Junior SING!: A Wonderfully Spooky Performance

While a haunted house may not sound the most appealing in March, Junior SING!’s put an adventurous, musical spin on the classic Halloween tradition. Coordinated by Joanne Hwang and produced by Sama Daga, William Farmer, Amanda Greenberg, Leah Riegel, and Sydney Wong, this year’s Junior SING! was a unique show put together by a dedicated and talented cast and crew. While some parts certainly worked better than others, Junior SING! created a fresh production.

The show began with dialogue between Junior SING!’s SLATE and Osborn (Henry Santos Hendricks), the owner of the show’s haunted mansion, providing the audience an intriguing hook and transition into the show. Osborn then called up the main trio of Luca (Lily Huizingh), Elise (Alison Ren), and Violet (Mia Shi) from the audience to the stage, introducing their distinct attitudes and personalities. 

The audience was then transported into Osborn’s House of Horrors, with the curtains opening to Michael Jackson’s “Thriller.” The dance crews’ united choreography—including Bolly, Latin, modern, and hip-hop—was both enthralling and fully immersive; dancers lined the aisles of the theater and performed in sync. This dance scene was one of the strongest moments for Junior SING!, highlighting their coordination and skill. 

Simultaneously, Osborn and the trio sang along to the song; while the performance may have been vocally weak, it began to develop the characters and plot. Additionally, both the outstanding dancing and band compensated for the occasional lapse in singing. The scene also provided the first look at the show’s sets, which were impressive, detailed, and showcased Junior SING!’s artistic abilities. 

As the song reached a close, Osborn shooed all dance crews besides Bolly offstage, and the audience was introduced to the sibling clowns of Myrtle (Katia Rubakha) and Cornelius (William Lake) as they bickered over their Halloween plans and Myrtle’s displeasure with the house. At times, the acting from the pair felt exaggerated and unconvincing, though their costumes and makeup were well executed, immersing the audience into the scene.

Transitioning on, the leading trio began arguing about their eroding friendship and diverging paths. While this moment had strong potential, nearly all jokes in this scene—especially those related to physics—fell flat, seeming uninteresting and repetitive. Generally, the main characters felt uninteresting and cliche. Where their dialogue fell flat, however, the rest of the stage shone; the set was well-crafted and Bolly—who shared the stage with them—displayed Junior SING!’s extraordinary costumes with dazzling eyepieces and dresses.

As Luca, Elise, and Violet looked around the library, it felt as though they—as well as the audience—seemed to be waiting for something to happen. However, Mr. Ramirez’s well-timed cameo added some levity to the scene, as did the creepily comic librarian. Jokes about books such as the ‘Answer KEY to Physics Tests by Jeffery Wan’ and ‘The KEY to the White House by Elon Musk’ were clever and alerted the audience to integral parts of the plot.

Hip-hop was also given an opportunity to shine in this scene. Their performance of “Toxic” meshed well with the scene and served to move the plot forward, even if its introduction was a little abrupt. The dancers were talented, and Junior SING!’s makeup crew successfully delivered believable zombies. Unfortunately, the song’s lyrics were drowned out with the loud backtrack and muted annunciation, which took away from an otherwise strong scene. 

The following blackout transition went off without a hitch. The scene opened in the game room of the haunted house, revealing Osborn, Myrtle, and Cornelius and introducing the secondary plot of the story; the audience was given insight into the second trio’s dynamics. Their rendition of “Somebody’s Watching Me” furthered this, providing Osborn’s reason for wanting Luca, Violet, and Elise to forever stay together in the house in more depth, just as he convinced Myrtle and Cornelius to. However, the scene’s blocking and choreography left something to be desired.

After Elise was pulled into the room by Osborn’s zombie henchmen, Osborn told her he knew a way for them to stay together forever—a jack-in-the-box he invented, which with the turn of a key transformed people into immortal mythical creatures. This scene also included more political quips—jokes about DEI policies and ‘size’—some of which felt forced and fell flat.

As Osborn realized that Elise would not willingly convince her friends to stay in the haunted house, he began to sing “Wait for Me,” and Flow entered the stage. This musical sequence was difficult to hear, but it was obvious enough that Elise was forced to enter the jack-in-the-box. Unfortunately, the sequence was a little anticlimactic for such a pivotal moment and may have benefitted from a more dramatic song choice. Still, Flow shined through during the cleverly placed blackout, and Elise’s transformation and subsequent reappearance as a witch was a striking and effective ending to the scene.

Like many throughout the show, the following scene transition dragged on. Fortunately, the band engaged the audience by playing the “Addams Family Theme”—a clever and fitting song choice; the audience even began to snap along with the music. It also served to alleviate the serious mood of the previous scene as the story cut back to Luca and Violet.

