Lion King to roar into town

The first-ever Champlain Valley Union High School summer musical, The Lion King, will be performed Aug. 11–13. Carl Recchia is the choral director at CVU and musical director for this production. His son, Ben, a 2016 CVU grad, is directing. Benjamin directed two shows at Charlotte Central School, Peter Pan and Seussical. Mary Recchia is the costume designer/builder.

Ben, 19, said his duties include everything from choreography to production design. His biggest challenge has been “learning to communicate with so many different people for countless components of the show. In learning how to do this, I feel that I have gained a lot of confidence that I use often in other times of my life.”

Speaking of challenges, they chose Lion King because it is challenging, has a valuable message and provides opportunities for a hard-working ensemble to shine, Ben said. “Portraying a classic movie on the stage is difficult, and trying to emulate a Broadway show is even harder, so we have done neither. We decided to create our own Lion King by emphasizing characters and plot points that really communicate the message of the show.”

The cast is comprised of all rising freshmen and sophomores. Shows are Aug. 11–13 in the CVU Theater. Friday and Saturday at 7:00 p.m. and Sunday at 2:00 p.m. Reserve tickets at the CVU website.