Sophie Burdette

J.E.B. Stuart High School

What do drag, young love, and high tea have in common? Wakefield School showcased all three in their production of Charley's Aunt this weekend.

First performed in 1892, the Victorian farce had an original run of almost 1,500 shows in London, opening on Broadway in 1893. Brandon Thomas' three-act comedy concerns Jack Chesney and Charley Wykeham, two college students who invite their sweethearts (and Charley's aunt) over for lunch. When Charley's aunt is late, there seems nothing for the boys to do but to enlist their friend and fellow student Lord Fancourt Babberley ("Babs") to impersonate the relative in drag. As may be expected, a cocktail of shenanigans and dramatic irony ensues.

The production was accentuated by detailed physical comedy executed with spot-on timing by the cast. From playing monkey-in-the-middle with a briefcase of champagne to whipping up tea in a hat, the cast nailed their visual gags in the true spirit of a farce.

Armed with a puckish grin and an impeccable sense of comedic timing, Christopher Wagner's portrayal of the cross-dressing Babs was fresh and funny. Wagner slid with ease between hiding apprehensively behind a fan to firmly reproving an impudent gentleman. In the latter case, Wagner's stage presence was upheld by his arm as he struck the hat off the offender's head with a well-aimed book. Wagner was also able to carry the emotion of a lovesick young man, thwarted in affairs of the heart simply because his beloved did not see through his disguise as a woman.

Skyler Tolzien and Tori Finn worked in tandem as the young lovers Kitty Verdun and Amy Spettigue, executing synchronized stage business and forming sharp angles with their bodies. Tolzien brought a spark of sass to Kitty, while Finn's gracefully poised Amy served as a foil to her more impulsive beau, Charley (Ethan Rosenfeld). Although diction was occasionally difficult to understand, volume was always strong. The cast met with a few technical difficulties, but they covered for these in character without missing a beat.

The period costuming reflected the Victorian emphasis on appearances, with the gentlemen in sharp suits and ladies in pastels and lace. Each of the play's three acts featured a different set configuration, each effective without being overly complex. The doors and walls used in Acts I and III were reversible, so that one side featured warm-toned college lodgings on a bright morning, and the other became a blue drawing-room in the evening, hung with opulent curtains. Act II featured two simple arches and a stone wall. Bright greenery struck a refreshing contrast against the grey stone.

From drapes to drag, Wakefield School delivered a bright farce with glee.

Ellie Orzulak

Duke Ellington School of the Arts

Two college boys getting way in over their heads is nothing new. When paired with drag, it's a little bit newer. When added to dry British humor, enormous debt, proposals, forgotten love, and an unhappy guardian, it's a Shakespearean-like comedy with wholesome characters and hilarious twists. Charley's Aunt at the Wakefield School is a charming, goofy production that manages to be fresh and surprising, even given its predictable nature.

Charley's Aunt, written in 1892 by Brandon Thomas, broke all the records of its time. The play tells of one day in the lives of Charley Wykeham and Jack Chesney, two Oxford students in love, and planning to propose. When Charley gets word that his wealthy aunt, the lady Donna Lucia D'Alvadorez, is planning on paying him a visit, Jack and Charley jump at the opportunity and decide to hold a lunch, inviting their romantic partners. When they receive word that Donna Lucia cannot make it, they do the next best thing; Dress their buddy Babbs up in drag and hope that the girls don't notice anything odd.

Christopher Wagner takes center stage as Lord Fancourt Babberley, known as Babbs to his friends. Wagner, dressed in traditional women's clothing and a wig, expertly moved through being an eccentric aunt and a typical undergrad kid for the duration of the play. His performance and comedic timing were superlative, and his moments of sincerity with his love interest at the end of the play were genuine, and a wonderful contrast to his comedic points.

Alexander Mischel and Ethan Rosenfeld as Jack and Charley capture chemistry throughout the show like a champagne bottle- bubbly, light, and explosive if shaken. Mischel and Rosenfeld worked very well off each other, alternating moments of genuine confusion with hilarious physical altercations and satisfying moments of truth.  Mischel plays the unsure boy when interacting with his love interest Kitty. (Skyler Tolzien) His bashfulness and light treading meshed with Tolzien's sarcasm to result in a sometimes awkward, but adorable budding relationship. Tolzien worked in sync with Tori Finn, who plays Kitty's best friend Amy. The girls sat down together, turned their heads together, and interacted with their boys together for moments of symmetry in the messy world of the play.

Another sweet duo was that of Jack's dad, Colonel Sir Francis Chesney (Andrew Maraska) and the real Donna Lucia (Audrey Brown.) Maraska's character was well researched and reminiscent of the period, he was very composed and always put together throughout the show. Brown played Charley's actual aunt with an all-knowing air, she reacted to the other characters in the show with sassy mannerisms and quips that let the audience know exactly who she was.

The set, designed by student Justine Jones, was simple and tasteful, it didn't distract from the action, but provided a gentle cushion to the plot; subtly letting the audience know where the characters were. In nice contrast to the minimal set, the costumes, designed by student Sophia McMahon, were extravagant. McMahon produced beautiful period dresses and suits that worked very well for each character.

At the end of Charley's Aunt, nearly everything was tied up nicely (except for the girl's grumpy Guardian, Spettigue.) Each actor maintained a grounding though the silliness of the show and produced a satisfying performance. Wakefield's charming, down-to-earth, and simply funny Charley's Aunt is a genuinely wholesome and sweet production.