Chickens, accordions, squats, and whales! The Loomis Chaffee musical will be one to watch.

Lauren Volkodav ‘22 and Priya Rajaram ‘21 sat down with actresses Eva Millay Evans ’21 and Olivia Zoga ‘21 to find out more about the musical debuting in the NEO. The musical, The Old Man and The Old Moon, is a folk story about an old man who works filling up the moon with liquid light and must travel the seas to search for his missing wife.

Eva explained that, rather than having a cast, the musical is an ensemble, meaning each actor/actress plays multiple roles. She described her personal experience, “For me, at one point I am a sailor, and at another point, I am a chicken. I am also a chef who doesn’t know how to cook!”

When asked about the musical, fellow actress Olivia Zoga ‘21 commented, “I don’t want to give any spoilers, I will say that there’s going to be a lot of puppetry, interesting props, and cool scene work! I can’t say much more than that, though, as I’ve been sworn to secrecy.”

Not only will the actors/actresses be acting and singing, several of them, including Eva, will be performing a musical instrument such as the guitar, piano, violin, bass and possibly an accordion!

When asked about the set on the musical, Eva said, “the set is really simple… it is a very intimate production, and lots of puppetry is involved.” Though the NEO is often described as being “very crazy,” Eva enjoys the production and the tightness of the group. To her, “there is not a lot of competition or pride” but instead, “there’s a lot of compassion and companionship.”

Eva enjoys the production, especially the tightness of the group. Eva explained the NEO is very hectic during but, “ there is not a lot of competition or pride, there’s a lot of compassion and companionship.”

But, the theatre is not all fun, singing, and games. Surprisingly, the theatre warmup’s physical challenge rivals that of any varsity sport. The warmup is filled with squats, pushups, and crunches.  Apparently, the warmup is especially challenging when senior actor Ryan Natcharian leads the exercises. In addition, the five-hour rehearsals are no easy feat either.

As production week approaches, the crew is working harder than ever to perfect each detail of every scene.  The ensemble has a strong work ethic and is proud of their achievements so far. It’s a good work ethic because we are so close. Although the ensemble has a lot of work left to do, “They want to perform well for the faculty and their friends.” The ensemble aims to relax and enjoy the musical experience, “ you shouldn’t worry about how people are going to judge you so I think that will be the best.”

All of the singing, squatting, acting, and hard work, forces every musical participant to keep busy, but we all are very excited about the show!  

Olivia Zoga’21 urged the community to come watch the musical stating, “there will be very cool light tricks and excellent acting (of course!) The Old Man and the Old Moon is a show unlike anything the NEO has done in recent years. It has a very folktale feeling to it.”

Eva also inputted “I think people who come see it are going to leave shining very brightly!” Come February 13th, the Loomis community will prove her right.

The Old Man and the Moon will be performed from February 13th to February 16th.