Angelica Santiago, Staff Writer
What is it like to be a high school teenager today? Are there still the bullies, populars, and high school drama geeks? This year’s fall play “Class Action” portrays the life of many stereotypical high schoolers tying the comedy of their roles with the reality of the very real trials of adolescence.
The comedic play started with a satirical broadcast of PVTV and all the fun of the little annoyances that students here at Perk Valley face on a daily basis. Some jokes included an interior weather report of the high school recording the first floor as below freezing while the third floor had been extremely hot. The satire gave the audience something to snicker at as well as relate, which positively connected the audience to the show.
The performance as a whole consisted of many different skits focusing on different high school situations. These skits emphasized the many rites of passages faced from a first date to a first car.
One standout emotional monologue, performed by Martin Sorenson, embodied a character named Mike involved with a gang as he lived on the wrong side of town. Mike describes his role in the gang and his beloved pistol. During the scene the audience discovers that his pistol took the life of Mike’s venerated younger brother, who found it in the room. At the end of the scene Mike says, “ My little brother never knew me as Cougar and my part in the gang, all who he knew was who I was when I came home, his awesome older brother. He called me Mikey, and that’s the only name I want to be called now.” The scene haunted the audience with the emotion of sadness and anger felt through the character Mikey and radiated a grand light on not only suburban realities, but all the struggles that exist between youth residing in the inner city.
Another memorable skit centered around the ever ubiquitous Prom.
One of the many coming of age skits highlighted a couple of kids who ended up being each other’s prom date due to no other students asking them to the school dance. The skit revealed how awkward and yet magical these moments in life can be. At the end actors Anthony Alexy and Avery Connor share a first kiss.
The actors involved in the play were insanely talented and the theme of high school being a time of good, hard, and awkward times was a topical and relatable one for any audience member who has gone or is going through this experience. This year’s play paid attention to the details. Little touches in the production such as, adding a PVtv broadcast introduction, transitions set in high school hallways, and representing major and minor stereotypes of our day credits this play with the highest praise.
The students and faculty members spent a lot of hard work and time to present this extraordinary play evidenced by the outcome of the show. Indeed, their hard work paid off.
The play also starred John Baranowski, Grace Rogers, Brandon Maroney, Donna Del Monte, Lindsey Edens, Sean McDonnell, Josh Quairoli, and Leanna Strohecker.
Title- “Class Action”
Written by- Brad Slaight
Producer- Samuel French Publishing Co.
Director-Mrs. Linda McAllister
Photo:Angelica Santiago