Conrad Birdie earned those oh-so-cool sunglasses he wears in Eastchester High School’s production of “Bye Bye, Birdie.”

But sophomore Sam Brown, who plays the title character – “a fine upstanding, patriotic, healthy, normal American boy,” if you believe his press agent – isn’t the only one donning the shades.

At a recent rehearsal, it seems nearly everyone’s got a pair.

“They’re a little sign for people to know who to look for if you want to do right and make the play better,” says Brown, a sophomore. “I earned mine before I got them as a prop, for being in character.”

It’s director John Gwardyak’s little incentive program. Want a souvenir of your time in “Birdie”? Earn one by setting a good example for others. Last year, “Seussical” role models earned red-and-white striped hats. This year, it’s sunglasses.

The only one to wear sunglasses on stage is the man, Conrad. Brown says the role is a stretch.

“It’s a challenge, because I’m not exactly a Conrad Birdie in real life.”

Is he saying he isn’t swarmed by girls everywhere he goes at Eastchester High?

“Let’s just say there’s a lot of excellent acting on the chorus’s part,” he says with a laugh.

Being on the receiving end of all that adulation is “something new,” he says.

“It’s kind of fun. Even though they’re acting, every move you make makes them swoon a little.”

Conrad is the stage embodiment of Elvis Presley, who swoops into Sweet Apple, Ohio, to bestow one last kiss on his adoring fan, Kim McAfee, before he’s inducted into the Army.

Brown says getting into character is as easy as putting on his hard-earned shades.

“I don’t usually wear sunglasses, so when I put them on, it’s definitely something different,” he says.

For every Conrad Birdie, there are dozens of screaming girls. They love him. Oh, yes, they do.

Jessica Reed, 14, is a freshman who plays the screaming, frantic Conrad Birdie fan Ursula Merkle, Kim’s best friend.

Asked about playing the role, Reed offered the following appraisal – without taking a single breath:

“I’m kind of like her. I’m very peppy, so it’s kind of a very easy role to play and it’s very fun to just fool around with because I get to be very hyper so whatever move I do, it’s kind of like ‘What’s next?’ ”

She’s not into Elvis, so Gwardyak told the screaming girls to imagine Brown as “whoever is on our wall.”

“I imagine Gerard Way from My Chemical Romance,” Reed says. “He’s my Conrad. He’s kind of dreamy and artistic.”

“Putting all your energy into it is really important,” Reed says, “so being as peppy as possible, especially for this kind of character, is probably a good idea.

“And that energy is infectious. If you’ve got it, people around you on stage get the idea.”

The “idea” at several points, is to scream and shriek at an ear-shattering decibel level at a pitch just below that audible only to small pets.

That’s what fans do.

And if they do it just right, they might earn their own sunglasses.

“Bye Bye, Birdie”Where: Eastchester High School, 2 Stewart Place, Eastchester.

When: 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday; 2 p.m., Sunday.

Tickets: $12; $8 for students. Sunday’s matinee, $6 for seniors and kids younger than 12.

Call: 914-793-6130, Ext. 4477.

With: Anna Leighton, Ariel Rehr, Brandon Salerno, Camila Sanchez, Catherine Dempsey, Catherine O’Keeffe, Celina Chiu, Charlie Russo, Cheyenne MacDonald, Christina Castiglione, Christina Rodriguez, Claire Schumacher, Connor Hassler, Cristina Izzo, Dana Celestino, Danielle O’Keeffe, Danny Doherty, Dan Kuhn, David Cartolano, David Fair, Dawn Zarnfaller, Elizabeth DeVito, Emily Meneghin, Gabriella Carr, Gabrielle Filiberti, Genn Tyler, Jackie Cangro, Jackie Vollmoeller, Jeff Kessin, Jessica DeCecco, Jessica Reed, Joe Blute, Julia Ribeiro, Kiera Fortunato, Lauren Bower, Linda Cartolano, Lindsay Pike, Lisa Farkas, Liz Jaipargas, Lyle Selsky, Madeline Collete, Madeline Landin, Madyson Spano, Mark Cartolano, Matt French, Matt Roberts, Max Rogers, Michelle Leone, Natalie Vukel, Nicole Tuite, Nina Quirk-Goldblatt, Patti McKernan, Patrick McManus, Pola Wallerand-Koch, Raina Gandhi, Rebecca Fix, Rebecca Moloney, Rebecca Patrona, Rebecca Rampersaud, Rebekah Dowdle, Ricky Flamio, Rio Ruess, Sam Brown, Sarah Spicehandler, Simone Norman, Steven Solano, Sylvia Lee, Tricia Connolly, Vincent Nanni, William Byrnes

Building Character

Watch video interviews with Sam Brown, who plays Conrad, and Jessica Reed, who plays Ursula, at www.lohud.com/localtheater.

“Bye Bye, Birdie”

Where: Eastchester High School, 2 Stewart Place, Eastchester.

When: 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday; 2 p.m., Sunday.

Tickets: $12; $8 for students. Sunday’s matinee, $6 for seniors and kids younger than 12.

Call: 914-793-6130, Ext. 4477.

