'Aladdin' on stage at Delone

One of the show’s major plot points is that Aladdin is “a diamond in the rough,” someone whose potential isn’t immediately apparent.

That was also true of the student playing the title role, who has no prior acting experience, director Gabi Cranga said.

She didn’t have an Aladdin in mind when she chose the play, but William Frizzell has been “doing a fantastic job” from the moment he stepped on stage, Cranga said.

The junior previously played drums in the pit orchestra for Delone’s production of “Seussical” and has performed with several of the school’s musical ensembles.

Cranga said she chose the show because “everybody loves Disney.”

The student playing the Genie couldn’t agree more.

Emma Wilson, who transferred to Delone as a senior, said her family owns practically every Disney DVD.

“I love how outgoing and spunky the Genie is,” she said, and brings such qualities to the role.

“I’ve always been a theater kid” and “I think I’m definitely a goofy person,” she said.

Working with the cast and has been “actually really, really great” because everyone is dedicated to helping one another, she said.

Wilson previously appeared in Delone’s production of “You Can’t Take It With You.”

“I love to sing,” she said.

Participation in the theater program has grown from approximately a dozen students two years ago to about 50 now, Cranga said.

Students “keep coming back,” she said.

And so do alumni who remain dedicated to theater and “care about Delone,” Cranga said.

Cranga is not only an English teacher, but also a 2017 graduate.

Working on the show with Cranga are four fellow alumni with whom she said she formerly shared the stage.

The alumni and their class years include technical directors Joel Reiner ’17 and Joseph Staub ’16, choreographer and vocal coach Marilyn Lopes ’15, and costumer and music director Elizabeth (Rink) Reiner ’18.

Cranga “is still in disbelief that she is staging her fifth theatrical production at Delone Catholic,” according to the show’s program.

Other cast members include Kali Hilfiger as Shop Owner, Kaitlyn Noback as Kassim, Gabriella Sky Erdman as Babkak, Dante Tapia Pujals as Omar, Timothy Martz as Razoul, Collin Kuhn and Ivy Nieves as Guards, Maria Marchak and Klara Neustadt as Beggars, Riley Slee as Apple Vendor, Paige Bruton as Fortune Teller, Layla Mohning and Emily Flynn as Prince Abdullah’s Attendants, Maddox Glass as Prince Abdullah, Annalise Woolford as Iago, Laurence Derkasch as Jafar, Matthew Leon Abanto as Sultan, Maggie Murry as Jasmine, Josie Schussler as Jasmine and Manal, Sara Lawson as Isir, and Emma Bunty as Rajah.

Fifteen ensemble members and 19 stage crew members are also crucial to the show, which is to take place in the gym of the school at 140 S. Oxford Ave., McSherrystown.

Tickets are available via a link on the school’s website, www.delonecatholic.org, and cost $10 for adults, $8 for students through 12th grade, and $25 for families, including up to two adults plus students.