'Freaky Friday' musical staging at PoCo's Riverside Secondary

Ellie Blake is having a bad day.

Her mom, a wedding planner, is about to get remarried and Ellie isn’t getting any time with her before the nuptials.

She’s not too keen on her soon-to-be stepdad and her brother is annoying her.

But when Ellie confronts her mother, the two somehow switch bodies — meaning Ellie is trapped inside her mom’s body while Katherine, the mother, is disguised as her daughter until they can find a magical hourglass to reverse the spell.

Such is the plot for the Disney musical Freaky Friday, a production opening Thursday, Feb. 1 at Port Coquitlam’s Riverside Secondary School.

As in past years, drama teacher and choreographer Nicole Roberge has double cast the show with alternate student–actors taking the leads:

Cavell Parsons (Ellie) and Emma Schultz (Katherine) perform on Feb. 1, 3 and 8
Madison Overbye (Ellie) and Scarlett Stratton (Katherine) perform on Feb. 2, 7 and 9

Aurora Wenzel, Grade 12, takes on the role of Ellie’s school nemesis Savannah for the show run, while Riel Paling, 17, Grade 12, portrays the girls’ crush, Adam — also for the seven public performances.

Stratton, 17, Grade 12, said last year’s Musical Theatre 10–12 class picked Freaky Friday as its winter 2024 production based on the student list for the upcoming year. It's also in contrast to its winter 2023 presentation: Little Women.

And the stars interviewed by the Tri-City News during a Pro-D Day rehearsal yesterday, Jan. 29, said they’re relishing their roles.

“It’s a lot of fun to play Savannah,” Wenzel, 17, said.

“She’s Ellie’s worst nightmare. She taunts Ellie all day because she's the popular girl. It gives me a chance to be mean, but I don’t take it off stage.”

Overbye, 16, who plays opposite Wenzel, said she’s learning how to move like an adult to convey the daughter-to-mother transformation by altering her voice, posture and mannerisms.

“Katherine is really uptight,” said the Grade 11 student.

“She’s different from Ellie. I can relate more to Ellie because she’s my age.”

For Schultz, it’s her third time playing a parent: Last year, she took on the mother character in Little Women while, in 2022, she starred as King Triton in The Little Mermaid.

Seeing the cast of 29 fit into their roles since last September “has really been incredible,” Schultz said.

“Everyone’s more comfortable and they’re bringing their own [personalities] to the characters.”

As for Paling, the Grade 12 student is making his début on a high school stage. He said he’s keeping a good attitude and looks forward to his family and friends watch him sing, dance and act for the first time.

“It’s all cool,” he said with thumbs up.

Coquitlam resident and SFU math undergraduate Jayda Grant, a 2022 Riverside alumna, is the musical director for Freaky Friday. Riverside teacher Claudia Durand is the producer.

Freaky Friday: The Musical runs from Feb. 1–3 and Feb. 7–9 at Riverside Secondary (2215 Reeve St., Port Coquitlam). Doors open at 6:30 p.m. for the 7 p.m. performances; there is also a 2 p.m. matinee on Feb. 3. Tickets are $13 online and $15 cash at the door on show nights.

Cast for Feb. 1, 3 and 8 shows