This weekend's 17th annual Gene Kelly Awards for Excellence in High School Musicals treated a Benedum Center audience to rousing excepts from the 10 musicals nominated as Allegheny County's best, selected from 30 participating schools.

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This video includes highlights from only the first half of the show, including the evening's very first excerpt, Pine-Richland's "Jellicle Cats," which set a very high standard, featuring a front line of dancers seemingly ready for college musicals. The first half of the evening ended with the Act 1 finale of Winchester Thurston's cleverly parodic "Urinetown," which mocked the very idea of an Act 1 finale and ended with a joking reference to intermission.

South Park's "Jesus Christ Superstar" was featured in the second half of the show. Pine-Richland's, Winchester Thurston's and South Park's shows were rated the top musicals in their respective budget categories. The latter two led all schools with four and six awards, respectively.

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