Pittarelli returns to the stage in “Freaky Friday”

Varsity soccer player and Editor-in-chief of the school newspaper revisits his passion for singing and acting

Mike (Pittarelli) and his soon-to-be family address wedding concerns during the ‘hunt’ scene.

Sydney Savage, Reporter

The drama club put on the musical “Freaky Friday” in April, and one of the lead roles was performed by our editor in chief, senior Noah Pittarelli.

Pittarelli expressed his feelings towards his overall experience in the play.

“It was very sad. Very bitter sweet because I am a senior this year, and it was my first bigger role, and I got to do it with some of the people I love and care about,” Pittarelli said.

Pittarelli was the male lead of Mike in the musical. He plays Kathrine’s fiancé. The musical is about a mother and daughter who switch bodies and learn to appreciate each other more than before.

The character and the dilemmas Mike faces are not foreign to Pittarelli. So, he expressed how his character compares to himself in real-life.

“Mike is a lot like me. I would say he’s kind of like that dad figure, and a lot of people look to me as a dad in high school,” Pittarelli said. “He was very good at rescuing his fiancé, Kathrine, and being there for his kids, or soon to be kids. He was a standup guy who knew how to handle those tough situations.”

Pittarelli shares who truly was his support system throughout the show’s progression.

“My top pick would be Carly Herbert because she is one of my best friends outside of the show, so we were super close,” Pittarelli said. “She really pushed me to do the musical my senior year, and I did end up getting a good role obviously. She helped push me to memorize my lines and really just work hard to put on a good show collectively for the cast.”

Being the lead male role in the play opened a door and granted new challenges for Pittarelli.

“The hardest part for me was definitely the acting and learning and memorizing those lines because it’s something

I’d never done before, so I was very nervous going into the show,” Pittarelli said.

Pittarelli talks about his favorite scene and what made it stand out to him.

“The wedding scene at the very end because the song that I got to sing with my best friend Carly and Savannah, the other lead,” Pittarelli said. “It felt really good to be able to do that and have that duet moment. It just sounded really good and made me excited to keep on performing throughout the other nights.”

The camaraderie was an exceptional thing for Pittarelli.

“Being in the organized group and being with people you know creates a special bond in terms of singing and acting and is very special to me to be able to have that experience,” Pittarelli said.

Though Pittarelli doesn’t plan to major in the arts, he does have a plan for the future.

“I intend to major in political science or national security, something of that sort. I definitely have a desire for American politics,” Pittarelli said.

Pittarelli realized his talent when he was approached by a teacher from his previous years.

“I didn’t really believe that I was that good of a singer until my eighth grade chorus teacher asked me to do All County Choir. That was kind of a selective thing that brought me to the next level,” Pittarelli said.

As the show progressed things became easier for Pittarelli.

“It kind of became muscle memory after the first couple nights because you know I had a few shows under my belt,” Pittarelli said.

Pittarelli appreciated broadening his circle of friends, even as his high school years was coming to a close.

“I think I built some relationships within some theatre kids that I don’t really hangout with outside of the musical, so now I do feel like I have those friends, and I’m a lot closer to them now,” Pittarelli said.

Pittarelli may not want to pursue a career in theatre, but he doesn’t want to remove it from his life completely.

“Depending on where I go to school, I may want to get involved in choir and possibly musical theatre if I have time, and if I’m really feeling up to it, but after this year I have really been more inspired to keep that stuff in my life and incorporate it into my life,” Pittarelli said.

Pittarelli reflected on his singing career through high school.

“Having to sacrifice something I enjoy, being singing, for something greater such as newspaper and my athletic activities, made me realize how much I actually missed it, “ Pittarelli said.

As Pittarelli moves on to the next stage of his life, he hopes the best for the arts program as a whole at Wake Forest.

Pittarelli said, “I advise anyone with interest in any aspect of the arts to pursue those interests. The arts program needs support, and we are very blessed to have the teahers and students that we do to make everything happen. There is nothing better than providing entertainment and laughs for the community.”