Frank Wildhorn’s “Jekyll & Hyde” is certainly not Stephen Schwartz’s “Godspell,” which was director Ryan Spector’s first choice for Ossining High School’s spring musical this year. But Spector was overruled by district administrators who believed that Ossining’s recent theatrical offerings – Schwartz’s “Children of Eden” and “The Survivor,” about a Jewish resistance group in the Warsaw Ghetto – tended to the religious and that “Godspell” would continue that trend, as it is drawn directly from the Gospel according to St. Matthew.

So Spector and Kate Matthews, director of cultural affairs, scrambled to find another show. In late January, after the “Godspell” scripts had arrived, they announced that Ossining’s spring show would be “Jekyll & Hyde.”

Matthews said at the time: “Clearly, we’ve gone in another direction.”

Spector has taken “Jekyll & Hyde” in another direction, choosing to cast one actor as Jekyll and another as Hyde, rather than having one actor tackle both roles.

On Broadway, Robert Cuccioli switched from Jekyll to Hyde by sweeping his hair to the other side – the world’s most sinister comb-over.

In Ossining, Lee Saper’s Jekyll gives way to Michael Masullo’s Hyde in more elaborate ways, sometimes with a strobe light, sometimes with trick mirrors.

Spector says he’s been guided by the idea of mirror images of good and evil and of facades, the title of one of the show’s early songs.

The show begins with Dr. Henry Jekkyl’s line:

“In each of us there are two natures. If this primitive duality of man – good and evil – could be housed in separate identities, life would be relieved of all that is unbearable. It is the curse of mankind that these polar twins should be constantly struggling.”

Says Spector: “We’ve incorporated shadow images, with fully masked figures representing the devil who only Jekyll can see. When Hyde arrives, he sees these figures more and more. And the ensemble is in half-masks, except for the board of governors.”

The show is seen through Jekyll’s eyes, Spector says.

“It’s a hard role to sing, but splitting it makes it easier in a way, and it gives a great role to another actor.”

Saper and Masullo, both seniors, have worked together often. Last year, Saper played the evil role, as the sadistic dentist in “Little Shop of Horrors,” while Masullo played the mensch Seymour Krelborn.

Everything about “Jekyll & Hyde” is elaborate, Spector says, from the set to the costumes to the singing.

Jekyll’s intentions are sound, trying to rid evil from the world, but he inadvertently unleashes that evil, in the person of Hyde.

Saper says the action swirls out of Jekyll’s control.

“At the beginning, I had to drink something to become Hyde,” he says. “As the show goes on, it just happens more and more often without me doing anything to the point where it could be either at any point.”

Because there are two actors, audiences in Ossining will be treated to some fascinating stage wizardry, Saper says.

“We have a scene together – Jekyll and Hyde in the same scene,” he says. “He shows up in the mirror – and we’re both singing back and forth to each other. It requires a lot of concentration.

“The song is called ‘Confrontation’ and we have these cool two-way mirrors where you can see my reflection and him at the same time. That’s the whole idea of the duality of the character.”

Spector says the two actors are close enough in height to make the transformation believable. And their history helps, too.

“They’ve known each other for so long that I start to see some of Lee in Michael and some of Michael in Lee,” the director says.

“I’ll be the first to admit it’s not the best-written musical,” he adds. “You have to figure out ways to make things work, because – unlike ‘Little Shop of Horrors,’ which was impeccably put together – Wildhorn doesn’t give you any clues in the script. The challenge is making it fit on our stage in our budget with our kids.”

He has one guarantee: “Our Jekyll and Hyde are 100 times better than David Hasselhoff playing both roles.”

Masullo, 17, says the difficulty of playing Hyde – not the nice guys he’s played in the past – is rewarding.

“If you read into the play, it’s actually supposed to be a full physical transformation,” Masullo says.

“Most of the times, on stage, they’ll just put a cape on to become Hyde. Ours gives a new depth to that transformation and adds to the storyline, that there’s a completely different person inside Jekyll – and that’s Hyde.”

“I’m working on getting a sense of evil without a purpose, kind of like Iago of ‘Othello,’ ” he says. “Pure evil for the sake of being evil.”

He says his voice, and the inflection he chooses, goes a long way to building his character. A deeper voice with a snarl in it is much more menacing and brings his Hyde out of hiding.

Saper, who plays scientist Jekyll, has been advancing in several school science competitions. He finished fifth in a statewide competition with his research on a treatment for diabetic blindness.

That work, being conducted at New York Medical College in Valhalla, is a far cry from Jekyll’s good—versus-evil endeavors at the center of the musical.

Having a choice between actors gives Spector a choice as to how to play the final scene.

“Evil wins at the end of this play, and at the end, we’ve blurred the lines between Jekyll and Hyde to the point where we don’t know which one is Jekyll and which one is Hyde, good and evil,” he says.

Which is not the way “Godspell” ends.

“Jekyll & Hyde”

Where: Ossining High School, 29 S. Highland Ave., Ossining.

When: 4 p.m. Thursday; 7 p.m. Friday and Saturday; 2 p.m. Sunday.

Tickets: Free, but donations are warmly accepted.

Call: 914-762-5760, Ext. 365.

