The 23rd Blast musical review debuted this weekend with the theme Believe and featured a range of artists from Lady Gaga to Smash Mouth. Although Blast is usually in April, this year it occurred in December.

However, the Dec. 3 show had a minor setback when a fire alarm went off during the song “Endless Love” and everyone was evacuated from the building.

 “The fire alarm went off due to a curling iron that was left on a wooden table,” Junior lead singer Ryan O’Donnell said. “The whole cast was very responsive and professional about the whole situation.

Assistant Principal Administrator Ed Reed let people back inside within the next few minutes. The show then continued on as planned.

 “The fire alarm didn’t affect the show,” Director Carlos Barillo said. “It’s a mark of professionalism of my students, performers and tech crew.”

The show went on, regardless of the technical difficulty. Many feel the show helped foster the holiday spirit.

“This year Blast has a completely different feel, due to it occurring during the holiday season,” O’Donnell said. “Having it in December changed the vibe of the whole show.”

Although there are differences between the show in the spring and winter, the singers, dancers and crew adapted accordingly.

“There’s always something that goes wrong getting ready for the show, but overall we’re able to pull it together well and put on a good show,” junior lead singer Shannon Sweeney said. “I think opening night went pretty well. Everyone had a lot of fun and there was a ton of energy on and off stage.”

 Another change to this year’s Blast was an increase in student management and direction, partially due to the lack of costume moms. Junior stage manager Brianna Burke was heavily involved in the effort.

 “There was a lot of emphasis on leadership and accountability,” Burke said. “Responsibilities that were normally designated to Mr. Barillo or someone else were now placed on performers.

 Barillo increased students’ involvement so that the students could participate in all aspects of the show’s performance.

 The cast hopes that this year’s show will still be unique and memorable to the cast, crew and audience members.

 “There’s nothing anywhere else in the world like Blast, and that’s really what makes it special,” O’Donnell said. “When you’re up there, you just don’t want it to end.”