This article first appeared in the St. Louis Beacon, April 5, 2011 - "Some cupids kill with arrows --and some with traps." That Shakespearean line from "Much Ado about Nothing" perfectly describes the confusion and humor that occurs on stage in Nerinx Hall's rendition of this classic comedy.
The play's central action revolves around two sets of lovers: Benedick and Beatrice and Claudio and Hero. A nobleman, Leonato, father of Hero, invites the prince and men of war to his home, which is where the romance of Claudio and Hero begins. Benedick and Beatrice engage in a "merry war" of witty insults shared back and forth. However, once Claudio decides to marry Hero, he finds out some revealing news about her.
Aiming to exact his revenge against the prince and his friends, the bastard brother of the prince conducts a fake meeting between Hero and a supposed lover and lures Claudio into watching it. Confusion and turmoil ensue, carrying the play into the second act where the resolution of the romance between Benedick and Beatrice and Claudio and Hero ends the play. Nerinx Hall put on the play single-handedly, unlike in the past where it received assistance from Webster University's Conservatory, and it did a spectacular job.
The most impressive part of the show as a whole was the actors' understanding of Shakespearean language. Through gestures and facial expressions they proved their thoughtfulness and their understanding of their lines. Even if a member of the audience couldn't catch one or two words, the physicality on stage made up for it, translating the message regardless.
Beatrice, played by Caroline Amos, was by far the most comedic actress on the stage, with her energetic stage presence and believable engagement with fellow cast members. The humor and wit of her lines translated to her facial expressions, blocking and movement, creating hilarious moments on stage.
Benedick, played by Jean-Paul Angieri, matched Caroline's energy and played a perfect counterpart to her humor in the show as well. Jean-Paul was a believable Shakespearean actor in every way. The relationship between Caroline and Jean-Paul was what really kept the audience engaged and excited for the next time to watch them together on stage.
The technical aspects of the show ran smoothly. There was almost no flaw in the sound and lighting system, as cues were on time, creating no distractions for the audience members. The set was composed of a few pieces, not extremely complex, but the work of Maureen O'Neill was obviously detail-oriented in the realistically painted brick and other techniques that were used on the building, window, benches and balcony.
Costumes by Olive Ellis and Haley Sandifer were done really well; all were period and seemed to fit the characters personalities. The coordination of all the soldiers' costumes was a good choice as well as the differentiation in costumes for each event that took place. The one distraction was in the rainbow color of the guitar strap, which was not period.
All in all, Nerinx Hall impressed with its understanding of Shakespearean language, great stage chemistry and smooth technical performance.
Gretchen Parmley is a student at Parkway Central High School.
About the Cappies
The Critics and Awards Program for high school theater - known as Cappies - was formed in the aftermath of the Columbine shooting to celebrate writing and performing arts at America's high schools. It operates chapters across the nation.
St. Louis' program was launched in 2002-03.
This year, 16 schools are participating, producing 32 shows. Some 195 student critics will write nearly 1,000 reviews of the productions.
At the end of the year, the top performers, technicians and reviewers are honored during a Tony-style gala.
The Beacon is happy to help spread the word by printing some of the reviews.