With: Scott Grieco, Adam DePaolo, Lee Saper, Alex Marcia, Sarah Shiovitz, Eric Edmonds, Andrea Denis, Yoav Schoss, Amanda Jacobi, Jen Hampton, Katie Lou-Ingraham, Monica Mimoso, Natasha Ristic, Caleb Fine, Wendy Temple, Regine Revilloza, Michael Masullo, Kimberly Stein, Ashley Henly, Rebecca Werner, Alyssa Washington, Alexandra Ingber, Elizabeth McMahon, Kristen Sigurdsson, Briana Kreamer, Edward Rylands, Devin Jerome, Kaileigh Corps, Andrew Grieco, Emily Loughlin, Brandy Abell, Oliver Parks, Mary Falcigno, Matt Powell, Samantha Lia, Julia Faiella, Dara Illowsky, Laura Hellmich, Rebecca Hellmich, Leah Castronova, Carina Scorcia, Briana Meikle.

Building Character

Watch video interviews with Lee Saper as Henry Jekyll and Michael Masullo as Edward Hyde at www.lohud.com/ localtheater.

Alexis Comerford, a 17-year-old senior at Sacred Heart High School in Yonkers, has plenty of brains and plenty of talent, but when she plays Lola in “Damn Yankees” this weekend, she’ll have to put an emphasis on the latter. Even though the show’s venue is the basement of a church, Lola is bent on seduction.

The show tells the story of Joe Boyd, a sad sack fan of the Washington Senators who’d sell his soul if his team would just beat the Yankees. He makes a deal with the devil and becomes Joe Hardy, a phenom who leads the Senators to greatness, but he’s finagled an escape clause that will let him wriggle free of the deal.

Sensing unacceptable defeat, the devil – Mr. Applegate (Patrick Murphy) – calls the netherworld for reinforcements.

He calls Lola.

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It doesn’t take long for things to head south for poor Little Red Riding Hood in Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine’s “Into the Woods,” the spring musical at Lakeland High School this weekend.

Shortly after the show begins, she’s on her way to her grandmother’s house.

Alivia Messina, 16, the Lakeland junior who plays Little Red, takes up the story from there.

“She’s really independent and she’s so excited to be going by herself to her grandmother’s house that she forgets to be careful, which is how she gets into the predicament with the wolf.”

“The predicament” follows the song “Hello, Little Girl,” sung by junior Joe McGrath, which includes the menacing line:

“Look at that flesh

Pink and plump

Hello, little girl.

Tender and fresh

Not one lump

Hello, little girl.”

Actors look for characters who grow, who have a journey, whose storyline has an arc. Little Red has all that, Messina says.

“I think she kind of favors him more because he opens her eyes to things her mother couldn’t do. She’s going through adolescence, in a way, where she just wants to be with new things and she doesn’t care about the repercussions of that.”

She soon learns better, after she and her granny are eaten whole.

“Granny’s with me in the stomach and she kind of prods me to be more protective of myself,” she says.

After she and Granny are freed from the wolf’s stomach, Little Red is never the same.

“In the song ‘I Know Things Now,’ she reviews everything that’s happened and wonders ‘Why did I act that way?’ – because she’s now not a little girl anymore,” Messina says. “She knows that once she becomes overly excited without thinking, she gets into situations like that.”

The lyric goes:

“And I know things now

Many valuable things

That I hadn’t known before.”

“She’s more protective of herself and she thinks about more than just having fun.”

Once she’s free of the wolf, there’s no stopping her. She’s a girl possessed, Messina says.

“She becomes a knife-wielder, sort of, trying to stand up for herself.

“She wants to help kill the giant. She wants to find out who to put the blame on for this whole situation. She’s right there in the action. She doesn’t want to miss anything anymore.”

In the song “Your Fault,” Little Red is taking no prisoners.

“I’m jumping around accusing everyone and trying to be the detective for this and trying to be the hero to place the blame on someone,” she says.

But that kind of high energy can become a little grating.

“She’s still a little girl, even though she’s learned all these things. She’s still only about 11 years old or so. And she’s still a little – we’ve used the word ‘bratty’ – but the audience tends to like her bratty side more than hate it.

“Hopefully I’m able to do that well,” she says. “But everyone can understand why she’s the way she is. She’s been through a lot.”

Little Red’s is the kind of transformation you find throughout “Into the Woods,” in which Lapine and Sondheim take the fairy tales we all know and turn them on their heads after the characters have gone on to live happily ever after.

“Ever after,” it turns out, isn’t long.

The Baker and his Wife are changed.

Jack of the Beanstalk is changed.

Rapunzel and her witchy mother are changed.

Cinderella is changed.

And so are those charming princes.

Director Michele Reuter sprinkles in other fairy tale characters in the transitions, making these very busy woods.

Still, Messina says she can identify with her character on several levels, not the least of which is her love for her grandmother. Messina’s lives across the street from the high school.

“After practices, I walk right over,” she says with a laugh.

“Into the Woods”

Where: Lakeland High School, 1349 E. Main St., Shrub Oak.

When: 8 p.m., Thursday, Friday and Saturday. 1 p.m., Saturday show for children.

Tickets: $8.

Call: 914-528-0600.

