A Fang-tastic Success
By Kallie McCann, Staff Writer
February 2, 2022
The NHS Drama Club made the best of the complex and comical plot of “Dracula: A Comic Thriller Starring Shirley Holmes and Jennie Watson”. This show was a fun, crazy and weird experience but It was worth every minute.
Act one starts out with a young girl, Lucy, played by freshman Lindsay Collins on her bed with the silhouette of Dracula played by senior Johnny Ayoub and his Draculettes surrounding her. Lucy’s friends Mina, Sabrina, and Jonathan, played by juniors Oliva LeSavage and Sheridan Wynne, and freshman Aidan Conneely enlist the help of Jennie and Shirley to find out about Dracula’s hunt to get Lucy and work together to defeat him. In the end, Lucy’s friends defeat Dracula with an epic fight scene and go on to live a happy life without the worry of him.
But wait, there's more. Dracula rises from his coffin with Renfield played by Junior Emma Naughton, and his loyal Draculette played by freshman Willow Ogle by his side. They end the show with a plan to go back to their home, Transylvania.
Across the board, all of the actors worked perfectly with one another. They were believable, exciting characters that weaved drama and comedy together into one big picture. As a crew member on sound, the amount of hard work these actors did, paid off.
One of the many actors who stood out was Emma Naughton. She played the character of Renfield who is a patient at a mental institution and helps Dracula get to Lucy. Her acting was outstanding, confident, and fearless. She had the crowd laughing at her ridiculous singing of "Jingle Bells" to her starting a scene in the audience as she pretended to be an audience member.
Another actor who shined on stage was Willow Ogle. She played a Draculette and a much-needed Delivery Man. Her stage presence was amazing and her Draculette laugh was the loudest out of all of them. I hope she continues to do more plays because her confidence on stage is unmatched.
Lastly, actor Aidan Conneely who played Jonathan was amazing. His storytelling kept the audience engaged and entertained while other things on stage were happening. He is the ideal great actor that is totally focused all the time and knows every one of his lines. His hard work paid off with a great performance.
Along with acting, there was an excellent performance by the lighting booth, projections, and sound. Freshman Billy McCann had over 140 cues to pull off along with Zoey Faller’s hard work on projections. By my side was Junior Maggie Stenstrom, this was her first show doing crew, and absolutely killed it.
An excellent job by all crew and stage managers Sairys Greene and Rebecca Alliance keeping everyone on task. It was definitely one of the most on-schedule and organized shows I have watched.
Overall, the show was a great success. If you missed out, keep an eye out for the festival show called “She Kills Monsters” which will be in the works for the next few months.