WHS Announces Fall Play

"Charley's Aunt" has been a staple of high school theater departments for decades, but when director Connie Hiliar first presented the idea of performing the play to Warwick High School (WHS) students, she learned they were unfamiliar with the material. "I said, 'Think "Mrs. Doubtfire," but with college-age kids,'" recalled Hiliar. "They could understand because, of course, every kid grew up with 'Mrs Doubtfire.'"

Warwick Performing Arts will present "Charley's Aunt" at WHS, 301 W. Orange St., Lititz, on Friday, Nov. 4, at 7 p.m. and on Saturday, Nov. 5, and Sunday, Nov. 6, at 2 p.m. Doors will open one hour prior to each show to sell tickets, which are discounted for students and seniors.

In "Charley's Aunt," Jack Chesney, played by Grayson Miller, and Charles Wykeham, played by Chance Wilson, are hoping to spend some time with the two young women they love under the watchful eye of a chaperone. However, their chaperone, Charley's aunt, Donna Lucia D'Alvadorez, played by Carly Ruchalski, is delayed. This throws a cog into the plans to spend time with Jack's sweetheart, Kitty Verdun, played by Hope Behringer, and Charles' sweetheart, Amy Spettigue, played by Aubree Hamer. To rescue the opportunity, they persuade their friend, Lord Fancourt Babberly, played by Christian Wolf, to dress and masquerade as Charley's aunt and serve as their chaperone, leading to many hilarious mixups. Other players include Jordan Privette as Ela Delahay, Foster Shrom as Sir Francis Chesney, Jaxon King as Brassett, and Zachary Flaiz as Stephen Spettigue, Amy's uncle.

Hiliar said that she chose the show for two reasons. First, she wanted to offer audience members an escape. "We need something lighthearted," she said. "I want (audience members) to leave chuckling."

Hiliar's second reason was that she believed current WHS students were outgoing enough to do it well. "You really have to have a special group of kids to be able to pull this show off," she said. "Charley's Aunt" is a fast-paced farce peppered with slapstick humor. Hiliar has chosen to perform it using British accents, which is a challenge, but she noted that blocking is also requiring diligent effort. "It's a very physical show," she said.

Hiliar believes the extra effort students are making will play out well as the audience members follow how the joke they are in on plays out on stage. "This show is fun (when you) understand that during Victorian times you could not meet with the young lady without a chaperone," she explained, noting that Lord Babberly is recruited almost unwillingly, and then the real aunt arrives to watch him portray her. "The word play, the physicalness, and the boys being upset because the young ladies are giving this old woman a kiss, when we as an audience know what's going on," she said. "It just adds to the humor."

Hiliar is assisted in directing the show by Anthony Mendez. Erica Fisher is the costume designer. Mike and Robin Newman are working on props and sets, and Taylor Cole oversees the box office.