KHS students took part in the opening night of It’s a Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play on Dec. 1. The show featured nine of the school’s best actors and actresses in the familiar holiday story with a slight twist; instead of presenting the plot with scene changes and different characters, KHS made it a live radio broadcast, with most actors playing over three different roles.
Sophomore and audience member Kayla Tehrani said, “I thought it was new to have a radio show as a play [because] usually you hear a radio speaker but this time you could actually see them.”
The set of the play included a row of chairs on the back of the stage where the radio show actors and actresses sat until it was their turn to speak. They then walked towards the front of the stage to a row of old-timey microphones and delivered their lines.
Junior Angelina Moore played Hazel Merryweather as well as six other characters in the play. She said, “At first, I was little unsure about the choice of show because… I’ve never done anything like that before… [but] it went well in the end.”
Likewise, sophomore Gabriella who played Violet Bick, Peter Bailey, and a few minor characters, said, “It was kind of interesting because for this play… there was no backstage time… but it’s almost easier in a sense because you stay in character the entire time. You’re always in the scene.”
To distinguish between their many characters, the actors used small costumes like hats and scarves, but also changed their voices. Most notably, freshman Rebecca Guetzov spoke with a thick Italian accent for her character Martini, a Brooklyn accent for her character Ernie Bishop, and a baby voice for her character Zuzu.
“Going into it, some of the actors told me it was little confusing because they were all playing multiple characters, but their accents were so good that made it really easy to follow,” said senior Kendal Simmons.
Because it was a radio show, the actors also had small infomercials between scenes and made sound effects on the sides of the stage. A box of corn flakes was the sound of walking through snow, and a hand crank was the sound of cracking ice.
Senior and technical director of the stage crew, Abby Bosch, said, “It was interesting because normally that’s our job up in the booth… but we didn’t have to worry about it because the actors handled it themselves.”
Senior Erin O’Mara said, “I loved the sound effects. I was totally interested the whole time.”
Some of the actors, however, admitted that the play had some mistakes. Senior Cooper Bresky played the lead, George Baily, and said, “Some of our scenes didn’t go exactly as planned but the audience didn’t seem to notice so that’s always good.”
Guetzov said, “The last rehearsal was kind of a mess and we all felt unprepared, but the night of the show it all came together, and it worked out well.”
The audience loved the show and some even teared up at the dramatic conclusion. Senior Christiana Caprio said, “I thought it went really well especially for only nine cast members. They did a really good job!” And as sophomore Owen Kruger said, “The turnout was pretty good, especially on the first night.”
Freshman Katie Nieto played the female lead, Mary Bailey as well as Sadie Vance. She said, “It’s a Wonderful Life is the perfect way to bring in the Christmas season.”
The play has also made many KHS students excited for the upcoming musical, Suessical, a mix of a couple classic Dr. Suess favorites with some great musical numbers throughout.
Moore said, “Originally when I heard the choice I wasn’t the most excited, but I’ve actually been listening to the music and researching it a little bit and I think it’s going to be a really fun show because it has a lot of parts for everyone.”
Bosch added on, saying, “The choice is interesting, but I think it’ll be fun from my perspective running lights.”
Guetzov said that she will definitely audition for the musical. “It’s just so fun! Even if I don’t get a lead role, I love being in the ensemble [because] you always just become a really close family and I love that.”
Auditions for the spring musical, Suessical, will be held Dec. 11 from 3-5 p.m.. For more information about the musical, contact Hannah Sappio at [email protected] or Director Gregory Dalakian at [email protected].