With: Kyle Salcedo, Sara Newman, JulieAnn Tripaldi, Ryan Dowd, Mickey DelVecchio, Jenn Jerussi, Sydney Mitgang, Lulu Pope, Lauren Dierlam, Elias Gregoriades, Alivia Messina, Mayanne Chess, Jenn Stanley, Nandanie Dudnath, Joe McGrath, Allie Lembo, Caroline Cregan, Josh Cohen, Mike Camussi, Chris Lovell, Christian Hall, Roman Nadolishny, Emily Griffin, Nicole Thomas, Veronica Midili, Naomi Rathbun, Lisa Gentile, Alex Berrios, Regina Spencer, Nicole Nasta, Jasmine Rosado, Jennilee Aromanado, Nicole Maccarrone, Michelle Pasciola, Rebecca Radparvar, Betsy Ackerman, Lauren Ramos Aguayo, Rachel Korngold, Sarah Cregan

Building Character

Watch video interviews with Joe McGrath as the Wolf and Alivia Messina as Little Red Riding Rood at www.lohud.com/localtheater.

Horton is hearing a Who on the big screen at the Mamaroneck Playhouse this weekend, but less than a mile away, seniors at Mamaraneck High School have Horton, the Whos and the Cat in the Hat – in the stage musical “Seussical.”

It’s the senior musical, a Mamaroneck tradition, and the big, sensitive guy with those sensitive ears is played by Gabriel Rodriguez, who at the moment is sitting on a nest.

He’s promised to sit on the egg he’s been watching and he’s going to do it.

After all, he meant what he said and he said what he meant. This elephant’s faithful. One hundred percent.

Rodriguez says the musical is a coming together of the senior class that “transcends boundaries.”

“It’s for the audience and for our parents and all that, but it’s really for us,” he says, “because it’s a cool way to look around at all the people that you’ve been with … for that last time before you go off.”

He’s a member of Mamaroneck’s PACE program, Performing Arts Curriculum Experience, a four-year program that exposes students to all aspects of music, dance and theater, except big-book musicals like “Seussical.”

“Horton is someone who’s alone in the universe, which is one of my songs,” Rodriguez says. “It’s a musical, so everything he’s feeling is out there in a song.”

“This is kind of a freaky jungle where, I guess, breeding doesn’t play into anything,” he says. “There’s one elephant and he’s alone and he’s bigger than anyone else. And that’s how it’s always been. He’s just ‘that huge guy.’

“They’re not very accepting in the Jungle of Nool and they wouldn’t be his friend. ‘He’s far too big to be my friend.’”

Rodriguez likes what he’s been hearing from the cast, many of whom are in their first musical, under Cal Chiang, who retired from the school last year but returns to direct this show (and coach the boys’ tennis team).

“Everyone sounds really awesome and Mr. Chiang knows what to do to have everyone be moving and have it be a bright stage picture,” Rodriguez says.

Carly Hachey, 18, has had some plum roles – the Fairy Godmother in “Cinderella,” Annie in “Annie” and Adelaide in “Guys & Dolls” – but they came when she was in elementary school.

This weekend, she’s back on the boards, playing Gertrude McFuzz, Horton’s sincere but frustrated love interest.

“I just love to perform,” she says. “I haven’t done it in such a long time.”

Her costume is something to see, she says. “I wear orange Converse sneakers, black-and-yellow tights, a pink tutu and a leotard with feathers and my hair’s going to be sticking out. No one’s going to notice me.

Kameron Smith plays the Cat in the Hat, the narrator who helps open the world of Dr. Seuss to a little Who named JoJo.

“My job is to test JoJo,” he says. “I throw in storms and snow and all these things to make it challenging for him to stay the tried-and-true thinker that he is. That’s my job.”

The songs – by Lynn Arens and Stephen Flaherty, are infectious, Smith says.

”’Havin’ a Hunch,’ one of the songs I sing, is really, really catchy and, if you’re not careful, you’ll find yourself singing it during the day, while you’re working, which is what I was doing today in class,” Smith says.

Years after he grew up with the book inspired by the character he plays, Smith is still learning from the Cat in the Hat.

“It’s kind of taught me how to mind my business, honestly,” he says with a laugh. “If you get yourself involved in too much, you kind of get yourself into trouble a lot. It’s also taught me to stay focused, because I do find myself daydreaming a wee bit in class and it does lead to trouble sometimes.”

Irvin Leon is in his first musical, playing Vlad Vladikoff, the eagle who torments Horton.

“It’s been a great experience to get to know what it takes to make a musical – the music, the dancing and the acting parts all combined,” he says.

“The monkeys hand me the clover where all the Whos live and I have to run away with it,” he explains. “I’m going to do it very ironic, satirical. Like, ‘Oops! I’m sorry! I dropped it. I have butter fingers. Sorry, I have to go.’ ”

This eagle might have been bitten by the acting bug.

“It would be a very nice experience to do this over and over again,” he says.

One hundred percent.

“Seussical”

Where: Mamaroneck High School, 1000 W. Boston Post Road, Mamaroneck.

When: 8 p.m., Thursday, Friday and Saturday.

Tickets: $12; $8 students.

