By Sarah Jacques
Round Table editor-in-chief
With mystical witches, spooky stories of not quite forgotten ghosts, celebrations of life and blends of fantasy and reality, the Middletown High School Fall Play Festival was a show that has certainly excited the Middletown community to see more from the MHS Drama Department.
The play festival consisted of four acts: “The Golden Goose,” “Early Frost,” “Why Do We Laugh?” and “Slight Indulgences.” The first, a play that demonstrates the importance of not being greedy or nosey, told the story of a boy who gains the world by a simple act of kindness.
The story of Simpleton, a poor washerwoman’s son, tells the tale of his attempt to gather firewood for his mother and find his two older, greedy brothers that had set out earlier to fulfill the same task. Simpleton did not know, however, that his brothers had been lured away by a woodland fairy as punishment for their greediness; the first was obsessed with sleep, while the second was a glutton.
Simpleton then came across the fairy, disguised as a starving old woman, who begged for a bite to eat. He easily obliged, giving all he had to the fairy. In return for his kindness, the fairy gave him the great gift of a golden goose that led him to the castle of King Crank, a leader whose daughter’s hand in marriage he promised to Simpleton as a reward for making her smile.
The tale, through twist, turns, and humor, showed how kindness can lead to success, while being selfish leads to a dismal end.
The second tale, “Early Frost,” was a thrilling story about a small girl named Alice who was sent to live with her two older relatives after the death of her parents. Centered in the house’s attic, Alice becomes friends with a girl who had previously been killed by her childhood friend and Alice’s relative: Hannah.
Hannah finds out about Alice’s encounter with the ghost girl, Lydia. She attempts to lock Alice in a trunk in order to preserve the secret that she had inadvertently murdered her childhood friend, but Alice escapes. In the end, Alice’s other relative, Louise, discovers Hannah’s secret, and Lydia rests in peace, knowing that her death will no longer be a mystery.
The third act, “Why Do We Laugh?” celebrated the lifespan of a couple that has been together for sixty years. The stage hosted four phases of life: childhood, adolescence, mid-life, and the elderly years.
With humor, sentimental moments, and an analysis of a courtship that has lasted through the test of time, the act mingled between memories while taking an honest look at relationships.
Not only was it one of the audience’s favorite acts, but also enjoyable to perform. “It was a blast to work with the people in this play, and it was a lot of fun,” said MHS senior Bryan Goodyear, who played the part of the middle-aged man in the act.
The final act, “Slight Indulgences,” allowed both fantasy and reality to inhabit the stage at once. Bradley, a writer who had become famous through his dramatic tales of the international spy, Burton, has lost his identity and courage in between his stories. He lives in his office and fears basic human risks.
His assistant, Anne Marie, worries about his obsession to live through Burton. Bradley doesn’t understand her concern until Burton, stepping from the pages of Bradley’s work, makes him understand that she is in love with him – and that he returns the feeling as well.
As both fantastical and realistic characters converse, the play develops to give Bradley the courage he had lost between the pages of his Burton novels, and the two characters admit their love in a happy ending.
The audience reacted strongly to the humorous, sentimental, and scary parts of the acts, and words of praise were heard throughout the cafeteria after the festival ended. They were able to express their enjoyment of the different acts through an anonymous poll that asked which act was their favorite.
The MHS Fall Play Festival was very successful with well-developed plays and fabulous acting that had the audience raving for more. Be sure to catch the Drama Department’s next event, “Crazy for You,” opening this April.