Shap Show 24 Will Be Bigger Than Ever

BY TRISTAN SCHLOTZ

No suits will be allowed at the , which will be held this Saturday in the . Gary Shapiro, a math teacher at LBHS, is returning to the stage again this year, where he'll lead students in an unplugged acoustic musical variety show. Ticket sales go towards sponsoring the Senior Grad Night for LBHS students.

For loyal fans, the Shap Show has changed little this year.

“There's no difference, really,” Shapiro tells Laguna Beach Patch. “I get one solo, the rest will be student involvement.”

Still, this year will be the largest ever for the Shap Show. There will be 33 student acts featuring 30 student performers. Featured acts include a sophomore duet to Fleetwood Mac's “Landslide” and a ukulele rendition of Randy Newman's “You've Got a Friend in Me.” Shapiro will provide backup instrumentation on his guitar for each act.

Shapiro, who has been playing guitar for 40 years, actively recruits students and uses auditions to find talent.

“I do it by the seat of my pants,” he says. “I recruit actively and do auditions. If I get a good feeling, I let them into the show. This is no American Idol.”

Shapiro has been hosting an annual music show on campus since 1989. Its title, No Suits Allowed, came from a dress code misadventure Shapiro experienced when he went to a wedding reception wearing denim jeans.

“A couple of months later, the kids were asking me for a name for my show, and I thought that since I wear denim, let's make this no suits allowed.”

The name stuck, but has since been nicknamed the Shap Show.

Regular tickets for the concert go on sale at 4 p.m. on Saturday, just a few hours before it starts. Tickets to the show cost $10 for students and $15 for adults. Guests can reserve seats for $30, or attend a pre-show dinner at for $60. All funds go will towards Laguna Beach High's Class of 2012 Safe and Sober Grad Night.