From high schools to Broadway tours: Plentiful plays on local stages

 

Whether you want to see a Broadway tour or the talent on a local high school stage, next week offers many opportunities to sit in a darkened auditorium and escape into the world of theatrical magic.

Dearborn High School presents “Twelve Angry Jurors,” Grosse Ile High School presents the high school version of “The Play That Goes Wrong” and Divine Child High School presents “Godspell.”

In addition, Wayne State University presents “The People vs. Friar Laurence,” while a few miles away, the Broadway post-pandemic tour of “Hamilton” returns to the Fisher Theater.

DHS PRESENTS ‘TWELVE ANGRY JURORS’

Dearborn High School presents “Twelve Angry Jurors” at 7:30 p.m. Nov. 16, 18 and 19 and 8 p.m. Nov. 17 at the school’s Valentine Auditorium, 19501 W. Outer Drive, Dearborn.

Directed and produced by Greg Viscomi, the cast of jurors include: Madelyn Luckey, Carter Coykendall, Thomas Besek, Arlo Molenda, Savannah Capote, Charlotte Karoub and Ava Danysh at all performances; Ava Nasser, Adam Makled, Eliana Quesada, Abier Saad and Ryan Furchi at the Wednesday and Friday performances; and Samantha Metas, Stefano Ciavaglia, Ava Assenmacher, Sukayna Bazzi and Julius Owens at the Thursday and Saturday shows.

Viscomi, who directed “Twelve Angry Men” many years ago, said the challenges of staging the show with both men and women makes for a different yet interesting play.

“The way both genders handle conflict and compromise adds a lot to the story,” he said. “This show provides a current reflection of our society. All facets of society are represented in the characters of the jury, with their anger and frustrations with each other and the issues at hand.”

Viscomi said he hopes audiences see a reflection of our current world when watching the play, and as a result change and improve as a society.

Besek said the show brings characters from many different perspectives into one room, which makes the show interesting.

“I hope audience members see how different everyone is in the world and how different viewpoints often clash in today’s society,” he said.

Bazzi said the cast has worked hard to deliver a thought-provoking, powerful show.

“The show is definitely one that provokes thought and contemplation, which is something you don’t really see in high school theater and I am really excited to see what type of reaction we will get from our audience,” she said.

Bazzi said she has enjoyed the challenge of creating a character who is not afraid to stand up to her fellow jurors for what she believes is right.

“I hope we hear some buzz about how different this show was from our past ones and how we were able to engage real feelings in our audience,” she said.

Karoub said the actors broadened their experience preparing for a serious show, and she hopes they inspire their peers to become involved in theater, as well.

She also hopes that audiences will be impressed with the production and will return for the student-directed scenes later in the school year.

Tickets for “Twelve Angry Jurors” are $12, with a $2 discount for college students with identification, and a $4 discount for seniors and students 18 and younger. Call 313-827-1647 to reserve tickets by phone.

 

GIHS PRESENTS ‘THE PLAY THAT GOES WRONG’

Grosse Ile High School presents “The Play That Goes Wrong,” the high school edition, at 7 p.m. Nov. 18 and 19 and 2 p.m. Nov. 19 at the high school, 7800 Grays Drive, Grosse Ile Township.

The comedy is a play-within-a-play, where almost everything that can go wrong does, with hysterically funny results.

Cheyla Wagner directs the show, with student direction by Ella Seguin and with assistant direction and set design by Dylan Bužimkić.

The cast includes: Ella Normandin as Chris playing Inspector Carter, Joshua Baxter as Robert playing Thomas Colleymoore, Lexi Yager as Denise playing Perkins, Sorine Andronic as Max playing Cecil Haversham and Arthur the gardener, Gia Schoenherr as Sandra playing Florence Colleymoore, Dominic Bianchi as Jonathan playing Charles Haversham, Cecily Noonan as Annie, and Alyssa Pullen as Taylor.

Wagner said this is one of the funniest shows she has ever seen or had an opportunity to direct.

“Because of how complicated the technical side of it is, I thought we’d never be able to do it, but the high school edition makes it more accessible,” she said. “We also have a lot of comedic kids right now, so things just kind of fell into place.”

Wagner said designing and building the set has been the biggest challenge.

“Walls and other objects fall down, so it’s important that both sides of the set understand what’s going on, so everyone stays safe and the things that ‘go wrong’ look natural,” she said. “We have a very talented group this year who have been stretched past their limits of physical comedy and have to rely not only on their voices, but on their faces and body movements in order to land the jokes and keep the audience laughing.”

