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<p>WILKES-BARRE &#8212; First the Misfits, then the Mermaid.</p><p>As 17-year-old Nataliya Scarantino explained before a recent rehearsal of Broadway show tunes, she and other GAR High School students who enjoy theater haven&#8217;t had a chance to take part in a play at their high school since &#8220;Hairspray&#8221; and &#8220;You&#8217;re A Good Man, Charlie Brown&#8221; three and four years ago.</p><p>But the recent closing of part of nearby Coughlin High School &#8212; including that school&#8217;s auditorium &#8212; because of structural damage has moved Coughlin&#8217;s drama activities to GAR, where the newly formed Coughlin/GAR Players will present &#8220;The Little Mermaid&#8221; March 3-6.</p><p>&#8220;I&#8217;m really glad we had the chance to merge with Coughlin and get drama again,&#8221; Scarantino said, as her school mates, Maggie Dishong, 17, and Jarod Engle, 15, nodded.</p><p>Before they dip their feet &#8212; or fins &#8212;into that show, they&#8217;ll be part of The Misfit Players presentation of &#8220;Rockin&#8217; Through Broadway: A Musical Revue,&#8221; set for Jan. 15 through 17 at GAR.</p><p>It&#8217;s not a school production; The Misfit Players are an independent group that previously used Coughlin&#8217;s space. This week, 28 of the Misfits, with an age range of 8 to 22, have been practicing such songs as &#8220;Let&#8217;s Hear it For the Boy&#8221; from &#8220;Footloose,&#8221; &#8220;Aquarius&#8221; from &#8220;Hair,&#8221; &#8220;Pinball Wizard&#8221; from &#8220;Tommy,&#8221; &#8220;Time Warp&#8221; from &#8220;Rocky Horror Show&#8221; and many others.</p><p>&#8220;Some of the songs are about injustice, so you have to project a lot of anger, while other songs can be upbeat. It&#8217;s a real acting challenge,&#8221; said Jessica Ross, 21, a Misfit Players veteran who is studying business at Penn State/Hazleton.</p><p>&#8220;It&#8217;s nice to have people from so many different age groups working together,&#8221; she added.</p><p>&#8220;I like to meet kids from other schools who have other music teachers,&#8221; said 16-year-old Madison Fick of Wilkes-Barre. &#8220;You can learn different techniques from them.&#8221;</p><p>&#8220;Like singing from your diaphragm,&#8221; 13-year-old Bryna Soriano said.</p><p>While the show&#8217;s director, Alice Lyons, and pianist Brenda Nighbert guided The Misfit Players through a rehearsal of song after song &#8212; some for duets or trios; others for the entire ensemble &#8212; a few small groups broke away so the young performers could help each other.</p><p>In one corner of the choral room, 12-year-old Megan Dennis from Courtdale went over lyrics and melody to &#8220;Day By Day&#8221; from &#8220;Godspell,&#8221; with 12-year-old Caitrin Mullisky, a Crestwood student. Out in the hall, 18-year-old King&#8217;s College student Tom Kozerski and 21-year-old electrician Adam Zawatsky worked on choreography for the &#8220;Don&#8217;t Be Cruel&#8221; duet they sing a la Elvis Presley.</p><p>&#8220;I have these notes to myself,&#8221; Kozerski admitted with a laugh as he rifled his sheet music. &#8220;It says &#8216;watch Adam.&#8221;</p><style>
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<div class="neCaption">Megan Dennis, 12, left, and her sister Michala, 13, both from Wyoming Valley West Middle School, flank Caitrin Mulliski, 12, of Crestwood, as the trio sings &#8216;Day By Day&#8217; from the musical &#8216;Godspell&#8217; during the Misfit Players&#8217; rehearsal. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/web1_TTL011516Misfit1.jpg</photo0><caption0>Megan Dennis, 12, left, and her sister Michala, 13, both from Wyoming Valley West Middle School, flank Caitrin Mulliski, 12, of Crestwood, as the trio sings &#8216;Day By Day&#8217; from the musical &#8216;Godspell&#8217; during the Misfit Players&#8217; rehearsal. </caption0><photoCredit0>Sean McKeag | Times Leader </photoCredit0></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/web1_TTL011516Misfit2.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Jessica Ross, 21, a Penn State/Hazleton student, said the Misfit Players presentation of &#8220;Rockin&#8217; Through Broadway: A Musical Revue&#8221; will please audiences with many songs they probably know. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo1>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/web1_TTL011516Misfit2.jpg</photo1><caption1>Jessica Ross, 21, a Penn State/Hazleton student, said the Misfit Players presentation of &#8220;Rockin&#8217; Through Broadway: A Musical Revue&#8221; will please audiences with many songs they probably know. </caption1><photoCredit1>Sean McKeag | Times Leader </photoCredit1></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/web1_TTL011516Misfit3.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Zachary Schultz, 9, of Swoyersville, and Mikey Mullisky, 9, of Mountain Top, sing &#8220;It Takes Two&#8221; during the Misfit Players&#8217; rehearsal at GAR Memorial High School. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo2>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/web1_TTL011516Misfit3.jpg</photo2><caption2>Zachary Schultz, 9, of Swoyersville, and Mikey Mullisky, 9, of Mountain Top, sing &#8220;It Takes Two&#8221; during the Misfit Players&#8217; rehearsal at GAR Memorial High School. </caption2><photoCredit2>Sean McKeag | Times Leader </photoCredit2></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/web1_TTL011516Misfit4.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Adam Zawatsky, 21, of Wilkes-Barre, belts out Elvis Presley&#8217;s &#8220;Don&#8217;t Be Cruel&#8221;, during the &#8216;Misfit Players&#8217; rehearsal. He and fellow singer, Tom Kozerski, perform the song as a duet. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo3>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/web1_TTL011516Misfit4.jpg</photo3><caption3>Adam Zawatsky, 21, of Wilkes-Barre, belts out Elvis Presley&#8217;s &#8220;Don&#8217;t Be Cruel&#8221;, during the &#8216;Misfit Players&#8217; rehearsal. He and fellow singer, Tom Kozerski, perform the song as a duet. </caption3><photoCredit3>Sean McKeag | Times Leader </photoCredit3></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/web1_TTL011516Misfit5.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Brenda Nighbert plays the piano as the Misfit Players prepare for the revue they will bring to the stage at GAR High School Jan. 15-17. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo4>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/web1_TTL011516Misfit5.jpg</photo4><caption4>Brenda Nighbert plays the piano as the Misfit Players prepare for the revue they will bring to the stage at GAR High School Jan. 15-17. </caption4><photoCredit4>Sean McKeag | Times Leader </photoCredit4></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p><strong>By Mary Therese Biebel</strong></p><p>mbiebel@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><factboxMeta><p><strong>IF YOU GO</strong></p><p><strong>Who:</strong> The Misfit Players</p><p><strong>What:</strong> &#8220;Rockin&#8217; Through Broadway: A Musical Revue&#8221;</p><p><strong>When:</strong> 7 p.m. Jan. 15, 7 p.m. Jan. 16 and 2 p.m. Jan. 17</p><p><strong>Where:</strong> GAR High School auditorium, 250 S. Grant St. in Wilkes-Barre.</p><p><strong>Tickets: </strong> $10 all ages, general admission, cash only and sold at the door before the show.</p><p>For more information, please call 570-406-3976.</p></factboxMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach Mary Therese Biebel at 570-991-6109 or on Twitter @BiebelMT</p></shirttailMeta></div>

Misfit Players to present revue of Broadway songs at GAR High School