Lower Macungie Middle School Theatre will present “Honk!” which is a musical adaptation of “The Ugly Duckling” 7 p.m. March 20 and 21 and 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. March 22. Tickets can be purchased on the website or at the door before performances.

The story is set on a farm centering on a family of ducks, one named Ugly who looks different from his duckling brothers and sisters. The other animals quickly notice and point out his differences despite the mother’s protective flapping. Follow Ugly and his adventurous journey to self-discovery that being different isn’t such a bad thing.

Sophie Hoffman plays the character Penny, a swan who meets Ugly while saving her from the net. When describing her character Penny, Hoffman said, “I love how bubbly and enthusiastic she is all the time. She’s very persistent and just an overall good person to be around.”

Hoffman said her sister got her interested in theater and her friends encouraged her to try it. She’s been in theater since sixth grade. “I love making all these new friends and getting to spend time with all of them and I love singing.” To learn her lines, Hoffman studies using flash cards. About the show, Hoffman said, “It’s really fun and it has a great message in it. It’s a show I think everyone should see.”

Stage manager Noah Russo works in the tech booth and said it’s a lot of fun. He started in theater in sixth grade, first as part of the run crew then sound, tech and stage manager. He joined the theater because it seemed interesting and he could be a part of the “technology aspect.” Russo is very interested in technology and has a future interest in electrical engineering. He also helps with set building when he can.

Russo would like other students to know the theater isn’t only performing on stage; it’s a lot of people, a lot of fun and there are other things to do such as set building where you get to use power tools, many different experiences including costumes and makeup, sound, lights and tech. He was even able to help rewire the entire sound board. “You wouldn’t expect it, all the different kinds of things you get to do in theater. It’s great, the best thing about Lower Macungie Middle School Theatre is everyone is really close, it’s amazing! The whole show (under the direction of Mr. Campbell) is run by students,” Russo said. He described the current show as “a really funny show with a deep lesson and the songs are amazing. There’s the eulogy; it’s a deep song but fabulous. The soloist is great!”

LMMS Theatre holds fundraisers to help with the expenses according to Russo.

Lauren Perez plays Maureen, one of the best friends of Ida, the mother duck. Maureen supports Ida throughout the story according to Perez. Comparing “Honk!” to the Ugly Duckling story, Perez said there’s a lot of different aspects in the original story; the play is more in-depth and interesting. Her interest in theater began with her dad going to see the production of “The Lion King” at the Civic Theatre in 2019. When she started middle school and saw she could be in theater she said, “I’m going to do it!” Perez participated in crew for the first two years and acted and sang in all the musicals while in middle school.

“This play is really interesting, and the songs are beautiful. There are a lot of interesting qualities and the characters are amazing and easy to understand. The show is amazing! The play is a lot about finding your true self and finding people that support you despite what you look like. There is no right way to look. This play really has that message in the show,” Perez commented.

Perez said the best part of theater is “the community of the cast; we all get along together, everybody enjoys being here and being involved. Theater is an amazing place to find community where you’re supported and you find a lot of people that are lifelong friends. Theater is a place where you can be yourself but also creative in character. It’s super fun and amazing being part of seeing everything coming together in the end.”

Emma Klicker plays Henrietta. “She’s kind of in Maureen’s shadow and they are best friends. Henrietta comforts Ida but also mocks Ugly,” according to Klicker. She thinks everyone can relate to this play, especially middle school students. She likes Henrietta because she gets to interact with other characters played by some of her closest friends, people she knows and have become friends with these past three years. Klicker has participated in crew and acting. “Being in the play uses more of my talents, being backstage is sometimes more fun because you can just hang out with your friends and its less stress on you,” Klicker said. She learned it’s OK to make mistakes because you always have someone there to correct you and help you figure out what you’re doing and become better.

About “Honk!” Klicker said, “It’s a very dynamic show because you can see the character development and the different aspects of all the different storylines in the play. I think it’s very diverse.”

Her favorite character is Ida because she has the best heart, she’s the kindest and she just understands all the animals and tries to deliver that message to all of them.

Klicker said the songs in the show are amazing and she hopes the audience gets the depth of the message, understand what the play really means and they can relate to it.