On Nov. 8 at 7 p.m., the curtains of Rock Ridge Performing Arts’ (RRPA) stage opened and gave way for the first-ever high school production of “The Prince of Egypt: The Musical.” From colorful lighting to extravagant make-up and costumes, RRPA produced the full-company show in only two months, starting the auditioning process in the second week of school. The theater program was selected as a pilot school by Musical Theater International (MTI), making RRPA the first high school in the nation to gain the rights to “The Prince of Egypt: The Musical” and to produce the play. 

Junior Raheem Richardson, playing the lead role of Moses, took on the challenge of leading the pilot production. “When I first got cast, and I realized I was the first high school Moses in the country, I was super shocked, but I have to carry that sort of responsibility — I have to make sure I do it the right way,” Richardson said.

“The Prince of Egypt: The Musical” is based on the DreamWorks animated film released in 1998, which captures the story of the Book of Exodus in the Old Testament of the Bible. The musical takes place in Ancient Egypt and portrays conflicts between people of power: the Pharaoh and his captured Hebrews. It also touches on the themes of family conflict, believing in faith, and searching for freedom. The story follows Moses, an Egyptian prince, embarking on a mission from God to save his people, the Hebrews, and lead them to a sacred place out of Egypt and away from Pharaoh Seti’s cruel reign. During his mission, Moses faces conflicts with the Egyptian reigning family, namely his adoptive brother, Pharaoh Ramses II, and Hotep, a priest, who are against freeing the Hebrews. 

RRPA’s fall musical didn’t disappoint with their special effects and set design. Instead of constructing a solid set, scenic designer junior Gavin Fortuno designed a main deck of three layers. Actors of the Hieroglyphic ensemble worked with building blocks made out of wood and foam, which were arranged to create sceneries on the deck, such as a boat on the Nile, the Pharaoh’s palace, and a marketplace. 

Throughout the duration of “The Prince of Egypt: The Musical,” several scenes were difficult to perform on stage, such as the parting of the Red Sea, the Nile turning into blood, and the voice of God talking to Moses. For these scenes, the tech crew worked to combine props, moving set pieces, and used lighting and sound to create special effects that communicated the scenes effectively to the audience. For example, when God helped Moses part the Red Sea, ensemble members moved blue curtains, representing the ocean, to either side of the stage, and dancers shoved building blocks, and combined with flashing lights, it was apparent to the audience that Moses had parted the Red Sea. 

Because RRPA was the first high school to perform the show, the tech crew, who designed lighting, sets and costumes, were left to their own imagination to inspire technical design elements. Senior Pranjal Deshmukh, who worked on the lighting crew, found it overwhelming to design the lighting because there was no previous material to get inspired by. “It’s very exciting because it’s the first time you’re putting this on a high school level,” Deshmukh said. “[RRPA is] setting the level of how the show works, and it’s a new experience because you can’t go on the internet and find people who’ve done it [before].”

Junior Angel Labosette, who played Hotep, found it more exciting than challenging to pilot the production. “At first, it felt like a little bit of pressure because we’re the first show; we got to set a standard,” Labosette said. “After a while, it honestly just felt like we’re doing our own thing – we’re doing what Rock Ridge is known for, so it’s fun to perform, and I’m just excited that we get the opportunity to be a pilot show and to represent this story and bring it to other people and to other schools.”

While RRPA is known for its colorful productions of plays that are both uplifting and meaningful, choosing to perform “The Prince of Egypt: The Musical” was unusual due to the great focus on religion and God. Although performing a musical with a religious perspective can be unifying for the audience who pursue the same religious values, the story “The Prince of Egypt” also led to disconnection, as the movie got banned in several countries (Malaysia, Maldives, Egypt) because of its portrayal of the voice of God and the visual depiction of the prophets, which goes against the rules of Islam. 

“Honestly, for me personally, it wasn’t [challenging to do a religious show] because I grew up Christian, so I already knew about the stories,” Labosette said. “I do know for other people, it’s a bit challenging rehearsal-wise because it kind of has to be ethereal: there’s the voice of God in it and really embodying that can be hard [for students who follow other religious values].”

As RRPA has turned to portray more diverse stories in recent years, its cast has changed. More fresh faces of new members and underclassmen performed in “The Prince of Egypt: The Musical,” than usual. Senior Pranjal Deshmukh finds it essential to build connections amongst the new team. “I think [the environment] always flows with each different class,” Deshmukh said. “I know my freshman year, it was very much ‘theater kid-like.’ The next year, it was different because we had a lot of people of color. I think every year with a new coming class of freshmen, the environment of the entire company changes, and so it’s about creating that vibe because it’s a moment of familiarity and connection — that [is something that is] still being built, so it’s going to be fun to see how it happens [in] the future.”

The musical ran through Nov. 8 and Nov. 9 and during a second week on Nov. 15 and Nov. 16.

Gallery • 7 Photos

Junior Raheem Richardson, in the role of Moses, is surrounded by actors of the Hebrew Ensemble as he performs “Deliver Us Reprise.” For Richardson, playing his first lead in the first production of the play felt daunting at first. “I have to memorize all my lines and all my songs,” Richardson said. “[I have to learn] maybe 15 songs in total, and I have over 100 pages of lines to learn. In the end, it was pretty easy.” Photo Courtesy of Scott Sikes