On March 10 and 13, 700 pairs of eyes followed the “The Lion King” cast as they sang and danced across the Upper School stage.

The middle school production of “The Lion King” was the best-selling show in CESJDS history according to Director of Arts Education David Solomon. Both performances were completely sold-out, with approximately 350 audience members per night. During the Thursday night performance, 90 percent of tickets were purchased prior to the show, and the remaining 10 percent were bought the night of the performance. Sunday’s show was completely sold-out during the pre-sale.

When deciding which middle school play to perform this year, Solomon knew “The Lion King” was the definitive choice. This year Musical Theatre International, a theatrical agency which contracts musicals, released the rights for an hour long version of the performance.

After the musical was announced and auditions were completed, rehearsals began four, and later five days a week. The rehearsal schedule, however, was interrupted due to the blizzard that took place in January. While the snow caused many missed rehearsals, Solomon was impressed with the cast for not letting this prevent them from being “phenomenal when they put on the show.”

“They exceeded any and every expectation that you would … have for a cast that lost so many rehearsals,” Solomon said.

Eighth-grader Coby Siegel did not let the missed rehearsals deter him from preparing for the lead role of Simba. Siegel would run lines every night and practiced singing and dancing to the music. He was not nervous during the shows, and appreciated the whole experience.

“I learned how to be a better performer, how to command the audience’s attention and how to memorize things fast,” Siegel said.

While Siegel was preparing to perform, behind the scenes the stage crew worked to get ready for the show. Freshman Hadas Dubrawsky was on stage crew for the musical. She worked backstage, moving sets and changing microphones during the shows. Dubrawsky especially enjoyed the responsibility of her job.

“[I liked] being part of a cohesive unit, helping the play move along and work,” Dubrawsky said.

The performance was a favorite for freshman Ilana Kaplan. While watching the show, she enjoyed the musical numbers and the impressive sets.

“The middle school can surprise you,” Kaplan said. “They are more talented than people give them credit for.”

Solomon feels that theater is one big group project, and that every single person has a responsibility in order for the show to be successful. During both shows, he savored the moments of watching the 55 hardworking students put on their performance.

“Everybody has to do their role to the best of their ability, and my favorite part is watching all of those puzzle pieces come together and seeing the magic happen,” Solomon said.