Bringing suspense to the Moorestown High School auditorium stage, the cast of the fall play is gearing up for the production of Agatha Christie’s “Witness for the Prosecution.”
The fall play will open on Thursday, Oct. 24 with two additional performances on Friday, Oct. 25 and Saturday Oct. 26 at 7:30 p.m. in the high school auditorium.
With the show opening in two weeks, the cast ran the third act of “Witness for the Prosecution” off-books for the first time on Oct. 9.
With only speaking roles rehearsing at the time, the cast totals 25 students. Combined with those involved in stage crew and set production, director Greg Harr estimated a total of 50 students are involved in the fall play.
“In the past, we’ve really made an effort to expand to get more students involved,” Harr said.
Set in 1950s England, “Witness for the Prosecution” follows the dramatic court trial of Leonard Vole, played by senior Jack Morgan, who is put on trial for the murder of a woman from whom he stood to gain an inheritance.
Able to corroborate Leonard’s alibi, the tables are turned when his own wife Romaine, played by senior Elizabeth Crino, instead testifies against him and denies his alibi.
“I think the special part of doing any show, but especially an Agatha Christie show, is the plot twist,” Harr said.
With the best-selling novelist famous for her unexpected endings, Harr said “Witness for the Prosecution” is sure to deliver.
Keeping the cast tight-lipped on the play’s finale, Harr said there will also be a message printed in the play’s programs urging audience members to not
spoil the ending for future spectators.
With a series of plot twists and turns, Crino said she found it nearly impossible to keep the finale secret from her peers.
“It’s so difficult,” Crino said. “But with some of my friends, I’ve been able to keep it quiet.”
In addition to keeping the story line under wraps, Crino also found other hurdles in her role as Romaine, who speaks with a heavy German accent. Practicing since June, Crino said she worked diligently to keep her German accent from coming off “comedic” and recalled even rehearsing her accent with her mother several times during car rides.
While playing the role of Chutney in last year’s spring musical “Legally Blonde,” this will be Crino’s first lead role, something she looks to with some nervousness, but is mostly excited to have her family come to see her in a lead role.
“I’m so excited to show them what I can do,” Crino said.
Yet, Crino is not the only student who had to tackle mastering an accent for their role. With the play set in Britain, most of the cast members had to master a British accent.
“That is something the students themselves worked on,” Harr said.
With the play cast in June, Harr gave each member a copy of a CD so they could practice their accent over the summer.
Senior Kevin Miller, who plays defense lawyer Sir Wilfrid, shared similar sentiments as he explained the accent brought a challenge not found in his previous roles as Mr. Webb in “Our Town” and Dr. Howe in “Miracle Worker.”
“That was definitely a huge challenge, but a fun one, though,” Miller said.
Morgan also says the accent was difficult to master, but eventually came more easily with practice. Morgan said he has no anxiety about opening night and that the cast seems to be “coming off books well.”
“I’m excited. I can’t wait,” Morgan said. “I think it’s going to be a great show.”
Being that Christie was British, Harr also explained it was a challenge to convey some idioms that were foreign and dated to the cast members.
With the majority of the play set in the courtroom, Harr brought in John Comegno of the Moorestown-based Comegno Law Group, P.C., to advise the cast on both the American and English legal process. He is expected to sit in on rehearsal once it gets closer to opening night for a final advisory.
“This is a school, so we try to make it as educational as possible,” Harr said.
Being a history teacher at Moorestown High School, Harr said the students were also required to present and report on a topic related to the play, such as the life of Agatha Christie or the history of the period.
Harr explained that his cast last year did similar research, preparing for the fall production “Our Town” when they partnered with the Moorestown Historical Society and discovered that playwright Thornton Wilder actually spent time in Moorestown during the span of his life.
Serving as play director for his 10th year, Harr has also directed past fall plays including “The Diary of Anne Frank” and “The Miracle Worker,” but said “Witness for the Prosecution” will be the first mystery he has ever directed.
“Because most of the story takes place inside a courtroom, there is not much action,” Harr said. “The lines become very important.”
Tickets are $10 for adults and $8 for students and can be purchased at www.showtix4u.com.
For more information, please visit www.theather.mtps.schoolfusion.us or call the high school at 778–6610.
