In a world where athletics often get the popular vote over music and theater, Grace High School is a place where all extra-curricular activities are highlighted equally and thrive successfully.
Grace High School is well-known for its drama department and last week’s production of “Lucky Stiff” proved to be the latest in a long list of hit performances.
Grace High School drama director Eli Hubbard and his wife, Velvet, work side by side for months with students to bring a great program year after year. This year’s selection of “Lucky Stiff” provided an excellent balance of humor and suspense as the storyline had you guessing throughout the evening.
Hubbard said he saw Utah's Hale Centre Theatre perform the show and it got him interested in bringing it to Grace High School. The kids had a lot of fun with the storyline and especially liked the idea of “messing” around with a dead guy throughout the play and trying to make him break character.
Grace senior Jack Mussler, played the leading role of shy shoe salesman Harry Witherspoon, who was willed $6 million as long as he could complete the task of taking his dead Uncle Tony to Monte Carlo for the trip of a lifetime, but if he failed the money would go to the Universal Dog Home of Brooklyn.
Grace junior Aleaha Medina played the role of Annabel Glick from the Universal Dog Home. She captured the audience's attention every time she came on stage. One of the memorable highlights of the show was when she sang “Times Like This” and a live puppy joined her on stage.
Medina, though known for her quiet personality, shines on the stage and shares, “One thing I love about a play is it makes you get out of your comfort zone by literally becoming somebody else. It’s always nice to be able to have an outlet from reality. Participating in the play is super fun and definitely worth it, even working through the late night practices and hard work of memorizing lines.”
Shadrick Zulu played the role of eye doctor Vincent Diruzzio, the brother of Rita La Porta, played by Trinity Corder.
Both Zulu and Corder’s vocals and accents were on point. Corder spoke in a great Jersey accent and had her character’s personality down as she rocked four-inch red high heels all evening.
The play kept reminding you a little of the '90s film "Weekend at Bernie’s." It was amazing how freshman Landry Crane was able to keep the character of a dead man in a wheelchair, well for the most part.
The ad-libs of the cast sure made it hard for Crane to hold it together at times. Especially in moments when the cast played it up a little extra and Mussler’s character accidently dumped Crane off the front of the stage or when Medina decided to kiss Crane’s cheek and couldn’t help but smile and hold in a laugh.
The talent of these young actors is extraordinary. If one broke character another would welcome the opportunity and play it out. The audience loved the humor and even helped the cast amp up their ad-libs as the evening progressed.
The students performed the play multiple times at the Gem Valley Performing Arts Center and each performance seemed different because of the fun ad-libs.
Though the play definitely had leading roles, the other cast members lived up to their characters so well that not one specific character outshined another.
Hubbard casted the students so well that they were able to create a balance of talent carrying out the perfect plot twist down to the last scene.
The show also featured outstanding live music performed by local pianists Beth Buxton, Grace High School's music teacher, and Lisa Swensen, Hubbard’s mother.
Mussler said participating in Grace High School's drama program has helped him immensely.
He said, “Drama has helped me get out of my comfort zone in many ways and there is always a place for you there. It’s a great way to make new friends and become closer with people as well. I’ve really loved working with everyone who participated in the show. They were all so fun and worked really hard."
Congratulations to Grace High School's drama department for successfully pulling off another great year-end performance.
Hubbard said, “This is my 10th performance at Grace High School and none of it would be possible without the support of the community. Thank you for watching, thank you for lending me your children, and thank you for being so forgiving with all my mistakes. It has been a great time and I look forward to next year’s show, 'Seven Brides for Seven Brothers.'”
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