The MTHS drama department is set to premiere their first musical of the year, “HONK!”, tomorrow at 7 p.m. and will continue through Saturday, Apr. 23.

“HONK!” is a musical adaptation of the popular story of the Ugly Duckling. The main character ‘Ugly’ is played by sophomore Paul Pratt, and throughout the play struggles to fit in with his other siblings due to looking different from them. Throughout the course of the musical though, Ugly learns that being different isn’t necessarily bad.

As it is their first musical, Pratt and sophomore Abbie Apana, playing the role of Ugly’s mom Ida, listened to their parts and took vocal lessons in preparation for “HONK!.”

“It’s difficult to incorporate singing, acting and dancing all at once,” Pratt said.  

Aside from the singing aspect, Pratt took the time to rehearse in a more realistic setting.

“To get into character, I will take the events that are happening on stage and try to relate them in real life to get genuine feelings,” he said.

From the performance, Apana and Pratt hope the audience learns that being different is OK and should not be looked down upon.

“A difference is something you should love about yourself,” Pratt said.

The drama students have invested months of effort into arranging and practicing their rendition of “HONK!”

“There were a lot of good people [that] put this together,” Apana said. “It takes a lot of dedication.”

Tickets are $10 general admission and $8 for children, seniors and students with ASB cards, all sold at the door.