After a bit of banter between the band and Luca—and a joke about Luca’s concepts of a plan—Bolly began dancing to “Aspara Aali,” trapping Luca and Violet in the midst of dancing statues. At the end, Myrtle and Cornelius re-entered the stage to continue their argument, ensuring Myrtle wasn’t a two-dimensional character. Although the unwanted rescue trope was a bit overused, it tied the story together.

Following this, modern, dressed as dolls, had delivered a strong performance to “The Winner Takes It All.” Myrtle’s beautiful vocals powered this number, making it one of the most memorable scenes of Junior SING!

After Modern’s number, Myrtle explained everything to Luca and Violet, including the detail that they needed to find a key to get Elise back to normal, in a bit of an anticlimactic reveal. Luca and Violet then realized that the key was most likely hidden in the library, and they rushed off to the library as “This is Halloween” began to play. 

Once the transition was over, the audience found themselves in the library with Luca, Violet, Myrtle, and Junior SING! Latin. Latin began dancing to “Corazon Espinado,” accompanied by a ghost band. Latin’s stunts and choreography were captivating. Eventually, Violet, Luca, and Myrtle joined in as the song shifted to “Beat It.” Unfortunately, the instruments drowned out the singing, making it hard to hear the lyrics.

After Violet’s dance, the audience was faced with Osborn in his makeshift game room. There, he expressed his anger with Cornelius’ inability to capture the remaining trick-or-treaters. The scene ended with Osborn leaving to find them himself, taking his skeletons for reinforcement. Junior SING!’s acting ability was fully showcased in this scene, and the lack of a musical number played on the actors’ strengths; Santos Hendricks and Lake felt natural in their roles.  

Next, the audience was transported to the library with Myrtle, Violet, and Luca. While searching the library, Luca lifted a plate cover, revealing math teacher Eric Portales’ head. While the cameo had potential, Luca’s joke about the head looking just like her math teacher failed to land. 

The librarian then entered and offered help in the form of a riddle, suggesting that the book they were looking for was actually in the audience. When Luca and Violet realized this, they asked the audience to look under their seats. This breaking of the fourth wall demonstrated Junior SING!’s creativity and was a clever way to engage the audience. Luca and Violet then retrieved the book from an audience member and found the key they were looking for. 

 Suddenly, a blackout occurred to the shock of both the audience and characters. Flow appeared on stage in their skeleton costumes, dancing to “Play with Fire.” This implementation of Flow felt natural and cohesive to the plot, especially with their skeletal appearance. 

The show’s ultimate scene built tension as the trio attempted to escape Osborn’s haunted house. It started off strong—Myrtle dragging in the jack-in-the-box and Luca and Violet heaving in the book created a sense of urgency. To break the tension, comedic exchanges—particularly Violet’s reference to the closing of the well-beloved Terry’s—added a touch of reality and even humor. However, the pacing felt slightly uneven and even predictable; the trio quickly realized their key was too small, only to have Osborn dramatically reveal the correct one. The scene may have benefitted from a more creative or unexpected twist rather than a simple and predictable villainous taunt. 

The confrontation that followed was indeed intense, with Osborn rebuking Myrtle for her betrayal while Cornelius dragged in Elise. This scene highlighted Junior SING!’s acting strengths, especially through Myrtle’s defiance which added depth to their character. However, the dialogue could have been refined further to make the tension more impactful—Osborn’s anger and Cornelius’s blind loyalty were clear, but their lines bordered on repetitive and corny. 

Some of Junior SING! more dramatic moments were undercut by ill-timed comedic relief; Violet’s bird flu quip, for example, detracted from the emotional weight of Myrtle finally breaking free of Osborn’s control. Many of the show’s timely political jokes could have been more strategically placed to fit the tone of the show. 

The show’s penultimate song, “I Want It That Way,” was heartfelt, and the glow stick visuals from the dance crews helped unify the scene. The trio’s harmonies and the audience engagement helped smooth the transition, leading up to their spirit song, “Ghostbusters,” which made for one of the most passionate moments of the show; practically every member on stage fully committed to the energy of the show’s ending. A standout aspect of the juniors’ ending chant was the short yet exciting individual showcases that took place centerstage. This endearing and high energy finale was a fitting and triumphant close to the production, leaving the audience on a high note. 

Overall, Junior SING! took a haunted house and turned it into something much bigger—a story of friendship, adventure, and high-energy performances that kept the audience engaged from start to finish. While some moments fell flat—whether due to pacing issues or jokes that did not land—the cast and crew’s dedication made the show shine. The creative use of dance crews, detailed sets, and bold music numbers ensured that, even when the plot wavered, the energy never did. With a mix of humor, heart, and spectacle, Junior SING! delivered a production that—despite its flaws—felt fresh, exciting, and undeniably fun, proving that nothing brings people together like a haunted house, some zombie choreography, and a little bit of chaos.