From left to right, Jaren Cochran (12), Kathryn Harbauer (11), Alison Schuessler (12), Lucien Bar (10), Izzy Hoffman (12) and Amelia Chavez (11) sitting impatiently on a couch.
Written by: Mylo Ortega, Staff Writer
INTERACTIVE: This year’s annual summer show was a hilarious, interactive and gut-retching murder-mystery comedy.
After several years of being unable to produce a summer show, Poly High School managed to create one this year. Codirected and produced by Thatiana Smith alongside codirector Alison Scheussler, this year’s summer show, an interactive murder mystery comedy called “You Have The Right to Remain Dead,” enthralled an audience into the world of a disastrous theatre department and a suspected murder.
From the moment the audience walks in, they are greeted by characters of the show. During intermission, they were even invited to observe the evidence placed on stage and, as the show went on, have conversations with characters. The show’s cast of characters include Kathryn Harbauer (11) as Arnold Trumbull, a hopeless divorcee still in love with his ex; Izzy Hoffman (12) as Doris Trumbull, the hateful ex-wife; Amelia Chavez (11) as Lois Jacobsen, a bratty bimbo business woman; Lucien Bar (10) as Steve Randall, a freelance snoop; Jaren Cochran (12) as Ajax Conroy, a suspicious dude with a criminal record; Micheal Calderon (9) as Tommy Marsh, a 13-year old roped into being the tech to run the show; Pierre Schwabe (12) as Harnell Chesterson, the narrator of the show who is mysteriously murdered; Alison Schuessler (12) as Leigh Dorsette, a past lover of Harnell; and Mylo Ortega (11) as Officer Bainbridge, the stereotypical officer on the case.
After bickering for seemingly hours over the possibility that one situation lead to murder, the audience, towards the end of the show, eventually discovers that the murder was not caused by blackmail or because of some rancid criminal incident by the only one with a criminal record, but instead because of an embarrassing love story. Mistreated by the one she once swooned for, Leigh Dorsette murdered Harnell because she simply sought to scare the ego out of him. Unfortunately, this scare turned into murder. Officer Bainbridge eventually arrests Leigh and assures: even after blaming her friends ex and putting everyone but herself under the bus, Dorsette’s attempt at uncovered murder was not as slick as she intended, since “actors are so dramatically guilty and spew out motives at the drop of a hat.”
The show ultimately revealed itself as a hilarious mixture of Clue, Among Us, and The Play That Goes Wrong to create two nights of laughs for many. Take it from the view of one of the actors Pierre Schwabe, who explained that the show’s production “may have been messy, but it was fun and a great experience for everyone involved.” A perspective from another hard working actor Geki Smith reveals a similar experience: “I think this is the most fun I have had working on a show,” Smith claimed, “I got to spend time with my friends over the summer, and I got to make the performance something memorable.” Although it finished as fast as it began, “You Have The Right to Remain Dead” significantly impacted Poly’s theater history.
Mylo Ortega (11) staring at Jaren Cochran (12) after performing a fake scene to distract audience from Pierre Schwabe (12), who is suspiciously still.