"Did Someone Say, Murder?"

March 15 & 16, 2007

Behind the Scenes

Pictures by Mr. G and students who I handed my camera to periodically.  Captions by Mr. G.

The controlled chaos backstage that is the Makeup Room.

Lindsay helps Kali with her hair.

Claire joins the Makeup team this play - meaning that Claire has officially been on every crew possible, including being the Stage Manager!

The blue "swinging door" was supposed to take about an hour to paint and mount. We were wrong.

We lost the hinge directions. It didn't fit the frame. Stephen got a picture of a double-swing door hinge in action at work.

Eventually we even considered hacksawing it into tiny, tiny pieces and exploding them. Instead we just converted it into an elegant "door frame."

But in the makeup room, people are blissfully unaware of the travails of the swinging blue door.

Pictures were being taken at jaunty angles.

Nicole loomed over people's shoulders.

Lindsay walked around with that look she has.

Even Karly showed up. Hey, Karly!

Lots o' hanging out. Megan was our Makeup Designer.

Me, barely visible against what was a beautiful March sky.

Lauren looks skeptically at her wig, as Chloe does hair in the background.

Chelsea, in the middle of a ... I don't know ... high-five? thumbs-up? clapping? strangling motion?

Megan, spray-painting Kelsey as she kneels, execution-style.

It will be grey. Oh boy, will it be grey.

Johora, picking things out of Kristina's hair. Or fixing it. I don't know.

Jessica managed to stumble in, eventually, moaning about having woken up in a ditch or something.

Ironically, Lauren's carefully managed hair will be hidden under that aforementioned wig. BUT - for a good, surprise reason.

Guys just don't feel natural in a makeup room. We tend to stand around awkwardly, folding our arms or hands, and looking about with vague smiles.

Props Mistress Irene made a beautiful Lobster Special.

Amanda and Irene make last minute preparations on stage.

Angela, uh, watches.

And yet again - the Program Folding Crew is having the best time out of anybody. How do they do it?!

 

Dress Rehearsal

Pictures by Mr. G.  Captions by Mr. G.

Dress Rehearsal!

The Elsinores (Josh C & Kristina) dine as the Hostess (Lindsay) scowls.

Flower Girl (Lisa) sweetly accuses Joe (Wes), "What are you? Some kind of cheapskate!?"

As I went into the audience with my camera, my Period 2 class turned to look at me.

"No!" I cried, "Look at the amazing performance on stage!"

Then they fell asleep.

Mrs. Salt (Lauren) and Mrs. Cabbage (Kelsey) are shown their seats.

Characters have to eat on stage (it's a restaurant). The audience only sees the fake food from their perspective. Characters eat the rice.

Yummy!

Lindsay in a classic murder mystery pose.

The Elsinores are very dignified. Neither one is hiding a secret. Or ... ARE THEY? >.>

Amanda controls the puppet strings from the Stage Manager's booth.

Backstage, the set does not look as "magical."

All of the chairs were actually faux-upholstered by our props crew. We spent about $40 to create 8 chairs that look $100 each.

The Waiter (Tanner) and Waitress (Jessica) finally come to take Joe & Mary's order (Wes & Johora).

Through forensic makeup techniques, and age-progression technology, we've depicted Kelsey as she will actually look at age 25.

Bus Girl (Kali) comes out to offer water and bread. Neither are appreciated.

The real Mithington's (Josh D & Tori) arrive. Scandalous!

Josh has thoroughly managed the comic pose of "smug." Tori is blissfully unaware that anything is going on.

The Manager (Nicole) in a non-golden-matador costume.

Chris, up at the Lights board.

He actually got to pull them levers and turn them knobs an' whatnot.

This is what the stage looks like from the Light & Sound Booth. Except a little brighter.

Mr. Dale Miller, our Sound Engineer for the past 5 years.

Rathbone (Mary) arrives, ready to solve the case.

