Macbeth, also called ‘the Scottish play’ by the superstitious theatre community, is one of William Shakespeare’s most famous tragedies. The play was written around 1606 and has been performed frequently in the many following centuries, due to its compelling look at the corrupting nature of ambition and the destruction that stems from ruthless power. Macbeth is a loyal and talented Scottish general until he is given a prophecy from a trio of Weird Sisters, foretelling that he will one day be king. When other promises that fell from their lips begin to be realized, Macbeth and his wife’s bitter desire propel them into a sinful plot to fulfill their destiny.

The show was headed ably by Michael Katz as the tortured and emotional titular character. Among a cast that sometimes faltered in energy, he kept the intensity at high levels with his booming voice and wild gestures. His scheming wife was portrayed with commitment by Emma-Lea Jacklin who provided an interesting foil to Katz’s great rages. The two worked together to ceaselessly push the show along towards its terrifying and dramatic conclusion. Macduff (Nick Lingenfelter), Macbeth’s final enemy who brings the tyrant to his knees, also gave a standout performance.

The performers in the diverse ensemble of the show served their purposes well in order to keep the twisted story moving along smoothly. Sam Gracia gave a memorable performance as King Duncan in the short space of time before Macbeth murders him to further his dark designs. Gracia was regal and royal in his speech and mannerism, possessing a needed gravitas that was sometimes missing from this production.

However, it is the witches and their creeping minions who deserve special recognition for their captivatingly spooky performances. The three Weird Sisters (Mica Lewis, Brianna Lattanzio, Naomi Eskenazi) embodied the otherworldly beings with smooth fluidity and powerful chants. Their ethereal existence was highlighted by shifting, shadowy lights and rolling fog that misted across the stage whenever they appeared. Their crowd of flesh-eating minions also contributed to the horrifying images with their possessed movements and growling noises. An interesting choice was to have these minions play other roles surrounding Macbeth’s downfall such as the talented Celene Daniels who threw herself into her minion role as well as one of the assassins who slaughters Banquo.

Just when all seems solved and good, the Weird Sisters appear once more, swarming over Malcolm in a promise of an endless cycle of corruption. The memorable tale of Macbeth and his wife is a lesson on the corrupting nature of power and greed; one that will continue to ensnare audiences in its tantalizing web for centuries to come. Northwood High School gave a respectable and enjoyable performance of the spellbinding story.

by Emma Paquette of McLean High School

Photo Gallery

Michael Katz (Macbeth)	Noah Wasco (Donalbain), Sam Gracia (Duncan), Simon Enagonio (Malcom), Muhammed Rafinelli (Lenox), Emily Tartaglia (Angus/Menteth/Old Man), and Blake Johnson (Rosse)
Emma-Lea Jacklin (Lady Macbeth)	Priscilla Perez, Sophia Sar, and Navagaye Simpson (witch minions), Sam Kreitzberg (Banquo), Michael Katz (Macbeth), and Eloise Cates and Catherine Rosales (witch minions)
Celene Daniels (witch minion/murderer #1), Brianna Lattanzio (witch #2), Veronica Soriano (witch minion/murderer #2), Mica Lewis (witch #1), and Nikaleta Exis (Hecate)

Photos by Stephanie Smestad

One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest is a 1963 play by Dale Wasserman based on Ken Kesey’s novel of the same name. The original production ran for 82 performances on Broadway, and in 1975 the story was made into an Oscar-winning movie starring Jack Nicholson. Set in a psychiatric hospital, Cuckoo’s Nest chronicles the fast-talking, quick-tempered Randle P. McMurphy, who feigns mental illness to escape a prison work farm. At the hospital he meets a kaleidoscopic cast of characters, suffering from a unique amalgam of disorders, and simultaneously inserts chaos into their lives while inspiring them to self-actualization and unification. Examining the institutional system and the nature of the psychologically disturbed, Cuckoo’s Nest serves as both an acutely powerful statement about the treatment of the mentally ill and a moving exploration of the human consciousness.

At the helm of the show was Arthur Kraus as McMurphy. Kraus accurately embodied the loquacious, hotheaded disposition of his character, demonstrating McMurphy’s relative sanity while also letting the façade slip at points to reveal the slightly unhinged nature of his psyche. As the show progressed, Kraus’s physicality and vocal expression became increasingly erratic, paralleling McMurphy’s journey from a man playing the system to a man defeated by it. Providing a foil for Kraus’s fiery, rebellious persona was Hannah-Sophie Hirsch as the stringent Nurse Ratched, overseer of the mental ward. Hirsch exuded a chilling austerity, flipping between condescendingly manipulative and maniacally power-hungry with frightening exactitude.

