Attending different productions has always been a hobby of mine, so I jumped at the chance of going to our very own The Battle of Angels performance. Walking into the auditorium, I didn’t know what to expect. Because I hadn’t seen one of our plays before, I did not know if it would be a jaw dropper or one of those cute-but-not-good-quality school performances.
Boy, was I surprised. The show was outstanding. It took my breath away.
The audience was seated on the stage where all of the action occurred. This seating arrangement made everything intimate. Scenes with violence and arguments were much more personal because we were merely a few feet off to the side, as opposed to sitting 20 feet away from the action. One particular scene was exceptionally frightening. The lights on the stage were flickering and thunder sound effects were going off,the conjure woman (Madison Jones) crept around chanting. I curled up in my seat with my wimpy yellow jacket laid on top of me to serve as a means of protection from this terrifying woman. Although it was embarrassing, I noticed that I wasn’t the only one trying to “save myself.” Others were getting absorbed into the drama with others scenes, as well. The way the seating added to the overall play was phenomenal and very well thought out.
Even though the seating added onto the show, it would’ve been great nevertheless because of the extremely talented cast. Seniors Emma Barishman and Keegan Latham were the main characters Myra Torrance and Val Xavier respectively. Their forbidden love was intriguing with Myra’s conflicting marriage and various passionate scenes. Supporting characters like Beulah Cartwright (Courtney Moreland), Cassandra Whiteside (Mary Margaret Flaming) and Vee Talbot (Julia Bauer) also did an outstanding job contributing to the intensity of the plot. Their believable southern accents, comical conversations and remarkably expressed emotions caused me to wonder how actresses like Miley Cyrus are famous while these ladies have an extraordinary amount of talent but are left unnoticed. The gifted cast did an outstanding job portraying Tennessee William’s characters without over acting, their little mistakes – like messing up a line or dropping something onstage – were barely noticeable and did not distract the audience from the storyline.
The Battle of Angels did not disappoint in the least bit. The light and sound effects, costumes and set design were just as impressive as the acting. I applaud our theater directors Greg Arp and Erin Stanley for leading such a talented cast and picking a hardworking crew that made it all happen. I am looking forward to the upcoming musical Chicago in January, to see what this talented bunch will surprise me with next.
