Standing in the back of the Nashua High School South auditorium, the music and lyrics sounded so familiar. I had heard this before.

“No, I’ll never be jealous again,” sang senior Beau Fisher, playing the role of Vernon Hines in “The Pajama Game,” which the school’s senior class will perform this weekend.

Fisher danced across the stage with Amy St. Louis, who landed the role of Mabel in the production. On Friday, the students in the play were giving a preview to the school. The play’s run begins tonight at the school at 7:30. There are shows Friday and Saturday, as well.

The reason this particular play struck a chord with me is because “The Pajama Game” was my senior class play, too. I graduated from Nashua High School in 1999, back in the good ole days when there was only one high school. OK, now I sound old.

Anyway, I had never been in a play before and had no intention of going out for it. But then my friends started encouraging me, so I auditioned. I had to sing “The Star-Spangled Banner” in a room full of other students. Yikes.

A short while later, they posted the cast list. I looked for my name among the extras, figuring I could blend in somewhere in the back. But my name wasn’t there. No, my name was next to the roles of Hines, the second male lead.

My initial reaction was to think of excuses I could use to get out of it. But before I knew it, I was given a thick book full of lines I was supposed to memorize. Not just that, but I was set up with a choreographer – a former Rockette and a really sweet lady whose name I can’t recall – who was going to teach me how to dance.

We had rehearsals for weeks, after school every day. My good friend Amy Partridge (now Brown) and I had to put in extra work at a dance studio downtown with the choreographer to pull off the dance routines for “I’ll Never Be Jealous Again.”

We pretty much nailed it the night of the show.

I’ve never done a play since, but looking back, I’ve always said it was one of the hardest things I’ve done in my life. It’s also one of the things I’m most proud of because it’s so unlike anything else I’ve ever been part of.

It was fun to watch a new group of students take on the roles I had become so familiar with. Chatting with the group before one of their final rehearsals last week brought back memories of the feeling of camaraderie that comes with being involved in a senior class play.

For those who don’t know, “The Pajama Game” is set in the ’50s at the Sleep-Tite Pajama Factory, where workers are demanding a 7½-cent raise. But Babe, the head of the union’s grievance committee, falls for the new superintendent, Sid.

It includes familiar songs like “Hey There,” “Hernando’s Hideaway” and “Steam Heat.”

Unlike me, many of the students in this year’s play are already involved in theater. Caitlyn Despres, who plays Babe, has done a musical every year since the sixth grade. The cast has been rehearsing since January, and Despres said she’s looking for the final performances, especially since rehearsing takes up so much time and effort.

“It’s just the amount of stress on your plate,” said Despres, who also plays in the high school band.

Senior John Adie, who plays Sid, has done some shows, including “12 Angry Men” with the Panther Players. The senior class even let some juniors in the play this year. Junior Lauren Weiner, who plays Gladys, said she enjoys being on the stage. She’s been involved with theater since the third grade.

“It’s fun being a different person for a while,” she said.

Fisher plans on studying theater at Drew University in the fall. He said he’s has fun with the role of Hines.

“He’s an uptight, alcoholic, knife-throwing guy,” he said, laughing.

At North, the senior class will put on “Footloose” next month, with shows running from April 15-17. Student activity director Beth Kreick said the show includes many veteran drama students, as well as many first-time thespians.

Knowing my connection to the show from 11 years ago, the cast and crew at South invited me, as well as some staff at the school, to do special cameos in the play this weekend. I wasn’t sure what to think at first, but I obliged. So at some point during the show Saturday, look for me on stage in a brief but sure-to-be-powerful cameo. But more importantly, come out to support the students who have been working their tails off to put this show together for the past few months.

And it’s OK if you leave the pajamas at home.

The Learning Curve appears Thursdays in The Telegraph. Michael Brindley can be reached at 594-6426 or mbrindley@nashuatelegraph.com.