With: Ana Badimon, Alison Becker, Liz Bell, Rachel Berger, Leigh Boorstein, Matt Burstyn, Jaclyn Campanelli, Will Carlyon, Julia Caro, Anna Carroll, Raquel Castro, Max Cliggott-Perlt, Elana Congress, Charlie Cronin, Ben Cruikshank, Carole Currey, Carly Defeis, Jeff Dobronyi, Sara Everhart, Ari Finard, Hannah Fleischman, Nick Florence, Jeremy Forsyth, Melanie Fox, Raissa Franco, Brian Gabel, Dayna Geldwert, Anne Giles, Vicki Goodman, Liza Gordon, Rachel Gordon, Nora Graubard, Charles Greenwald, Isabel Gregersen, Carly Hachey, Kathy Harwood, Jason Hellerstein, Willie Hermann, Katie Howard, Julia Kaplan, Amy Kirkham, Bianca Larrea, Mason Lee, Irvin Leon, Michael Lewen, Michael Levy, Alex Lubben, Sarah Lyon, Christina Melo, Elise McNally, Jamie Meyers, Alex Michaels, Emma Mintzer, Will Moore, Grace Novikoff, Hallie Pace, Vella Petrov, Marisa Phillips, Robin Porucznik, Louisa Pough, Kate Rainey, Betty Rathbone, Sarah Reibstein, Ben Roberts, Gabe Rodriguez, Leigh Rome, Eddy Rosen-Wallberg, Yuni Sameshima, Tom Saporito, Astrid Schanz-Garbassi, Eliza Scheffler, Willy Seife, Emily Selinger, Devon Serrano, Ellie Sher, Elise Sjostedt, Kameron Smith, Winnie Smith, Edan Soroker, Sarah Spangenberg, Julie Spielvogel, Lauren Strausser, Ruthie Tane, Emily Upton-Davis, Bella Valdez, Erika Valdez, Laura Vidler, Bryan Vargas, Sami Walters, Jonathan Williams, Emily Wilson, Elisha Yoon

The last time he was in a musical, Harper Pack played Admiral von Schreiber in “The Sound of Music.” at Robert E. Bell Middle School. He was in 7th grade.

“He didn’t sing, he didn’t dance and he had four lines, maybe,” Pack recalls with a laugh.

That’s a far cry from the title character in “Pippin,” the role Pack plays this weekend, in Horace Greeley High School’s senior musical.

Pippin, the son of Charlemagne, goes on a musical journey of exploration in Stephen Schwartz’s pop musical.

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When Maria sees Tony across a crowded gym in “West Side Story,” she’s echoing a long-ago stage moment – when Juliet first encounters Romeo in Shakespeare’s tragedy of star-crossed lovers.

When Amelia Coccaro plays that scene next weekend in Croton Harmon High School’s production of “West Side Story,” she’ll have a perspective on both moments: This Maria played Juliet in February.

Coccaro alternates in the role with junior Amy Secunda.

Joe Merriam, who directed “Romeo & Juliet” at Croton Harmon in February, had been wanting to direct a Shakespearean tragedy, so when musical director Ivelaw Carrington and director Greg Bradley suggested pairing the Bard with the musical adaptation of the same story, “it seemed like a great fit.”

“Romeo and Juliet,” which boils down to teens dealing with young love, was more accessible to them than, for instance, “King Lear,” Merriam says. “The emotions are right there for them.”

Merriam says Coccaro – who hadn’t played a lead before – was right for the part of Juliet.

“Her Juliet was young and impassioned – but very sensible. In the balcony scene, when Romeo’s talking about love carrying him over the wall, she was like, ‘How did you get in here?’ Very practical.”

Coccaro, a junior, hadn’t auditioned for the musical before, but had played a nun and a prostitute in “Measure for Measure” and was in “Cymbeline” last year.

Playing Juliet was difficult, she says.

“You have to spend a lot of time reading it and interpreting it. Otherwise, you won’t know what you’re doing,” she says. “It meant just going over it in my room several different ways to see which one works.”

Memorization wasn’t difficult, Coccaro says, except “the long bits” – the long speech that starts “Gallop apace, you fiery-footed steeds,” when Juliet is expecting Romeo on their wedding night.

She enjoyed playing the scene right after that speech, when Juliet “has to think rationally” after learning that Romeo has slain her cousin, Tybalt.

Now, she’s a young Puerto Rican girl whose new love, Tony, kills her brother, Bernardo.

“It’s roughly the same, but Maria is new to the whole culture. She hasn’t grown up there. Everything is new.

“I try to play her very innocently and open to new things,” Coccaro says. “Full of wonderment.”

There are differences, though, between Juliet and Maria, says the actress.

“Juliet knows her surroundings, but she’s more sheltered from the Montague-Capulet problems,” Coccaro says. “She’s told about it but she’s not there for it, whereas Maria is much more closely involved.”

At Croton Harmon, when Juliet encountered Romeo, “I didn’t see him at all. He comes up behind me and presents me with a flower. It was like he surprised me, but I was open to it.”

“In this, we both see each other from across the room and it’s more like a mutual love-at-first-sight thing.”

Juliet in that scene is more flirty and kind of holding off, Coccaro says.

“I think Maria is much more open to just go up to Tony and have a conversation. They’re both cautious, but they really want to speak to each other.

“Juliet was more coy, like ‘Not yet. I’m attracted, but I’m not there yet,’” she says.

Merriam will be there at Croton Harmon next weekend to see the musical retelling of the show he just directed.

How does it compare to “Romeo and Juliet”?

“I have no idea,” says Merriam. “I’ve never seen ‘West Side Story.’ I’m not a big fan of musicals – except ‘Sweeney Todd.’”

“But I’ll see these kids.”

“West Side Story”

Where: Croton Harmon High School, 36 Old Post Road, Croton-on-Hudson.

When: 7:30 p.m., Friday and Saturday; 3 p.m., Sunday

Tickets: $10; $5 students; free for seniors and children under 8.

