The characters in the musical City of Angels engaged the audience with ensemble, duet, and solo song performances.
Last weekend, the PMAC curtains opened for the last time this school year to expose Hollywood of the 1940s. The spring musical, City of Angels, was the culmination of the hard work and dedication of the Choate theater department’s faculty and students. It brought off an amazing production, even with a tough time crunch recently imposed on them due to the advancement of the seniors’ graduation. Under the professional directing of Ms. Tracy Ginder-Delventhal, the ensemble managed to take Choate on a journey back to the tension of the forties with a comedic twist.
The musical, which tells the story of the writing of a movie within the play itself, mixes the “real” version of Stine’s screenwriting with the “reel” version acted out by the characters in his own screenplay. The plot is greatly engaging, immersive, and amusing. The meta story follows private eye Stone’s elaborate personal affairs with different women — ostentatious Alaura Kingsley, low-rent lounge singer Bobbi, secretary Oolie—as he investigates the case of the missing bad girl Mallory Kingsley. All the while, screenwriter Stine vigorously types out these events, perfecting the script for a stringent Hollywood director, Buddy Fiddler.
City of Angels wrestles with narrative ownership. As the play proceeds, Stine and Stone attempt to control their stories, intensely debating the nuances of storytelling. The play’s many levels work collaboratively to show the changing power dynamics that eventually break down as the characters assert their identities: Stine does not belong to Buddy, and Stone can refrain from succumbing to Alaura’s sex appeal.
Members of the cast affirmed the unique complexity of the production. Drew Springer-Miller ’16, who played Buddy Fiddler, said, “City of Angels is very different than a lot of shows we’ve done. It has very separate scenes, which made it more exciting to watch everything come together.”
The characters themselves had little in common at first sight, too. Springer-Miller described her character as, “very powerful, which enabled me to manipulate people but be vulnerable at times.” In turn, Alaura Kingsley, played by Rebecca Lillenbaum ’16, “is very sexually empowered and very manipulative. She wants power.” Asha Merz ’16, who portrayed Bobbi, described her character as “a nightclub singer who has lost her path on her way to fame.”
Some of the cast members worried about the supposed adult nature of the play after hearing mixed reviews from the audience, such as “I’m not sure if it’s okay to have teenagers running around in their underwear,” as Sam Wendel ’17 summarizes.
Kaitlyn Dutchin ’17, who played Mallory Kingsley, explained, “Mallory is very sexually confident, and playing that role in front of the whole school — in front of teachers and grandparents — is a hard thing to do. You just have to think, ‘This isn’t me. This is the character. I’m only acting.’ That’s really empowering in itself. That’s just what acting is about. I think, ‘I’m Mallory Kingsley, and I am having fun.’” According to Springer-Miller, “When you’re in character, there are no reservations.”
Because this year Graduation will be held earlier than usual, the musical crew had two fewer weeks to prepare its performance. Lillenbaum said with a chuckle, “It’s been wild. This is the most work-heavy production I’ve ever been in. It’s just been work work work.” Merz added, “The hardest part is the exertion and the exhaustion that comes from working for hours straight.” She went on, “The cast has still remained really close and the entire process has been very rewarding.”
The PMAC was full for every showing. The audience seemed to marvel at the ensemble’s performance, which, according to Lillenbaum, hoped to “convey the mockery of the sexuality and see that women, too, can be masterminds.”
To be sure, the only melancholy feeling was the bittersweet notion that the musical not only represents the end of a long term of hard work, but a goodbye to those students not returning in the fall.
Merz, who will graduate this weekend, said, “I’m so sad to be leaving, but we are handing the program down to phenomenally talented, loving, and confident underclassmen. I’m so happy to leave this leadership in their hands.”
