch of mortal time

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and a job - chorus

Or some God's experiment In which we have no say In which we're given paradise But only for a day

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The gods love Nubia We have to keep believing Though scattered and divided We are still its heart

The fall of Nubia - chorus

Ooo-oo-oo Ephemeral and fleeting The spirit always burning Though the flesh is torn apart Take me in My dreams recurring One more longing backward glance

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What you want What you want What you want is right in Who are you? I'm what you want, Harvard I'm the girl for you And to prove it's true

We all flew here on Jet Blue all

Thank

you. male

Thank you. This is what Elle Woods inspires Everyone admires, so what do you say This is not a personal essay.

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No, an essay's so boring and so much does not fit So we're appearing live, right here Making clear you must admit That Elle Woods should join the chosen few Harvard, what you want is right in front of

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This is a very flashy presentation, but I still don't see one reason to admit you. How about love You ever been in love 'Cause if you have, you'll know That love never accepts a defeat No challenge it can't meet No place it cannot go Don't say no to a woman in love

Don't laugh when I say love chorus

Ooo-oo-oo Don't think that I'm nalve Because even a person who's smart Can listen to their heart Can listen and believe

So believe in what love can achieve chorus

Ah Do you believe, do you believe

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I do, me too, yes, we believe in love! How 'bout you? Welcome to Harvard. -

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But if there ever was a perfect couple This one qualifies And now I found my love My god, I found my way to love You guys, I finally found my prize If there ever was a perfect couple This one qualifies 'Cause we love you guys No, we love you guys O-mi-God O-mi-God O-mi-God You guys O-mi-God

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chorus vocalizing

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La, la, la, la, la, la Packs of royal lackeys playing violin Strings of royal underlings Who will not let you in Ah, ha, ah, ha, ah, ha

Tricked out carriage all

Tricked out carriage

20 stallions all

20 stallions

With a coachman named Raoul al l

With a coachman named Raoul

Big reception all

Big reception

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With a boy band And a royal DJ. By the pool There's a somebody I'm longing to see I hope that he Turns out to be Someone to watch over me

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I'm a little lamb who's lost in the wood I know I could Always be good To one who'll watch over me Though her words Are simple and few Listen, listen She's calling to you Feed the birds Tuppence a bag Tuppence Tuppence Tuppence a bag

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Cheer up, sire. You know what they say. What do they say, Patsy? Some things in life are bad They can really make you mad Other things just make you swear and curse When you're chewing on life's gristle Don't grumble, give a whistle And this'll help things turn out for the best And Always look on the bright side of life -

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With a boy band all

Always look on the bright side of life -

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With a boy band all

The funny thing is, is that Parker and Craig are both rival schools. Everybody, like, hearing about "West Side Story," "Oh, is Craig gonna be, like, the Jets, "and Parker's gonna be the Sharks? Or is it gonna be, like, the other way around?" It's kind of a funny story. Everybody thought it was gonna be, like, this big rival thing but we actually came together and we, you know, made something great. There's a place For us Somewhere A place for us Peace and quiet And open air Wait for us Somewhere There's a time For us Somewhere a time for us Time together With time to spare Time to learn Time to care

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Somehow Some day Somewhere There's a place For us

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There's a chorus

Place for us Place for us Place for us Place for us Place for us Place for us

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There's a chorus

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He's giving a ball, he's giving a ball The prince is giving a ball The prince is Giving a ball A royal ball He's giving a ball The Prince is giving a ball Do I love you because you're beautiful Or are you beautiful Because I love you Do I want you because you're wonderful Or are you wonderful Because I want you

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Are you the sweet invention of a lover's dream Or are you really As wonderful As you seem

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For the world is full of zanies and fools Who don't believe in sensible rules And won't believe what sensible people say And because these daft and dewy-eyed dopes Keep building up impossible hopes Impossible things are happening Every day