Call: 914-271-2147.

With: Josh Brechner, Brian Crowley, Travis Crowley, Kellan Davidson, Adam Weinrib, Dan Kadish, Rachael Goetz, Kamille Perry, Joe Minkler, Max Weinstein, Charles Stahl, Aron Wiegand, Josh Resnick, Tommy Courtney, Katie Farnell, Emma Maclean, Dana Peters, Sarah Dinger, Paris Glickman, Caroline Bannon, Hunter Corbett, Hannon Welch, Andy Sold, Amelia Coccaro, Amy Secunda, Ethan Geringer-Sameth, Emma Lou Degroat, Amanda Smith, Matt Migliorelli, Cassie Samuels, Dara Kagan, Steph Zimea, Elissa Machuca, Michael Mianti, Jake Attias, Morgan Auld, Matt Ost, Quinn Thomas, Max Anderson, Aaron O’Brien, Caroyln Ress, Laura Potel, Allie Ivanoff, Hanna Rosenbaum, Julia LeDee, Steph Habib, Erika Lanzillotto, Adriana Pepjonovic, Kevin Soares, Jake Tuttle, Windy Aldeborgh, Brian Castro, Irene Corvinus, Emily Brandt, Stephanie Leshner, Christine DeFillipis, Kara Fallon, Ethan Chiel, Brittany Duffy, Arora Gill, Carli Geller, Anna Drabek, Dan McManus, Gus Dollinger, Elliot Lustig, Anna Callahan, Abby Reisner, Max Odland, Veronica Maisch, David Schaum, Hannah Rose, Eric King, Nicole Goldberg, Justin Goldsmith, Skuyler Perry, Rebecca Rose, Sylvia Lustig, Kyra Nolte, Hannah Moi, Noa Sager, Greg Haber, Joe Riedel, Joey Soucy, Branon Kovarivic, Matt Skalak

The title character in “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat” is an interpreter of dreams, but Barry Nelson – the Clarkstown High School South senior who plays Joseph this weekend – is living one.

“It is the biggest honor to have the lead in the musical, and I am thrilled,” says the long, lean 18-year-old. Next fall, he’ll head to Marymount Manhattan College to study dance – another dream come true.

But first, there’s the Andrew Lloyd Webber musical taken from the biblical story of Joseph. What happens to the title character is not exactly the stuff of dreams.

“My brothers, who are really nice in real life in school, try to kill me,” Nelson says. “They throw me in a pit and rip up my coat and tell my father I’ve been killed.”

Sold into slavery and later jailed, Joseph’s dream-interpreting skills come to the attention of the Pharaoh and he’s put in a position of power, where he enounters his brothers and forgives them.

For Nelson, Joseph is living proof that “good things happen to people who deserve it.”

Michael DeLucia, the show’s directror, says “Joseph” fit this year, because it has a lot of parts and a lot of lead roles.

“People can walk away saying they had a major part in a show,” he says. “And I love the music. You can bring your children to see it.”

Narrators Martina Weidenbaum and Kaitlyn Russo guide the audience through the story, which includes many musical styles, from rap to hoedown to a tap-dance number.

Martina Weidenbaum, 16, is one of the hardworking narrators. She was Peggy Sawyer in “42nd Street” last year, but sings a lot more this year, she says.

“You have to keep your focus for two hours,” she says. “The ensemble makes the show, definitely. They give us all the energy we need. They help us to paint the picture.”

And the ensemble and cast includes not just the usual suspects. DeLucia has recruited from all over the place to fill the South stage.

“Unlike past shows, we have a lot of different groups of people coming: gymnasts, football players and theater and music kids,” Weidenbaum says. “Even middle-schoolers in the choir.

“This show really brought together so many people and I think it’s going to make our school come together, too. Football players have been able to see that it takes a lot of work and it’s not a joke. And they’ve all been really nice about it.”

Mike McQuillan, a senior football player, plays Jacob, Joseph’s father.

It’s his first stage appearance since fifth grade, he says, when “I played a bush – bush No. 3 – in the Thanksgiving show.”

“I’m giving this a shot and it’s pretty fun,” he says, adding that DeLucia took the first step by asking him and other football players to participate.

“I told him I’d do it as long as it didn’t get in the way of track – I throw the shotput – and it hasn’t,” he says.

Senior Kaitlyn Russo, 17, is the other narrator who appreciates the final number, when the entire cast comes together. “There’s a good mix of serious and fun parts, too, which is what theater’s for – to let you experience different things,” she says.

The show puts a premium on the ensemble, whether they’re dancers, a student chorus or the Pharaoh’s girls – groupies to the Egyptian leader who acts an awful lot like Elvis.

Sophia Perri, a junior, is a dancer and one of the Pharaoh’s girls. “I’m friends with the Pharaoh, so it’s fun to go crazy for him,” she says.

Fifteen middle-schoolers are acting as a choir to augment the voices while the ensemble is dancing up a storm. Among them is Marie Giustino, 13, an eighth-grader at Felix V. Festa Middle School.

She likes what she’s seen in the first high school show in which she’s had a role.

“I can’t wait to be at this school,” she says. “I love working with these people. They’re so upbeat and funny.”

Caitlin Kant, is the assistant director. A junior who turns 17 today, she’s in charge of props and the program, has helped build the set and helped with posters. She describes her job as “a little of everything,” including appearing in the ensemble. That big-picture approach gives her a unique perspective, she says.

