Upper School students imagined themselves this month in the roles of the cast of John Lennon & Me for the Upper School play, which took place October 10-12.

Faculty Member, Aaron Lopez, directed the play, which follows Star, the ultimate Beatles fan, who has her path stymied by cystic fibrosis, an inherited disease that assures a young death. Star spends most of her time in the hospital, where she confronts fate with imagination, by surrounding herself with imaginative bodyguard Flunkies and ‘morphing’ her dreaded therapy nurse into a pro-wrestler. As the play progresses, Star gets a new roommate, Courtney, who is Star’s opposite—a pretty cheerleader and apparently not very sick. Neither girl knows much about the other’s world, but eventually they come to understand each other, and ultimately, themselves.

Director Aaron Lopez said the play held a special place in his heart. “It was the first show that I ever directed over eight years ago,” Lopez said. “My lead in that show attended my wedding, and my wife and I returned the favor just a few short months ago at her wedding. I lost a family member, my cousin Joey, during my first run of this play. Needless to say, the first time I directed John Lennon & Me, the emotional and sentimental attachment to the show was set in stone. This group of kids made perfect sense for this show to make a revival of sorts.

The show was cast in the first full week of school, and the group worked together throughout the month of September to prepare for the play’s debut. Lopez said the school community really came together to execute the details of making the play a success, including building the set over the course of two weekends with the help of many cast and crew as well as a handful of parent volunteers.

“The biggest takeaway is to live life to the fullest – a message that we all could use a reminder on,” Lopez said. “Star’s journey might not look identical to our own, but nearly everyone found a way to relate to her.”