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Ah

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I'm practically perfect in every way Practically perfect So people say Each virtue virtually knows no bounds Each trait is great and patently sound I'm practically perfect From head to toe If I had a fault it would never dare to show I'm so practically perfect In every way So naturally When I discover The cleverness of a remarkable me How can I hide it, when deep down inside It just tickles me so Then I got to let go And crow

bird squawking musically

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You are sixteen going on seventeen Fellows will fall in line Eager young lads and rous and cads Will offer you food and wine Totally unprepared are you To face a world of men Timid and shy and scared are you Of things beyond your ken You need someone older and wiser Telling you what to do I am seventeen going on eighteen I'll take care of you What a long, strange, wonderful trip it's been Right now everything seems so important But time rushes by at a clip And when you look back These high school years will be nothing more than a blip Just a tale to tell That rings a bell So oh, well We might as well enjoy The trip

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We go Together Like rama lama lama Ka dingitty ding de dong Remembered forever As shoobop sha wada wada Yippity boom de boom Chang chang changitty chang shoobop That's the way it should be That's the way it should be

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Be ah oh We're for each other Like a wap baba loomop A wap bam boom Just like my brother It's

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Sha la la la la la la la la la la la la la la la Rama lama lama lama lama lama lam doo be doo

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Be, ah, ah Chang chang changitty chang shoobop We'll always be together That's the way it should be Shoop do wop

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How cool was that? Right? Really cool! There were some constraints with "Grease" and staging "Grease," so they did this whole thing in this a cappella, which I thought was pretty amazing. Congratulations, Oconomowoc High School for your outstanding musical.

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I pretend to be strong But as weak as I am, all I can do is try God knows I try Though I'm frightened and shy And despite the impression I give I confess that I'm living a lie Because I'm actually terribly timid And horribly Shy

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Oh, I could tell you why The ocean's near the shore I could think of things I never thunk before And then I'd sit and think some more Gosh, it would be awful pleasin' To reason out the reason For things I can't explain Then perhaps I'll deserve ya And be even worthy... erve ya If I only had a brain Picture me a balcony Above a voice sings low Wherefore art thou, Romeo I hear a beat How sweet Just to register emotion, jealousy, devotion And really feel the part I could stay young and chipper And I'd lock it with a zipper If I only had a heart

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Well, hey there! Let me tell y'all what's goin' on. That's Violet. She's the company veteran, also a widow, and the mom of a teenager. Mom, where are my clean socks? That's the teen. - In the dirty laundry basket. Why would my clean socks be with the dirty laundry? Because your clean socks are dirty. Now come on. We're gonna be late. Her life makes the juggling act in the circus look like a piece of cake. My two lives have got me hoppin' Dawn 'til midnight, there's no stoppin' Don't know which I'm mothering the most Pack his lunch and kiss my son 'N grab my purse, and I keep runnin' Got so much on my plate I could choke Workin' nine to five For service and devotion You would think that I would deserve a fat promotion Want to move ahead But the boss won't seem to let me I swear sometimes that man is out to get me Nine to five, nine to five Nine to five, you can lose your mind Get up and work, get up and work Nine to five Nine to five Lose your mind, nine to five It's enough to drive you crazy It's enough to drive you crazy It's enough to drive you crazy It's enough to drive you Get up and work, get up and work Nine to five Get up and work, get up and work Workin' nine to five So many of us do it But we know inside We're gonna make it through it Oh there's a brighter day And we'll keep lookin' toward it And we'll buy that dream soon as we can just afford it Nine to five Working nine to five Nine to five Working nine to five Nine to five Working nine to five Nine to five

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People make mistakes Fathers, mothers People make mistakes Holding to their own Thinking they're alone Hard to see the light now Just don't let it go Things will come out right now We can make it so Someone is on your side This is the moment When all I've done All of the dreaming, scheming, and screaming become one This is the day See it sparkle and shine When all I've lived for Becomes mine

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Why you do what you do, that's the point All the rest of it is chatter Look at him, he's crying. If the thing you do is pure in intent, if it's meant And it's just a little bent does it matter Yes. - No, what matters Is that everyone tells tiny lies What's important really is the size What?

