On April 13, 14 and 15, the drama club will be performing the musical “42nd Street.”

“I’ve been talking about just how big it [the musical] is,” drama adviser Benjamin Cossitor said. “And when I say big, I mean it’s just over the top in every way you can imagine.”

“42nd Street” is a show within a show. It tells the tale behind the production of a musical and all of the drama and internal conflict that accompanies it. According to Cossitor, it is famous for its over-the-top dance numbers.

“Mrs. Dugan [the choreographer] and I have been working together for almost a decade, so we know each other’s style and how to communicate with each other,” Cossitor said. “With big dance breaks, she gets free rein to do what she wants.”

Last year, the drama club performed the Disney musical “Newsies.” There was one tap dancing number in the show, along with two other featured dance numbers.

“We had done a lot of dance work for ‘Newsies’ and worked that with our current group of kids,” Cossitor said. “We wanted to take advantage of going to the next step, which would be a huge tap dance show.”

There are a total of three tap numbers in the show. These three numbers are the featured dances, with other types of dance being included into the show. Junior Ethan Eisenhart has been tap dancing for two years.

“We learned tap last year for ‘Newsies.’ I fell in love with tap dancing, and I enjoyed it a lot,” Eisenhart said.

“42nd Street” will be Eisenhart’s second high school musical. He will be playing the part of Billy Lawlor.

“I just felt like it [the role] called for me to audition,” Eisenhart said.

Eisenhart’s castmate, senior Keira Mayhue has done three musicals in her high school career. She will be playing the role of Peggy Sawyer.

“I’ve never had a big role,” Mayhue said. “When I found out we were doing ‘42nd Street,’ I decided it was my moment, and I was going to work hard to earn a big role I hadn’t had before.”

Mayhue wants those who watch the show to take home messages from her character and the show itself.

“I want people to see that when you work for your dreams, you can achieve them. Both for me working so many years for a leading role, and Peggy working hard to become the lead in the show,” Mayhue said.

The cast and crew have been working for eight months to put the show together.

“If you include the dance workshops as our start, we’ve been working since September on the dances. We’ve been working on the sets since November, after the fall play,” Cossitor said.

The show’s cast, crew and directors have faced challenges while preparing for the show.

“The dance numbers are huge,” Cossitor said. “The sets are huge, because this show demands it. Everything about it has been a challenge, but we’re getting there.”

Eisenhart acknowledges challenges like these, but still encourages others to join the club in the future.

“Go into it expecting things not to be easy at first. There will be days where you’re exhausted or upset, but don’t let people walk all over you,” Eisenhart said.

Tickets for the show can be purchased at Altoona ASD The pricing is $5 for students and $10 for adults. Tickets will also be sold ahead of time in the student store, and there will be box office hours in the lobby from 3-4:00 p.m. on April 10, 11 and 12. Those purchasing tickets online will assume an extra credit card fee of $1.50.