‘Surf’s Up!’ hits the stage at RMMHS this week

The Rocky Mountain Middle/High School musical this year is “Surf’s Up!”

Written by Craig Sodaro and Bill Francouer, the Beach Boys-style musical comedy is about a cranky old Italian immigrant, Luigi Barone, who owns the Surfin’ Burger, a hangout on the best surfing beachfront in Kahuna Beach, California.

Luigi, his daughter and his two granddaughters serve up great Italian food to the teen surfers and other assorted customers at the beach. Luigi is sad to see his granddaughters lose the ways of the old country, especially when one falls for a new guy who is not Italian and not a doctor. To make matters worse, a flock of enthusiastic birdwatchers invades Kahuna Beach looking for a rare species.

Worst of all, a wily land developer wants to buy — or steal — Luigi’s property for his new hotel and casino. When Luigi refuses to sell, the developer makes life miserable for everyone. Only a mysterious artist can bring Luigi back to his senses and help him realize he needs to accept help from those he almost chased away.

“Surf’s Up” features great Beach Boys-style music with large chorus numbers sure to have the audience tapping their toes and itching to hop on a surfboard themselves, publicity for the stage production states.

“Surf’s Up” will be staged tonight (Thursday) and Saturday at 7 p.m. at the RMMHS Commons.

Cast members are:

Surfin’ Burgers Crew – Jiggs Yellowtail as Luigi Barone, Lili Wenstrom as Anna Romano, Katie Badget as Maria Romano and Jameeliv Brost as Gina Romano and the voice of Rosa; Rowan Hanusa, Gwynff Bodtke, Landon Pruett, Millie Hanusa, Ruth Beyer and Stacia Tippetts as surfers; Alex Walker as Eddie Hayes and Ady Johnson as Connie; Grace Beyer, Ady Johnson, Cameron Minchow, Liam Anderson and McKayla Davison as real estate con men; Emma Collins, Ashlynn Davison, Harper Griffin and Finnley Weinand as bird watchers and Jillian Weinand and Nevaeh Bisby as tourists.

“Surf’s Up” is directed locally by Dorine Strom and Mandie Asay, with choreography by Emilie Asay. The pianist is Lorrie Brost.