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Only three more tries and we'll have our prize When the end's in sight you'll realize If the end is right it justifies The beans

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And I'll show the world That tonight and forever The name to remember's The name Edward Hyde What a feeling to be so alive I have never seen me so alive Such a feeling of evil inside

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That's the feeling of being Edward Hyde

evil laughter

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All the witches All the curses All the wolves, all the lives The false hopes, the goodbyes, the reverses All the wondering what even worse Is still in store All the children All the giants No more

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It's clear that every one of you Is in perfect physical condition So let the show go on How? - The show must go on Forget it! - The show must go on Why? - 'Cause I say The show must go on Bullcrap! We're a special kind of people known as show people We live in a world of our own Our days are tied to curtains They rise and they fall We're born every night At half hour call Half hour! We can't picture being anything but show people Civilians find the whole thing quite bizarre But that hop in our hearts When the overture starts Helps us know how lucky we are It's an honor and a joy To be in show business I feel that spotlight hit me and I'm gone At the last curtain call I'm the envy of all So I know the show must

Go on - chorus

So thrilling we're show people

And on - chorus

So willing we're show people So thrilling that the show must go on

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And on - chorus

The Jimmy Awards are the national high school musical theater awards. We have two representatives that go from Wisconsin, so they chose a female and male representative this year, and I'm happy to say I was chosen, so I'm very happy about that. It's a really big honor. I'm really excited. It's in New York. - It's a ten-day work camp where you just hone your skills as an actor/singer/dancer. And then they have a culminating performance and, technically, competition at the end that they have a winner and a few finalists. There are blues that you get from hunger There are blues that drive you insane And there are blues when you're lonely For your one and only The blues you can never explain There are blues when you're still unmarried They're the worst, I guarantee I pine for a trousseau, I want a wedding shower All I got's the blues my sweetie gives to me I've got the blues 'cause I'm a failure Our wedding plans are staler Than day-old pumpernickel bread The blues cause he's artistic and very narcissistic I'm single in our double bed My ma is ashamed I'm unwed My pa told the neighbors that I'm dead And worst of all my sister got married to her mister A very nice podiatrist named Ted That's the blues that's on my mind They're the very meanest kind The blues my naughty sweetie gives to me These kinds of blues will rule my life Till the day we're man and wife The blues my naughty sweetie gives to me I've got 'em bad.

cheers and applause

And on - chorus

There is something that happens on stage, there's something that happens with the chemistry of other performers, and with working with people who are as passionate as you are that is just... it's absolutely wonderful, and really indescribable. I feed off of the audience. I know they're looking right at me and I just give back the energy that they're giving me. So it's unlike an ything I've ever experienced. All of a sudden She's back in your arms And the walls start closing And blocking out the light And changing all your dreams And right before Your eyes She cries and I don't know the answer She spies and there's no place I can hide When I look in the mirror There's nothing but fear here inside I run and still she is right behind me I fall, the chasm is too wide So I'm stuck in this world of her magic mystique Where I'll never be more than her toy of the week But each time I prepare my goodbyes Oh, she catches me looking And she opens the floodgates Then she cries

cheers and applause

And on - chorus

Kailey and Travis! Amazing!

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And on - chorus

It is such a cool opportunity to perform at the Tommys. It's a highlight and a culmination of all our hard work. It's just amazing and powerful to see how many talented people there are in our schools. I'd just, like, heard legends of these people, and now they're, like, actually there, and I'm singing onstage with them, and it's incredible. You're working with other performers who are just absolutely passionate about the profession, whether they're going into math in college or whether they're going on to pursue a career in theater. It's this vibe and this en ergy that theater people have that is different than anything I've ever experienced. I've gained so much confidence because of drama. I am more comfortable in my own skin now. The people that I've met through theater, they're my best friends, and I plan on keeping them for the rest of my life. I love the people. They're my people. They're happy and energetic. They're weird. That's the best part.

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Your final return will not diminish And you can be the cream of the crop It's not where you start, it's where you finish And you're gonna finish on top

tap shoes clicking

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It's not where you start It's where you finish It's not where you start It's where you finish It's not where you start It's where you finish It's not where you start It's where you finish And you're gonna finish On top

cheers and applause

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Congratulations, all of you. Really, congratulations. What a great group of kids, right? Thank you all so much for coming out. Please get out there and support high school musical theater. We'll see you again soon. Bye. -

Announcer

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This 2016 Tommy Awards broadcast was funded in part by Julie and Larry Midtbo, Mary Ellyn and Joe Sensenbrenner, A. Paul Jones Charitable Trust, and Friends of Wisconsin Public Television.