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Tell Everybody! By: Elyse Prosniewski

This past Friday I had the pleasure of viewing the one-act play //Don’t Tell a Soul// by James Reachperformed at Ladywood High School. Mrs. Ellen Purrhange directed the play.

This all woman play is set in a southern household in the 1950s. It is a comedic gossip play centered around a group of nosey neighbors who notice one of their fellow neighbors, Mrs. Ferguson, has gone missing. The story about her whereabouts begins simply enough, but each time its retold to new neighbors it becomes more and more exaggerated and ridiculously funny. Soon it's being reported that Mr. Ferguson is drunk and Mrs. Ferguson has a fractured skull. Then the truth comes out.

The tone of the play is definitely a comedic one. The way the story of Mrs. Ferguson becomes more and more embellished had the audience on the edge of their seat with laughter. It was clear through the acting and script that the direction of the play was simple and to the point. The story itself was so involved that it was obvious that the director focused more on making sure the characters stood out then placement and movement on the stage. A lot of which seemed improvised.

The play was exceptionally cast considering it was a high school production. The actress who played Prudence, the depressed neighbor still hung up on a man who left her 20 years ago, was especially a hoot! Her over the top crying and wailing throughout the play made for hilarious bouts of entertainment. The only flaw I say within the casting was that of the newlywed wife, Ella Mae. The actress who played the naïve role was very stiff and it was obvious which lines expected laughs and which did not. Considering it was a high school production her performance could be chalked up to inexperience though.

Considering this play was a one act there was only one set, Ms. Angeline’s living room. Although the outside and her upstairs are mentioned and we see some characters going to these places, they were offstage out of sight. The set was very simple, but it did the job. There was only one flat on stage, which included a door and a window covered with a curtain. There was a couch and armchair with a coffee table between them set in the center of the stage. This is where most of the action took place. There were also smaller items, such as, a record player and a small table in the background. It was not the most breathtaking set I have witnessed, but it was clear what it was and it was done nicely.

The costumes and makeup were also very simply, but to the point. The make up was classic stage makeup, with nothing special added on. All the characters were 1950 housewives and therefore dressed in that manner. Mrs. Angeline was a sort of exception to this. Her character is in her nightgown and rollers throughout the entire play, because she did not have time to dress before the chaos erupted.

There were no special lighting effects and the sound was very minimal. Since the play was so fast passed and the dialogue was so important to telling the story the lack of lighting and sound really had no effect. It did not subtract to the experience of the play.

Overall, this was a very simple but very good play. The script itself is very lighthearted and funny. I was very impressed by acting and direction of the play. Although the sets and costumes were not the best of the best, I think they were straightforward and did the job. I would definitely recommend that you go see this play as soon as you can. It may be called //Don’t Tell a Soul//, but trust me when I say you’ll be telling everyone about it after you see it!