Part of that big picture is knowing that “Joseph” is a show within a show, with actors presenting the story of Joseph. As such, some of Joseph’s brothers are played by girls.

Kara McCarthy, 17, a junior from New City, helps move the story along as sort of a backup to the narrators, helping bring the student chorus into the action.

She’d never heard of the show before learning it would be South’s musical, but she says she likes the variety of musical styles.

DeLucia thinks the audience will like what they see.

“There’s a lot of comedy and sight gags here,” he says. “We’ve got a two-person camel suit, which is always fun.”

“Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat”

Where: Clarkstown High School South, Demarest Mill Road, West Nyack.

When: 8 p.m., Friday and Saturday; 2 p.m., Sunday.

Tickets: $12; $10.

Call: 845-624-3400.

With: Kaitlyn Russo, Martina Weidenbaum, Barry Nelson, Brittany Meshberg, Sara Cichorek, Kara McCarthy, Rosemarie Mastropolo, Tommy Hettrick, Ricky Jones, Annmarie Zito, Jake Allyne, Julianne Rocco, Adam Burque, Emily Fruman, Dan Schwartz, Joanie Danahy, William Rich, Ashleen Rowan, Allegra Kuney, Mike Brown, Malika Samue, Mike McQuillan, Patricia Salgado, Alex Sallahian, Allyssa Bosso, Shara Beitch, Erica Eisenstadt, Brooke Kallenberg, Kristyn Kamke, Madeline McCabe, Ariel Nickelson, Katherine O’Neill, Sophia Perri, Julie Quinn, Schyler Turrin, Chris D’Anna, Deejay Dewes, Cydney Gentile, Caitlin Kant, TJ Kilcarr, Mike Udaya-Kumar, Lisa Lang, Antione McGill, Tina Pace, Ariana Rudess, Johann Schmidt, Sarah Faye-Steckler, Marissa Weisberg, Bianca Boiano, Judy Buchman, Tony Finnerty, Kelsey Frost, Jordan Katz-Gerrish, Marie Giustino, Elizabeth Kantor, Alexandra Lockey, Jamie Mangalathu, Janaki Narayanan, Joanna Perez, Sarah Portney, Jacqueline Pulisciano, Alexis Ramirez.

Photo by Angela Gaul/The Journal News: Rosemary Mastropolo, far right, and Emilie Fruman, second from right, lead a conga line through the auditiorium as they rehearse “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat” at Clarkstown South High School in West Nyack.

For 22 of his 33 years teaching music at George Fischer Middle School in Carmel, Allan Dabkowski has spent his springs with Riffs, Mr. Bumbles and Yentes. This spring – his last before retiring – is no exception, as he takes the baton to conduct the Carmel High School production of “Fiddler on the Roof” at Fischer this weekend.

“It’s a challenging musical to coordinate with the stage,” he says. “It’s not as technically challenging musically as ‘West Side Story’ or ‘Crazy for You,’ which we did last year,” he says.

His orchestra is nearly all students, he says. Busy students.

“The kids who are part of this are pulled in so many directions because they are multi-talented,” he says. “They have a great sense of commitment and I just have great hopes for these kids for the future. And I’ve had so many of them over the years in class.”

As if to prove how many talents, Dabkowski – “Mr. D.” to cast, crew and pit – has two of his band members taking to the stage this year: First violinist Caterina Longhi is the title character; bass player Buddy Griffith plays Anatevka’s rabbi.

Longhi, 16, a tall junior, says she’s even taller when she’s atop the roof. When she’s finishes her scenes on stage, she’ll take her place in the pit, as Dabkowski’s concertmaster.

“He’s never too harsh, he’s always helpful,” she says.

He also knows what he wants – and he knew he wanted Longhi on that roof, a part for which she didn’t audition.

“They just cast me without letting me know,” she says with a laugh. “There’s not many violinists – but I’m OK with it.”

“I’m not an actress,” she says meekly, adding “they’ll probably yell at me, but the music is the big part.”

Buddy Griffith, a senior, has been practicing putting down his big bass and getting up on stage as the rabbi, the first acting job he’s ever had. He’s fairly sure his fake beard won’t get in the way of his work in the orchestra.

Playing in just his second show, he says musical theater orchestras are much different from concert work.

“You’ve got to keep watching, because everyone has to react to everyone else. Mr. D is directing us while he’s directing what’s going on on stage, but he also has to react if they do something not exactly as planned, so we have to be watching Mr. D. It’s heads-up,” he says.

Sara Gonzalez, a senior, is a clarinetist who was in Dabkowski’s class when she was at Fischer – as was her aunt before her.

“He’s very dedicated to his work,” she says. “A couple of years ago, for ‘Oliver!’ they were giving pep talks before the show and he gave a speech and was making people cry, talking about how he loved his job because he knew he was working with human beings.”

Trumpeter Chris Weisel, 17, is playing in his third pit under Dabkowski. He’s learned to mark his script carefully and to not look at the stage too often.

“If you do, a lot of times you’ll get caught,” he says.

Caught up in the action or caught by Mr. D.?

“Both,” he replies with a laugh.

“He’s one of the few guys who’s strict, but I don’t get uneasy with him when he’s strict because he’s a really nice guy.”

