School musical season is upon us

With the showing of the

Project Runway

finale Wednesday, those seeking a fashion fix can get it from an unlikely source: a high school musical.

The Moorestown High School production of

Aida

features the innovative designs and over-the-top glamor that have come to characterize Bravo's popular show.

The musical, running through Saturday, features music and lyrics by Elton John and Tim Rice and tells the ancient story of star-crossed lovers Radames, an ambitious Egyptian captain engaged to the daughter of the pharaoh, and Aida, a Nubian princess enslaved by the conquering Egyptians.

But battling the actors for center stage at a recent performance was the show's costume design, which featured more than 200 outfits and multiple costume changes.

"It's been very different from all the other shows here, where the students wore one costume the entire time," stage and vocal director Jeanne Haynes said.

Moorestown is one of many high schools around the region where students are going through the time-honored tradition of staging a springtime show.

Other productions include Delran's

Fiddler on the Roof

, Cherry Hill East's

The King and I

, Lenape's

Grease

, and Bishop Eustace's rendition of

Damn Yankees

. In Pennsylvania, Owen J. Roberts High School, in northern Chester County, also is tackling

Grease

, while other productions have included Cole Porter's

Anything Goes

at New Hope-Solebury High School and

West Side Story

at Methacton High.

Though many productions use rented costumes or clothes donated by students, the sheer number of characters and clothes in

Aida

posed a significant challenge to the cast and crew.

Amneris, Radames' betrothed, wears some of the most extravagant outfits, including a burgundy robe, purple satin sheets, and a wedding dress complete with a veil made of 40 yards of ribbon and iridescent beading.

Adding to the already daunting task was the show's double cast. All of the main actors, except for Jillie Staffiera as Aida, perform on alternate nights, meaning the costume designers often had to make two of every outfit.

Parents and students alike pitched in, sewing yards of fabric into dresses, robes and soldiers' uniforms, and scouring thrift stores.

"That's from my mother's closet from the '70s," Ruth Larkin Agnew, a parent volunteer, said as she pointed out a decidedly retro, red-print shirt worn by the slave character Mereb.

Thrift

has been a key word, as the budget for the show is financed entirely by past ticket sales and advertising revenue from the programs.

Aspiring designers also got a chance to showcase their work. Students from the school's fashion classes were encouraged to submit their design ideas for the fashion show scene of the musical. Actresses paraded down a runway in hot-pink feathers, a pyramid-inspired dress, and even one purple bubble dress strung with rows of glowing white lights.

"I have an interest in fashion, so it was fun," said freshman designer Jillian Boehm.

Costume director Georgean Wardzinski was particularly impressed with the students' abilities and enthusiasm.

"I was elated to have the students be involved and it gave us a whole different dimension because we were able to mentor the students, and particularly the students who had no previous interest in musical theater," she said.

Wardzinski, Haynes and other volunteers began planning and designing the costumes six months ago, borrowing some concepts from the Broadway version but creating many original designs in order to complement their young cast.

More than 40 parents and students collaborated on the costume production.

"It really resembles old-time quilting circles, except you're sewing something like a belt for a fake sword or a wedding dress that no one will ever get married in," Agnew said. It's "surreal and fun."

The results certainly paid off for Agnew's daughter Grace, one of the students playing Amneris.

"Every moment, every song, is pure joy," the actress said.