Clark's annual theater production has come and gone, and this year, with a brand new teacher/director. The setting was in the, you guessed it, backstage of the failing Theatre Baroque, so you could say it was a play within a play, only the audience saw the unseen angle.
The first scene was the unnamed play's final dress rehearsal and Maxine the stage manager, played by Christina Harvey, bustled and pushed the actors on to stage in hopes of a perfect play while the anxious assistant director, played by Sara Yoo, followed, obeying every order barked to her.
Everything was going well until the famous, "has-been" actor, who was the supposed star of the show, became unresponsive. After numerous raids in his dressing room, he was pronounced dead. The director panicked due to the lack of a star in her show (and not about the fresh cadaver, mind you), but then hatched a plan with the actors and crew that would not only give the ambitious understudy his dream part, but also guarantee a future of many sold-out shows and legacy to the rundown theatre.
Not to mention that the show must go on.
I was also lucky enough to witness the farewell ceremony at the end of the last show. Everyone involved in the production of the play was brought out and heard a heartwarming speech from their beloved teacher, Mr. Kilmer. He then handed out awards to whom he felt deserved one or two.
When asked later about his experience with Clark's enthusiastic cast and crew, he proudly said, "There is no other word to use other than amazing for our cast experience. We grew together as a family and as a team […] One of our goals was to reach the place where we felt like we were doing work that was better than high school quality[.]"
And indeed they did.
The script had many witty and goofy lines that kept the audience in stitches. I particularly liked the sarcasm that really showed the relationship between the characters and the clash of the contrasting personalities, which were conveyed by the cast very well.
As for the over all plot, I found it clever. Despite the fact that a death was introduced not ten minutes into the play, it kept a lighthearted humor that poked fun at, not only the insane cover up the characters did for the sake of the show, but also their willingness to go even further as to milk a famous critic's good word using the dead actor as leverage.
Not to mention the marvelous performance by none other than our own Chargers. As stated before, each character had a different personality, ranging from the aging diva to the fidgety playwright. The cast gave the characters dimension and life, and at the same time, captured the overall overdramatic-ness of thespians.
To no surprise, it was revealed that this year's show had beat out previous shows on the total proceeds made. With a dedicated and very well experienced director by their side, Backstage's cast and crew rose above everyone's expectations.
Unfortunately, Kilmer is being transferred out of Clark and into Las Vegas Academy, therefore, he will not be returning next fall. Although, he had passed on his trust and knowledge to the returning cast and crew, whom I trust to bring another great show next year.