Cookie (Stephen) is from Italy. If his "Mario Bros." accent doesn't clue you in, then maybe the subtle Italian flag on his costume will.

Irene, our exchange student from Italy, taught Stephen everything he needed to know about sounding 100% genuine Italian.

Oops, Kali died.

Oops, and Mary.

Eh, what can you do?

Oops, Lindsay died.

Josh D confronts Josh C. ZOMG! Too many Joshes! *implode*

Oops, Josh D died.

I was really happy with our set design.

We used a sponging technique, a subtle yellow over a golden background in an attempt to make it look rich.

Kudos to Amanda for her draping technique, which made our 145 feet (really) of deep garnet fabric look good.

And there's that !#@$ doorway. I mean, uh, we intended for it not to be a navy blue swinging door that matched the platforms perfectly. >.>

 

Performance!

Pictures by Kim Morin ('09).  Captions by Mr. G.

Cayla and Brandon (House Manager) staff the Box Office. It's financial madness-madness-madness!

Nick and Candy cheerfully greet a customer, as Moriah looks on.

Before opening night, I slammed my shin into a black riser backstage while the lights were out. I actually still have a knot on my leg from it.

It hurt SO MUCH. I kind of babbled in the intro, and Bobby's cell phone went off. But it was all good.

Joe and Mary arrive at the restaurant.

The Hostess tries to blow them off, unsuccessfully.

The snooty Elsinores come in.

Mrs. Elsinore fixes her hair.

"Only fifteen bucks!"

"Bread?" "No!"

Mrs. Salt and Mrs. Cabbage arrive.

Mrs. Salt buys a flower for Mr. Elsinore. ("Oh dear.")

The Waitress recites lines from "Hamlet" instead of taking the order.

The real Mithingtons arrive. Mr. Mithington is displeased. Mrs. Mithington is confused. "But that's not us!"

Rathbone is on the scene to solve tonight's murder!

The Waitress takes offense at Rathbone's inquiries.

Joe and Mary ... unable to leave!

So! Much! Tension!

Mary, coughing or something.

Mrs. Mithington is amazed at the Waitress who is amazed at Rathbone who is amazed at someone else.

The Manager and Rathbone chitchat while the Hostess scowls.

"Give-a me back my-a bloody-a hat-a!"

"You don't like-a my cooking?" "No! I love your cooking!"

The detective! Dead?

Just kidding.

Secrets are revealed.

A brawl almost breaks out!

"Smithy?"

"But that was all a lie, Elsinore! ... A lie! ................... A lie!"

"Guess he got the wrong plate of chicken."

Why is it always the Flower Girls who die?

Counting to see how many people are, in fact, left alive.

"All right, all right ... I'm not really dead ..."

".... I'm BLIND."

"But HE didn't snatch the plate of chicken. *I* did."

Mrs. Salt, revealed!

"... from Transpuffingtonkaka- kakakakakaistanivania!"

Where the wind always rustles through their blond, spylike hair.

Mrs. Elsinore realizes the message is for her!

Rathbone is so relentlessly cheerful.

The Waitress feigns death.

"I wasn't always a cook at this restaurant."

"SPY SCHOOL!!"

Mary, quite dead in her plate of Lobster Special.

"Bogar?"

"Silly girl. I don't fight with the body ... I fight with the mind."

"Dr. Eleanor Worthington Nicholby, the leading poison expert in ... THE WORLD."

Rathbone, suddenly evil, channels the spirit of Sean Connery. "Bully for you. Genius."

"... the C.I.A."

They're not really dead, you see.

"I'm not really Elsinore. I killed Elsinore years ago, and took his place ... AS A SPY."

"I am also secretly a cave troll."

"Come to Mama."

"I don't want to break up." "Oh, all right." (beaming smile)

And the world was saved, thanks to ... uh ... I'm not really sure. But it's safe now.

Final bows.

We bowed to Soft Cell's "Tainted Love." I don't know why ...

But we had fun. ~~~ FIN ~~~