The Hoquiam High School Drama Club will be performing “Cry-Baby: the Musical” this weekend.

The Tony-nominated teen comedy is based on the 1990 John Waters film “Cry-Baby,” which starred Johnny Depp.

The story is set in 1954. Everyone likes Ike, nobody likes communism and Wade “Cry-Baby” Walker is the coolest boy in Baltimore. He’s a bad boy with a good cause: truth, justice and the pursuit of rock ’n’ roll. Square rich girl Allison turns her back on her squeaky clean boyfriend, Baldwin, to become a “drape” (a juvenile delinquent) and Cry-Baby’s girl. Baldwin, the king of the squares, leads his close-harmony pals against the drapes, who are ultimately arrested for arson and sent off to prison.

The play was chosen because “it is high-quality material, and lots of kids get to be in it,” said HHS history teacher Patty Sundstrom, who’s co-directing the production with Alex Eddy and Jessy Parks.

Forty-five kids, to be exact. The leads are played by seniors Riley Jackson (Cry-Baby), Chaela Watkins (Allison) and Tigre Falla (Dupree), but there are other standouts.

“Meira O’dell, first-time drama student, is doing a phenomenal job as Lenora. She has a belting number in Act 1 that will knock your socks off,” said Sundstrom.

The cast and crew have worked for months on the production, which opens Thursday.

“We started rehearsals just before Thanksgiving. The kids embraced this show right from the beginning,” said Sundstrom. “It has been so much fun watching them grow into this production.”

The curtain will rise at 7:30 p.m. Thursday through Saturday at the 7th Street Theatre, then at 2 p.m. Sunday. Tickets may be purchased for $12 each at the door, or in advance through Crown Drug, Harbor Drug or the high school.

(Patty Sundstrom | Hoquiam High School) Meira O’dell belts one out as Lenore in “Cry-Baby: the Musical” at the 7th Street Theatre.