It was a dark and stormy night… When the death of an eccentric millionaire leaves behind a hefty will and a coveted necklace with Hope-Diamond-esque mystique, distant relatives gather like hungry vultures.
So what happens when tumultuous weather leaves them trapped overnight in a (possibly haunted) mansion?
Add an escaped serial killer, ex-lovers and secret passageways to the list, and mayhem ensues.
Junior Anna Brottman-Kass plays the likeable Annabelle West, who finds herself the unwitting heiress of millionaire Cyrus West’s (possibly haunted) mansion and the chaos it entails.
The Cat and the Canary is proof of theatre’s varied abilities. The adorably cliché-ridden melodrama perfectly showcases the range of performances Marshall Theatre is capable of.
A fresh cast portrays quirky and bizarre caricatures of family members.
Junior Bella Orobaton’s promising performance as the role of Mammy Pleasant, the superstitious housekeeper, drew both laughter and chills from the audience. Junior Joshua Blake captured the audience’s hearts as the clumsy, but endearingly loveable Paul.
The back-and-forth dynamic between the cast—antagonistic bickering between the charming Charlie Wilder and the surly Harry Blythe, played by juniors Maxwell Carpenter and Christopher Chapin—makes for an entertaining love triangle. Seniors Wynne Treco and Nikki Pope, playing Aunt Susan and Cicily respectively, are an entertaining duo. Aunt Susan is a perfect embodiment of the patronizing aunt we all know too well, Cicily is her fawning and girlish counterpart.
Also linked to the West Fortune is Crosby, an ill-fated lawyer played by Junior Jack Foster, as well as Hendricks, the dodgy neighborhood guard. Val Cyphers also makes an appearance, eliciting laughs as the kooky and oblivious nurse, Patterson.
The show featured a rotating set, which transported the audience into the twisting and turning melodrama of the 1920s with every creak.
Furnished with tall bookcases, eerie portraits and trapped doorways, the rotating set was definitely a milestone for the theatre’s production.
Paired with flapper-era costuming, rich blazers and sheer slips, the Cat and the Canary transports its audience into the spinning hallways of the West mansion.
With advanced set design, intricate costuming and glowing performances, Marshall once again establishes themselves at the forefront of high school theatre.