Start warming up those spirit fingers because 'Bring It On: The Musical' is wanted, it's hot, it's everything you're… waiting for.
Your favourite high school cheerleading story is back. All the drama and bitchin' one-liners can be found in the new stage performance. For the uninitiated, the story follows the West Coast Sharks cheerleading team as they struggle with high school drama while trying to focus on winning the championships.
Jaime HadwenThrilling from start to finish, sprinkled with sass, and inspired by the iconic film franchise, 'Bring It On: The Musical' takes audiences on a high-flying journey filled with the complexities of friendship, jealousy, betrayal and forgiveness. Nominated for a Tony Award for Best Musical, the 27 performers in this high-energy show perform elaborate aerial stunts, explosive dance routines and towering human pyramids that capture the audiences attention.
Jaime Hadwen, who plays Eva in the musical, is new to the cheerleading experience but this hasn't stopped her from tackling this new challenge early on in her career. “The first few throws are a bit terrifying and there is lots of squealing, but then you just get into it,” Jaime says. “A lot of the cast are dancers. So, being a dancer, you have some sort of ability to do flips and to do stunt-work but not everyone had cheered before. I think only four people had actually been a cheerleader before. So myself I had no cheer experience.”
Kat HoyosThere have been five movies in total, which proves the franchise made an impact. “I first saw the movie when I was an eight- or nine-year-old. Just growing up as a kid I think everyone had sleepovers and you would watch 'Bring It On'.”
Eva is a fresh-faced sophomore at her new high school who has set high standards for herself and constantly turns to her nasty side to gain every inch she can in achieving her goals. “Her dream is to be captain of the cheerleading squad. That is her goal. She has grown up living next door to Campbell who is the lead character. Since she was a little girl, she has been envious and jealous in a way and so she figured that she has to become Campbell. She has to be better than her and she has to take everything away from her.”
Eva has a drive and competitive spirit that is comparative to the attitude needed to perform in such a demanding musical such as this, night after night. “She is driven and she is motivated and I think that is the similarity between myself and the character. When she wants something I think she is going to try as hard as she can to get it. But I think the way she goes about it is not particularly the way I would do it,” Jaime laughs.
The story is very light-hearted and at times very goofy. There are many funny moments but the stage performance really brings to life the complexities and skill of the cheerleading itself. True to the films, there will be plenty of laughs, drama, thrills and breathtaking acrobatics and stunts. It is a combination that is not only welcomed but is also very unique for this type of story. “I think that is the exciting part is that people get to see something that they have never seen before.”
'Bring It On: The Musical' performs the Arts Centre Gold Coast 8-17 January.
