Skip to content

Peacock Collegiate to host 'Leader of the Pack' musical this week

The lead from Peacock’s very first musical, Paul Elliott, who graduated in 1970, will be attending the Friday showing at Centennial Auditorium. This year is the 51st annual musical produced by Peacock Collegiate *CORRECTED - Paul's name is spelled with two "T"s*
LOTP poster
"Leader of the Pack" by the musical theatre students at Peacock Collegiate will run this week

The lead from Peacock’s very first musical, Paul Elliott, who graduated in 1970, will be attending the Friday showing at Centennial Auditorium.

This year is the 51st annual musical produced by Peacock Collegiate. Their first musical ever was a production of “Lil’ Abner” in 1970. The lead was Elliott, who graduated that year. Elliott is returning to Peacock this Friday to see “Leader of the Pack” in Centennial Auditorium.

“Leader of the Pack” first ran on Broadway in 1985. It is about the life and career of singer/songwriter Ellie Greenwich. The majority of the plot is about Ellie’s relationship with Jeff Barry. The duo were one of the most prolific songwriting and producing partnerships of the ‘60s. They were married briefly in the middle of their partnership.

Even after Greenwich and Barry divorced, they went on together to discover Neil Diamond and write, produce, and sing for names like Ike & Tina Turner, The Supremes, and Cyndi Lauper. Greenwich sang background on many of the tracks she produced. A few of her biggest songwriting hits are:

  • “Da Doo Ron Ron” (The Crystals)
  • “Then He Kissed Me” (The Crystals)
  • “Be My Baby” (The Ronettes)
  • “Leader of the Pack” (The Shangri-Las)
  • “Chapel of Love” (The Dixie Cups)
  • “River Deep – Mountain High” (Ike & Tina Turner)

The popularity of the doo-wop music style, named for the nonsensical yet harmonious syllables often made up for specific songs, peaked in the 1950s and early ‘60s. However, some of doo-wops catchiest hits are still widely remembered and listened to.

Dustin Swanson, superintendent of school operations for Prairie South Schools, said, “Anyone who enjoys older pop music or wants to travel back to the 1960s will love this show!”

The cast has been preparing and rehearsing since mid-September. The production involves approximately 65 students, staff, and volunteers. It runs for 90 minutes, with a brief intermission bringing the time to about 2 hours. Tickets are $15 and are available from the Peacock Collegiate events website.

“We want to select a show that was able to accommodate a large ensemble,” director Ray Deans said, “(and that) appealed to a wide range of audiences… the doo-wop style of music (is) enjoyed by many age groups, and is fun to perform.”

Students in these productions take on a demanding work schedule. This is the first time Peacock has done “Leader of the Pack,” which means the preparation is even more intense. In addition to an hour of musical theatre class (grades 9-12) every day, the cast and crew often spend many hours in the evenings and on the weekends in order to put on the highest-quality show possible.

push icon
Be the first to read breaking stories. Enable push notifications on your device. Disable anytime.
No thanks