Fordham Theatre’s first mainstage production of the year, “High School Play,” took the stage at Pope Auditorium from Oct. 5-13. Written by Vichet Chum and directed by Cristina Angeles, tFordham Theatre’s first mainstage production of the year, “High School Play,” commenced in Pope Auditorium on Oct. 5. The crowd was full of Fordham students ready to take in the play on opening night.
“High School Play” follows a competitive high school theater troupe; the play seemed to take on the characteristics of a “Glee” episode — in real time, set in the South — in the best way possible. The play, written by playwright Vichet Chum and directed by Cristina Angeles, was an attempt to delve into the lives of these characters with talented actors.
In an interview with Fordham News, Chum said that working with students at Fordham Theatre provided him with the room to work “in a space that is educational and at the same time, immersed in the theater capital of the world.”
Upon entering the theater, music from the early 2000s was playing in the background before the play began, and I realized that I truly had no idea what the plot was about. Previous assumptions had led me to believe I would be watching a depiction of a high school theater group trying to achieve their “big-city” acting dreams. I would later find out that there was so much more nuance and character to the story.
The play tackled several issues including homophobia and the grooming that many young adults who identify as part of the LGBTQ+ community face. Marc Laurent Plaskett, Fordham College at Lincoln Center ’24, played a character named Rich and gave an amazing monologue that highlighted the danger young people who identify as a part of the LGBTQ+ community can face in the early 2000s. His speech stayed with me even after I left the theater because of the sheer emotion that he displayed for the audience.
“High School Play” follows a competitive high school theater troupe; the play seemed to take on the characteristics of a “Glee” episode — in real time, set in the South — in the best way possible.
Aside from the passion in Plaskett’s performance, he is also able to inject comedic relief into the play’s heavy themes, and I laughed every time he showed up on stage. Though on the surface level, there was a comedic flare, you could also sense the suppressed emotional feelings contained in Plaskett’s monologue.
Plaskett’s portions of the play were among the highlights of the show because of how connected the audience felt with the character, as well as the actors. Each major character had a monologue tailored to them, and each served a different emotional story.
Further developing the actor’s wardrobes, Grace Jeon, the costume designer for the production, did an amazing job representing the clothing of the American South in the early 2000s. The outfits were tailored to each character perfectly, and the personality of each character seemed to come alive through the clothes they wore in each scene.
Although I enjoyed the play, the storyline felt overdone at times, as all of the characters had the same goal: to leave their hometown and live out their theater dreams. Throughout the entire play, I had a lingering feeling that I had seen the show before and already knew the ending because it was so predictable.
Despite this limitation, the play was an amazing depiction of growing up in a small town and learning more about who you are, as well as becoming the adult that you are meant to become. Each character, through their endurance, allowed themselves to overcome endless obstacles and flourish into complicated beings and fully-fleshed characters.
“High School Play” ended its run on Oct. 13 after showing for eight days in Pope Auditorium.
