The Apple
Directed by Caleb Bay
A play about an apple. What more is there to say? Much more.
By mistake, a lowly janitor (Anna Bonjour) sets an apple on a pedestal in an art museum, making it appear to be an actual piece of art. Many different people arrive, art critics, a crazed man, a trio of high school girls, and an over-the-top hippie obsessed with organic food. Each see their own view of the apple; simple, complex, indescribable, inspirational and nostalgic, as well as useless, offensive and deadly. The play was not only a hilarious jab at the human tendency to force their ideas onto other people, but an analysis of the reality of art. The play was a brilliant display of the perception of art and practically everything else in life. Every piece of art, or in this case, fruit, is seen with different eyes every time it is looked at.
The actors who made the whole thing possible were dazzling. The performances by juniors Jackson Bailey, Ali Randel, Topanga McBride and James Orr and senior David Grapes were absolutely shocking; they were all so insane, it was nearly impossible to imagine them any other way. The trio of high school girls (Kylie Neal, Tara Spencer, and Kaitlyn Jensen) were the slight relief to the insanity, those three giving the audience two firm feet in reality. Even Rope, the intimidating art critic (Peter Muelling), was an unexpected break amidst the madness.
There is simply too much to say about this play. It was a masterpiece in conveying subtle prompts to the audience. While using comedy to buffer the hard theme it presented, it still provided an entertaining show for every type of viewer, regardless of whether they were aware they were being spoon fed food for thought or not.
The Gift of the Magi
Directed by Kelsey Easton
A beautiful, heartwarming fantasy made real. In a world where everything has become materialistic, there is beautiful sacrifice found in the “weak”, proving them strong. Two poor spouses struggle in their depravity. It’s just before Christmas and neither can afford the other’s gift. And so, in order to buy her husband a watch fob, Della (Shannon Malloy) sells her gorgeous hair to a shady Russian woman, Madame Vodyskaya (Kailey Gillen). And, in order to buy his wife a turtle shell comb for her hair, Jim (Austin Feuer) sells his Grandfather’s antique watch that he has treasured all his life. In the end, each love bird is happily sitting next to each other, perfectly content with their useless presents, in great contrast with all of the other characters in their little town.
The characters themselves weren’t designed to be especially shocking, but the interaction and chemistry between them was the real magic that the actors accomplished. Whenever Malloy and Feuer were in the same room, they automatically softened their voices and movements, as if their affection for each other was a blanket, covering up all the misfortunes in their lives. Every other actor, Leah Baechle, Elizabeth Rose, Ken Morse, Ryan Wike-braun and even Gillen, gave a completely different tone when they entered the stage. They stiffened as if their whole life they had a metal pole as a spine, and they dragged the other characters down with them. This, of course, was completely on purpose and beautifully done so. I was thoroughly pleased with the way this cast took their extremely difficult roles and ran with them.
I never knew such a simple and beautiful idea could be encased in such a play as this. The gentle and realistic atmosphere that The Gift of the Magi created, as well as the tender theme it meant for its audience, earned a tear and two thumbs up from me.
Last Night in London
Directed by Savannah Lloyd
This performance was perhaps the most precious, meaningful bit of poetry and acting to fit in a span of 30 minutes. The synopsis is a seemingly simple story: the interviews and observation of students who have spent the summer in London and are experiencing their very last night. And yet, there were so many themes packed into one performance—from the meaning of popular, to what a relationship needs, to what aspirations and new experiences mean.
There is just something indescribably beautiful about the way Last Night in London was put together by Lloyd. There seemed like an endless number of unforgettable characters who all told their stories; they each gave incredibly short glimpses into their lives to the audience. It will be impossible to describe each of the actor’s performances and each of their talents since each and every one of them were incredible. This was also by far the largest cast of the night, racking in at 15 cast members. And yet, each and every actor made their mark on my brain. As each of them were shocked into a realization of their life as they spent their last night in London, I could practically feel my chest beat at the thought of being them. Even audience members who weren’t as empathetic as me felt the same way, proven by the constant coos and “awwh”s.
My only criticism would probably be that it was such a large, intense topic that it didn’t seem like it could reach its full potential in such a short time period. I wished I could have watched another half hour of the masterpiece, but then again, that might be saying something else about life and how short it is. As a whole, I adored this performance and what it had to say about what every incident in our lives does to us as humans, as well as how epiphanies can affect the paths we set for ourselves.
