"Live, from St.

Joe, it's Saturday night!"

These words, modified from the opening lines of a legendary late-night television show will ring through the St. Joseph High School gym this weekend as students present the annual variety show. This year's program, "St. Joe Live,"

a spinoff of the popular "Saturday Night Live," will be performed at 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday. A dinner will be served at 6:30 p.m. prior to Saturday's showing.

"The variety show is a student-driven performance," said Maria Whaley, a religion teacher at St. Joseph who also serves as the variety show's advisor. "The kids studied tapes, adapted some of the well-known scripts and made it relevant to the school. It was their idea and concept."

This year's production marks the 27th consecutive year the school has presented the variety show.

Whaley said the students studied scripts in Jamie Sadler's Novel Approach and Theater class, worked on them and made them relevant to a school setting.

The students will be performing some of the most popular skits from SNL - both past and present - during the variety show. Some of the sketches will include "Bill Swerski's Superfans,"

"Mary Katherine Gallagher,"

"Wake Up, Wakefield (Wake Up St. Joe)," "Church Lady," "Coffee Talk,"

"The Roxbury Guys,"

"Matt Foley: Motivational Speaker," and

the "Spartan (Flyer) Cheerleaders."

In between skits, when the actors and actresses are changing for the next scene,

excerpts of "Weekend Update" and "Deep Thoughts" will be performed.

Some of the performers for this weekend's variety show include:

Stephen Moore as Matt Foley, Mr. Banglian from "Wake Up Wakefield" and Harry Carey (interviewing St. Joseph basketball coach Adam Simpson); Kyle Johnson, opening the show as SJHS Vice Principal Pat Sheridan and also portraying one of the Roxbury Guys and Carl the Superfan; Rachel Webb as Mary Katherine Gallagher and Megan from "Wake Up St. Joe"; Jeannie Joeckel as Sheldon in "Wake Up

St. Joe" and Arianna the Flyer cheerleader; and Joe O'Leary as Craig the Flyer cheerleader.

Whaley said since the students have grown up watching Saturday Night Live they were very receptive to the variety show.

"Saturday Night Live is part of their weekly ritual," Whaley said. "They have studied the characters and they have the voices and mannerisms down. We are pleased."

Tickets, cost $5 each, and can be purchased at the door prior to both the Friday and Saturday shows.