By Anna Bella D’Amico
October 19th, and the group saw William Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night. A total of 42 kids attended, and they were accompanied by Mr. Huber, Ms. Catalano, Ms. Lanzone, Ms. Pankow, and Ms. Halstead.
The trip began at 8:00 am when the group departed from Williamsville East and started on the three-hour drive. Many students chose to watch movies, play music, or simply talk to the people around them, stopping at customs about 1 hour into the trip. Time flew by, and soon enough the bus was pulling into the quaint town of Stratford, Ontario. Founded in 1859, Stratford is a very British town with distinctive Victorian architecture alongside English pubs and inns. However, it is mainly known for its theater and its bustling thespian industry. The students, in groups of 3-4, walked around town for lunch, and some souvenir shopping. At 1:15 they returned to the theater, and by 2:00 Twelfth Night was beginning.
The show was a comedy, and centered on a love triangle gone wrong, with twists, turns, and humor throughout, the show was a smash hit. “Effervescent,” wrote The New York Times, and Broadway World called it, “Truly hysterical.”
Brent Carver, who played Feste (the fool), took on no easy role as he sang and played right into our hearts with quick witty comebacks, and a strong sense of conviction, Carver truly delivered a Feste that Shakespeare would have been proud of.
Rod Beattle performed just as well, if not better as Malvolio, Olivia’s steward, and right-hand man. He executed the demands of the false letter with a creepy sense of perfection. He played the antagonist extremely well, and by the end of the show, he had the whole audience feeling sorry for him, truly a job well done.
However the show closed on the 21st, so, unfortunately, most of our readers won’t have the opportunity to view it.
After the show, the students boarded the bus again, driving for about an hour, before stopping again at a rest stop for dinner. For the rest of the trip home, most students talked to their seatmates, until the last 20 minutes of the trip, when most if not all students began to sing along with the music being played by a few kids in the back of the bus. They sang hits like Neil Diamond’s “Sweet Caroline”, and classics like High School Musical’s “We’re All in This Together”. The trip ended with Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody”, as they pulled into the school parking lot after having a long day of fun and excitement.
The students highly enjoyed the show and the trip to Stratford, sophomore and second time Stratford goer, Anna Brown, said “I loved the play and overall culture of Stratford. The trip is a lot of fun and is a great way to explore the town. I highly recommend it to anyone.”
Similarly, junior, Robert Korman said, “It was a great trip spent in an amazing town and getting to know great people. I really enjoyed the show and thought it was hilarious. I can’t wait to go back next year!”
