AthensWest Theatre Company Pleasantly Surprises With To Kill a Mockingbird- Sloan Warner

Upon seeing the stage version of To Kill a Mockingbird written by Christopher Sergel and directed by Bo List on December 6th, 2015 at 2:00, I was quite impressed by the young theatre company’s performance. The performance was by no means held in an extravagant theatre, rather a smaller Downtown Arts Center in the heart of Lexington, Kentucky, and I believe this enhanced the performance for the audience.

The set designers had to get crafty with their stage, and it worked out well. Many of the scenes were with a hanging tire swing, and when they wished to take it out of the audience's view, they used a pulley system to haul it away which I thought was crafty. The use of predominantly brown, yellow, and blue lights left the audience with the random-county-in-Alabama vibe, and the spanish moss hanging from the trees and the dilapidated flowers further contributed to the vibe. The courtroom scene had a very simple set that was assembled in the middle another scene that was taking place, but it definitely did its job.

The general storyline of the play was there was Atticus Finch and his family who live in a poor county in Alabama just after the Great Depression, and Atticus is a white lawyer who is defending a wrongfully persecuted black man, Tom Robinson, in the county. Atticus is a wise, respected man in the community who is finally taking a stand against the ridiculous racism of the time. In the end, the jury rules against Tom Robinson, but the audience is left with a bitter-sweet note that although Atticus did not win his trial, he has made leaps and bounds of progress towards ending the overt racism.

I was very impressed by Kevin Crowley’s portrayal of Atticus Finch. He had the perfect amount of dramatism in his voice when discussing the themes and wise ideas in the play, such as to see from other’s perspectives. One idea that Crowley relayed well was that it’s not about those who think they’re right or wrong, but it is about conscience. Another well acted scene is the court scene when Crowley makes the point of Court being the place where Rockefeller and a pauper are equal. Patrick Mitchell and Gabrielle Miller also did a stellar jobs in the courtroom scene playing Tom Robinson and Mayella respectively. Their emotions seemed so real with their anger and crying scenes. Overall, I would say all the actors and actresses did a solid job playing their characters and using impressive, thick southern accents.

I am very glad I went to this performance and it was a relaxing way to spend my Sunday afternoon while leaving me with some thought-provoking Atticus Finch quotes. I would give the play a 4.5/5 stars. Well done and I would highly recommend seeing AthensWest’s rendition.

-Written by Sloan Warner

Performance Review-Mikaela Gatewood

AP Literature Performance Review

12 Angry Jurors

by Mikaela Gatewood

     The opening performance of 12 Angry Jurors was on October 29th, 2015 at seven PM, held in Lassiter Theater. Not only was 12 Angry Jurors the first of Henry Clay High School’s plays for the year, it was the first production ever direct by art teachers Kiefer Shuler and Kristian Junker. The production starred seniors Raiffa Syamil and Isabel Jenkins, with major supporting roles from Jade Curless, Jade Kropp, and Emily Spencer. 

     Written by Reginald Rose, 12 Angry Jurors (originally titled 12 Angry Men) focuses on the story of a jury’s decision to convict a boy accused of murdering his father. Presented with what appeared to be unshakeable evidence, Juror 8 (Raiffa Syamil) single handedly convinces the entire jury of the boy’s innocence throughout the course of a night. Her strongest opponent was the outspoken, cynical Juror 3 (Isabel Jenkins), who, despite being presented with strong evidence favoring the boy’s acquittal, was determined to see the boy’s execution through. Eventually faced with the realization that her vendetta against the boy was due to the loss of contact with her son, Juror 3 admits defeat, setting the charged boy free. 

     The production of the play was a simple one, with no set changes and plain costumes. Despite the modesty of the performance, the set design itself paid close attention to detail. The table that the jurors sat at was designed to showcase every actor, inviting the audience into the small room within the courthouse. The cast itself was filled with incredibly talented performers. Several of the supporting actors shined, while the two stars showed perfect chemistry and tension between them. Each actor wonderfully embodied the character that they were playing, paying close attention to small details, such as how their character would hold a cigarette, write down verdicts, or react to lines. Overall, the performance was incredibly well put together. On a ten point scale, I would give it a nine. 

Performance Review- Andrew Collins

The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde Performance Review

7 pm, October 16th, 2015 Guignol Theatre

Directed by Christina Ritter and Russell Henderson

Starring Michael Main, Faith Gingrich-Goetz, Peter Laprade, Curtis Lipsey III, Jessica Agro, Cassady Gorrell, Emma Stumpf, Alexis Slocum, Taha Mandviwala, and Wright Williams

This take on the play didn’t stray far from the average person’s interpretation of the play. The characters were just as eccentric as one imagines them when they read the play for the first time. The only real deviation from expectations is the casting of Dr. Canon Chasuble as an Indian man. Obviously one wouldn’t expect a random Indian Priest in the middle of 19th century England. This provides for some comedic effect as the unusual casting allows the actor a fair amount of artistic liberty on the persona of the character, where the other actors might not have any. This performance was very neat in that it was performed in a Black Box Theatre, giving the performance a personal feel. The costuming was very well done in that it perfectly portrayed the eccentric nature of all the characters. The acting was also accurate to this characteristic of the play. All of the actions of the performers were exaggerated to the point of ridiculousness, which worked very well with the play as a whole. The set was simple yet effective, as the small stage only allowed for the bare minimum furniture. It was spaced well so that the characters could portray their emotions to all sides of the theatre while still seeming like they were talking naturally. Although I only experienced the play from one side, I could easily tell that the performance quality projected to all sides of the theatre. Finally, the use of props was simple and effective. The props were mostly food items, and the actors portrayed different emotions such as nervousness or pride through their eating very effectively. The start of the play actually had a very interesting use of props, one of the actors was actually hidden under a blanket on a loveseat for around half an hour from the time the audience was let in to when the play started. I actually had no idea of her presence as she was hidden very well. Overall, the excellent costuming and very eccentric performance from every actor on the stage portrayed the events of the play very effectively, and made for a very entertaining performance.