Perhaps that’s because he’s a church organist on the side.

Because he teaches in the middle school and most of his players are on the high school campus, Dabkowski doesn’t have the day-to-day contact of other high school musical directors.

“I can’t see them in the hall and remind them what to work on,” he says. “But every spring, the kids come through in the end.”

He says he’s proud to have been able to bring his orchestra through the challenge of “West Side Story” a couple of years ago.

“We worked every day and sometimes we’d work two hours to get through three measures,” he recalls. “We had four rehearsals a week from Christmas through to the show, but these kids pulled through. It was a fantastic experience.”

He chose to go out with “Fiddler” “because the music is beautiful and it really sends the message about the strength of people.”

For 22 years, Dabkowski, a tuba player, has been giving Carmel’s students an experience he never had.

“I was never fortunate enough to play a high school show,” he says.

“I’m going to miss the show aspect and conducting, but I will do more of it in the future,” he says.

“I’ve enjoyed every minute of it.”

‘Fiddler on the Roof’

Where: A Carmel High School production at George Fischer Middle School, 281 Fair St., Carmel.

When: 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday; 3 p.m. Sunday.

Tickets: $12; $10 students and seniors.

Call: 845-225-8441, Ext. 478.

With: Lauren Lanzotti, Lisa Trejo, Alyssa Paletta, Stephanie Fernandez, Teresa Peters, Samantha Gilbert, Christie DiJusto, Ashley Gilliland, Deb Bjornsti, Deanna Demotta, Lucy O’Shaughnessy, Stephanie Freitas, Miranda Sanchez, Nathaniel Phillips, Michael Matessino, Brian McIntire, Dennis McDaid, Chris Zahakos, Jon Gonzalez, Jon Somer, Michelle Nicotera, Kevin Douchkoff, Alethea Schepperly, Lindy Toczko, Rebekah Nappi, Claire Budzinski, Donna Matrician, Kaitlyn McArthy, Jessica Schneider, Chris Ramirez, Dylan Lovett, Andrew Rojas, Mike Castro, Buddy Griffith, Sebastian Savino, Nick Zahakos, Pat Lovett, Danielle Scofield, Nicole Maiorano, John Servider, Jack Dougherty, Carly Flagg, Emma Burke-Covitz, Caterina Longhi, Catalina Morini, Grace Trippodo, Allison Bauman, Aja Broderson, Alex Klien, Dana Castro, Tara Annunziato, Nicole Babu, Linh Le, Aislinn Breslin, Dana Irwin, Rachael Cea, Michelle Ciofreddi, Anna Niskanen, Caitlyn Savio, Nic Baldenko, Chris Weisel, Estlin Link, Alex D’Apice, Carrie Enkler, Sean Donnelly, Kim Griffin, Katie Clement, Mariana Dresner, Chris Diskin, James Donnelly, Kathleen Cordero, Brian Goepfrich, Ilena DeRose, Peter Ballantoni, Mark Ravetto, Alejandra Romero, Kelley McCabe, Rayon Al-Shahirani, Maria Longhi, Marielle Campbell, Samantha Monzillo, Kimberly Palacios, Kevin Johnson, Kayla VanName, Keith Lauria, Katelyn Steike, Allyson Weisel, Laurel Lovelett, Emily Mikucui Elizabeth Roscoe, Amanda Napolione, Courtney Skillman, Sara Gonzalez, Rachel Panny, Carly Lovelett, Emma Link, Leara Broderson, Mariel Perschilli, Brittney Carrasco, Shayna Pellino.

Photo by Dave Kennedy/The Journal News: Conductor Allan Dabkowski directs his orchestra during a rehearsal of the Carmel High School production of “Fiddler on the Roof.”

There’s plenty going on in Gilbert and Sullivan’s “Iolanthe” at Tappan Zee High School this weekend. There’s the long-banished title character, played by Melissa Hirsch of Palisades, who emerges from a froggy pond to the delight of the fairies whose dances she once choreographed.

There’s her half-human, half-fairy son, Strephon, played by Brett Herkowitz of Tappan, who is hopelessly in love with the lovely Phyllis, ward of the Lord Chancellor. But who isn’t?

There’s Phyllis, played by Blauvelt’s Amanda Rossi, whose loveliness has captivated the entire Parliament.

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The way Jeff Rizzi sees it, the small-town Iowa and small-town New York are not much different.

Rizzi, who turned 18 yesterday, plays Harold Hill, the smooth-talking title character of Meredith Willson’s “The Music Man,” playing this weekend at Haldane High School in Cold Spring.

“He’s a big, over-the-top character. I get to dance some pretty good dances and my dialogue is pretty funny. I’ve never played anyone like him before,” he says.

The Haldane senior says the river village of Cold Spring is a lot like the musical’s fictional River City, Iowa.

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“Footloose” is known for its fiery preacher, the Rev. Shaw Moore, played memorably by John Lithgow in the film – but Ramapo High School’s production of the stage musical “Footloose” this weekend is likely to have at least two preachers in the audience, too.

Senior Narissa Williams plays Ariel, Moore’s rebellious daughter and she’s the real-life daughter of Pastor Gordon Williams, at Bethel Gospel Assembly in Harlem.

“They said ‘No, we’re not typecasting,” but in a way they are,” she says with a smile.

Being a pastor’s daughter comes with expectations, Williams says.

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