Schoenherr said the show will counteract seasonal depression and create plenty of laughter, and audiences will marvel about how realistic the staged mishaps look from the house.

“It is a hysterical show,” she said.

Bianchi said the show achieves its humor with utter chaos and non-stop laughs.

“The most challenging aspect is the fact that we are acting as two characters, so we have to learn two personalities and play them to the best of our ability,” he said. “Jonathon wants his time to shine but continually screws up, so I get to do a lot of humorous scenes.”

Noonan said the goofy energy that the cast is bringing to the show will make it successful, and she hopes the audience laughs until they cry.

“There are so many jokes that are difficult to pull off because of timing, prop placement and inflection of certain words,” she said. “If we are able to accomplish all of them it is going to be quite the slapstick show.”

Andronic said the show is hilarious.

“It hosts a blend of drama, mystery and chaos that makes it like no other show I have seen,” he said. “I can guarantee that people will see things happen in this show that they have never seen in another.”

Andronic said that while it is challenging to play three characters – two in the play-within-a-play – he has had fun embracing the goofiness of his character.

“I share a lot of traits with Max, so I have been having a blast performing his ridiculous moments,” he said.

Andronic said the show provides many entertaining moments.

“If people can’t come to a consensus on what scene they found the funniest, then I know we did our job,” he said.

Tickets at $10, with a $5 discount for students and seniors.

DCHS PRESENTS ‘GODSPELL’

Divine Child High School presents the Steven Schwartz musical “Godspell” at 7:30 p.m. Nov. 17, 18 and 19, with a 2:30 p.m. Nov. 20 matinee at the high school, 1001 N. Silvery Lane, Dearborn.

Based on the Gospel of St. Matthew, the musical uses parables to tell the story of Christ, using themes of friendship, loyalty and love, with many beloved songs, including “Day by Day,” “Prepare Ye the Way of the Lord,” “All for the Best,” “All Good Gifts,” “Turn Back, O Man” and “By My Side.”

Tickets are $12, and are available at dchstheater.ludus.com.

 

‘HAMILTON’ RETURNS TO THE FISHER

“Hamilton,” a story about the past with a modern flair, returns to the Fisher Theater Nov. 15 to Dec. 4 with its unique blend of hip-hop, jazz, rhythm and blues and Broadway show tunes to tell the story of America’s founding fathers.

The sensation, with book, music and lyrics by Lin-Manuel Mirada, is based on Ron Chernow’s biography of Alexander Hamilton.

The show has won Tony, Grammy and Olivier Awards, the Pulitzer Prize for Drama and a special citation from the Kennedy Center Honors.

The show runs 8 p.m. Nov. 15 to 23, Nov. 25 to 27, Nov. 29 and 30, and Dec. 1 to 4, with 2 p.m. Nov. 19, 20, 26 and 27 and Dec. 3 and 4 matinees. There is no show on Thanksgiving Day.

A digital ticket lottery for $10 seats will be available. To enter, use “Hamilton — The Official App,” available for all iOS and Android devices in the Apple App Store and the Google Play Store, or by going to hamiltonmusical.com/app.

For more information about the show, go to broadwayindetroit.com.

WSU PRESENTS ‘THE PEOPLE VS. FRIAR LAURENCE’

Theater and Dance at Wayne present “The People vs. Friar Laurence, the Man Who Killed Romeo and Juliet,” by Ron West and Phil Swann at 8 p.m. Nov. 18 and 19 and 2 p.m. Nov. 19 Underground at the Hilberry Theater.

The show, a musical comedy retelling of “Romeo and Juliet” from a new perspective, places Friar Laurence behind bars, charged with the murder of the two young lovers, with the trial progressing with mayhem and silliness, part vaudeville and part Bard.

The show has strong language and mature themes and content, including violence and suicide, and is intended for mature audiences.

PSCSP HOLDS ‘WIZARD OF OZ’ AUDITIONS

PS Center Stage Players will hold auditions for “The Wizard of Oz” from 12:30 to 5:30 p.m. Dec. 4 at First United Methodist Church, 72 Oak St., Wyandotte.

The show will run March 2, 3, 9 and 10 at the Jo Brighton Auditorium in Wyandotte.

Children age 3 and up as well as adults will be cast. Those auditioning should be prepared to sing a brief song from the show or another suitable song and be willing to learn a short group dance. There will also be cold readings from the script.