The two leads were complemented by an immensely entertaining and engaging group of supporting characters. As the sweet, innocent Billy Bibbit, Billy Yendell was entirely endearing, and displayed the wretchedness of pervasive guilt and self-doubt while flawlessly maintaining a stutter. Also notable was Jamie Holmes, who portrayed the mostly mute Chief Bromden. Holmes effortlessly exhibited his character’s frequent shifts between melancholy soliloquies and wide-eyed, zombie-like trances.

Though they rarely spoke, the more background members of the cast, including the “chronics” and inmate Ruckley (Brianna Lattanzio, Sam Gracia, and Emily Tartaglia), heavily contributed to the show’s eerie ambiance. Their characterization was remarkable, each actor retaining small, distinctive tics and personalized mannerisms.

The production’s technical elements also supplemented the play’s haunting feel. The set appeared simple, but upon closer inspection it contained a great amount of meticulous detail. The lighting and costumes were appropriate and unobtrusive, and the sound was extremely creative, employing alarms, bird calls, and an unnerving rendition of the rhyme from which the show draws its title.

Cuckoo’s Nest is a chiefly dramatic play that includes comedic elements, and the Northwood cast balanced both aspects admirably. Comic moments were featured, but did not overshadow the more sobering ones, including the heart-wrenching final minutes. As the show drew to a close, the audience was left with the same questions that we have been asking ourselves as a nation: “What does it mean to be mentally ill?” “How do we go about helping those we decide fall into that category?” Northwood’s production of Cuckoo’s Nest may not have wholly answered these questions, but, with skillful acting and intensive characterization, it brought them to light and underscored their gravity.

by Jordan Goodson of Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology

Photo Gallery

Arthur Kraus, Hannah Sophie Hirsch	Arthur Kraus, Sam Gracia
Billy Yendall, Sam Gracia, Victoria Sullivan

Photos by Dahlia Ehrenberg

Footloose tells the story of wild teenage boy Ren McCormack who just “can’t stand still.” After his father leaves Ren and his mother, they are faced with financial troubles, and Ren is forced to leave the dance clubs of Chicago and move to the small town of Bomont. There, he meets the strict Reverend Shaw Moore and his beautiful daughter Ariel, who rebels against her father’s strict rules. After befriending an awkward country boy named Willard, Ren learns that as a result of a terrible accident, the Reverend Moore convinced the town council to ban dancing from Bomont completely. While dealing with the harsh eyes of the community, coping with his father’s abandonment, and falling in love with Ariel, Ren attempts to overturn the town’s ban on dancing, and in the process changes the town of Bomont, and the people in it, for good.

Kyle Louviere’s Ren McCormack was heartfelt and earnest, with exceptional dancing skills that were a delight to watch. In his scenes opposite the Reverend Moore he was believably caring, and his performance had the audience cheering him on from beginning to end. Reverend Shaw Moore, for his own part, gave a commendable performance. Played by Abel Jimenez, his strong vocals, sincere and sympathetic, made him a standout performer in the show. Ethan Barbee’s portrayal of the awkward yet loveable best friend Willard was endearing and enjoyable. The moment when he shocked the audience with his incredible dancing ability was a highlight of the show, and his comic timing helped to keep the mood of the show continually upbeat.

Northwood’s stage crew team of Megan McGuffey, Jonathan Dautzler, Sawyer Flint, and Hunter Nguyen helped to keep the show flowing almost seamlessly through each scene, with only minor errors throughout. Though there were one or two microphone problems, this was overshadowed by the excellent work of the lighting. Designed and executed by Stephan Naggy, Jake Blakely, Liam Brennan, and Joshua Gaal, the lighting was consistently well done throughout the show, setting the mood for both serious and upbeat scenes. During the dance numbers, the lighting turned the theater into a concert arena, full of centered spotlights and strobe lights. Overall the show was technically sound and moved well.

If you’re in for a feel-good musical, then Footloose is the show to see. From dance numbers that keep your hands clapping to an uplifting moral about standing up for what you believe in, Footloose will make you want to “kick off your Sunday shoes,” and jump right into the fun.

by Carolyn Lucas of Oakcrest School

Photo Gallery

Kyle Louviere and Company	Ethan Barbee, Chanelle White, Sammi Levine, Vanessa Cuadra, Abel Jimenez, Kyle Louviere, Betty Shiferaw, Alyssa Kushner, Leah Peacock, Cassandra Williams and company
Ethan Barbee, Sammi Levine, Kyle Louviere, Alyssa Kushner and company	Kyle Louviere, Alyssa Kushner and company

Photos by Susan Shaffer