Performance Review Jacob Ferguson

Jacob Ferguson

Whitman

The Wiz Live! Performance Review

I watched The Wiz Live! which premiered December 3 at 8:00 pm on NBC.  This performance was a live version of a play from 1974 that was later turned into a movie. Written by Harvey Fierstein and directed by Matthew Diamond and Kenny Leon, it starred Shanice Williams as Dorothy, Elijah Kelley as Scarecrow, David Alan Grier as The Cowardly Lion, Ne-Yo as Tin-Man, and Queen Latifah as The Wiz.  This play adapts the story of the children’s book The Wizard of Oz into a disco musical and features an all-black cast.  The story is basically the same as the book: Dorothy isn’t content with her life on the farm, and soon a tornado comes and carries her away to the magical Land of Oz, fulfilling her wish.  After being taken to this strange place she realizes that she misses home, and meets others who are longing for things too.  As in the original story they meet the wizard (The Wiz), who turns out to be a hoax; the wicked witch (in this case Evillene) who Dorothy inadvertently melts; and Glinda, who helps her use the power of her ruby slippers (silver shoes in this show).  However different touches keep the viewer on their toes and differentiate this production from the original.  As I already mentioned, there are many changed names that demonstrate the show’s desire to celebrate black culture.  The overall set design was minimalistic with few set pieces cluttering up the stage; however the sets were very showy and in bright colors, reflecting the cheerful upbeat disco music of the production.  This basic set let the performers themselves be showcased more.  Shanice Williams as Dorothy had an amazing voice, but sometimes seemed too old to be believable as a young girl.  All cast members had impressive voices, especially Mary J. Blige as Evillene, but David Alan Grier playing the lion acted the best out of all of them.  Dorothy, when confronted with a close-up shot, often seemed uncomfortable or trying to force emotions.  Despite the raw talent and simple set, the show still featured many elaborate acrobatics and dances.  One that especially impressed me was the group of dancers representing the tornado who swirled around on stage until Dorothy flew away, carried by thin wires.  Being based on such an old show, this one was updated some, with modern pop culture references like Evillene’s iPad and the Tin-Man’s dabbing.  Overall I enjoyed the flashy production values, high energy, and positive message.

Rating: 8.5/10

Performance review- will mathews

The Rells Concert

By: Will Mathews

I was lucky enough to attend a local bands concert on November 27, the band in question goes by the unforgettable name as the Rells.  Lead singer and guitarist Rand Kelly, had the masterful support of Sam Armstrong on base, and the rhythmic beats of Spencer Parsons on the drums. The band dress in normal clothes like they could be anywhere, doing anything, but they are here, rocking. The stage on which they stand is dark. A wave of heat draws from the mass of bodies there to witness the music. And the music was phenomenal, a mixture of cover songs from some of the greatest bands of all time and music written by the bands very own Rand Kelly. One song that really stuck out to me was called Broken Bones, I had never heard it before, and that was because Rand had written it. It had grit, but it also was smooth. So after the concert I texted rand and asked him what that song was about.  He said “when I first started playing it I pictured a rural, beat-down trailer park family. They’re all uneducated. The girl is annoyed and obnoxious, the mom just wants the husband to be home for the kids, and the dad can’t stop drinking.”  The song told a story, the lyrics painted this desolate picture of rural life that we so often see in Kentucky. It was really impressive how well the song captured this setting. If I had to give the performance a grade, it would be an A. They are all young guys, so they have a lot to work on, but the music was good, the lyrics were poetic, and everyone loved it. 

Two minute thank you - Caleb Combs

I got in my car. I pulled out of my driveway and left for the soccer game.  Of course.  I turned the car around.  I had forgotten one of my cleats.  I leave my house again.  A man cuts me off in traffic, so I honk at him.  I get to the field.  We start warming up a little late.  The game begins, and we score quickly.  This team is not very good.  We win the game easily.  I take off my cleats and get back into my car.  I drive over to Fazoli's  and have myself some ravioli.  It is really good, and there are free breadsticks too.  Now I'm stuffed.  I get back into my car and drive home.  I'm tired.  I go to sleep.

Comedy - Caleb Combs

In the play The Importance of Being Earnest, the author puts great emphasis on comedy.  This is evident from the first scene on, when there is a debate over cucumber sandwiches.  Some scenes are made out to be completely outrageous with the purpose of being funny.  For example the relationships between the couples are completely unrealistic, and in turn come across as comical.  The proposal scene is yet another scene that is unrealistic, creating humor.  Gwendolen tells Jack that they are already  engaged, which Jack claims to know nothing about.  This then leads to an outrageous proposal that is interrupted by Lady Bracknell.
A current example of comedy would be the movie 21 Jump Street.  It employs a number of techniques to create humor including irony and satire.  This movie satirizes the lives of high school students by using stereotypes.  Some of these involve dealing drugs, social classes, etc.  The "jock" and "nerd" switch roles when they go back to high school, which is ironic in and of itself.  This movie criticizes high school stereotypes and social classes.