Yellowknife (Mar 18/05) - If you're thirty-something in Yellowknife and you have a hankering to feel really, really old, just stop by the Sir John Franklin drama room sometime this month.

When rehearsals for the big musical resume after the March break, teenagers will once again be belting out 1980s classics while spouting lines made famous by Matthew Broderick.

Alison Debitt twists and shouts during a rehearsal for Ferris Bueller's Day Off. - Jennifer Geens/NNSL photo

Forget Alice in Wonderland. This is Ferris Bueller's Day Off: The Musical, a whole other kind of weird, down-the-retro-rabbit-hole experience.

Student actor Devon Hall said he has been researching the 1980s, primarily by leafing through old yearbooks and laughing at the photos of his parents and their classmates.

"I kind of like the '80s music," he said.

Though he plays Cameron in one of the two casts, Hall actually prefers Matt Ellis' portrayal of Ferris' anxious best friend. Jazzan Braden, who plays Sloane, agrees with Hall's assessment of Ellis.

"I love Matt as Cameron," she said. "He's good at looking innocent and sad."

In the movie version of Ferris Bueller's Day Off, Ferris, a clever high school student with a knack for truancy, schemes his way to the ultimate day off in Chicago with his friend Cameron and girlfriend Sloane.

Lists of '80s slang and phrases such as "gag me with a spoon" and "where's the beef?" are posted on the drama room walls. On set, the walls of Ferris' room are adorned with Huey Lewis and the News and Twisted Sister posters.

Drama teacher Landon Peters adapted John Hughes' script for the stage, inserting 17 songs from the era that fit the scenes. They range from the film's Danke Schoen and Twist and Shout, to additions from bands like AC/DC, Devo and Men at Work.

"It has a different feel than the movie," he said.

Though the character of Ferris has a wide, "everyman" kind of appeal, Peters wanted to present the whole range of the era's pop culture.

"I wanted to get every '80s kid in there," he said.

He also asked the cast not to watch the movie, though he recommended they take in other films in the John Hughes-genre, such as The Breakfast Club and Sixteen Candles. Hall watched the movie anyway as soon as he heard about the play and has since watched the film about 20 times.

"It's pretty good, but I think the play might be better," he said.

Peters said the joy of double casting is not limited to the fact that twice as many students get the chance to star in the school play.

It also means that there's always an adept understudy available to step in.

"It means we don't have to sweat if somebody gets sick."

And besides the horde of singers and dancers who will be on-stage, the whole school is involved in the project. The musical accompaniment is provided by students and over in the auto shop, other students are hard at work constructing a stageworthy Ferrari from car scraps.

Ferris Bueller's Day Off runs April 14 to 16 at NACC, with shows at 7:30 p.m. and a Saturday matinee at 2 p.m.