Cappies Review: Northwest High Production Is Precise, Funny

By Brian Ball
Rockwood Summit High School

As the curtain opened for the production of Any Number Can Die by Fred Carmichael at Northwest High School the mysteries started right from the start.

At Raven’s Head mansion at precisely 12 o'clock, the will of the deceased Cedric Russell is to be read, but abnormal things occur and it turns into a murder scene. This two-hour, three-act show is sure to be a thrilling comedy.

The entire ensemble was fit to be on the stage. The lines were precise, the comedy was displayed at just the right moment, and every actor knew their purpose. Despite the projection issue in the first act, the ensemble made adequate adjustments to the second and third act. The ensemble painted a clear picture of who each character was.

Hannibal Hix (Brandon Janssen) did an exceptional job at getting the ensemble to interact, and being his character the minute he was on stage. It was exciting and thrilling to watch such a focused actor get the attention of the audience throughout the production.

Zenia (Audrey Lipsmire) also created an atmosphere that was contagiously funny and kept her native accent throughout the production. This was a hard thing to accomplish; yet she did it with such ease. Roger Masters (Charles Pitchford) displayed great diction; he could be heard clearly and concisely throughout all the acts.

Edgars (Jet Wallace) supported the comedic element of this murder mystery, and continued to make the audience laugh every time he got on stage.

The set was impressive; the hard work and dedication from the crew stood out as soon as the curtain opened. The costumers, Abby and Livi Mayher, made many of the characters come to life and made them believable.

All of the backstage hands did their work with diligence and made sure that everything was exactly where it needed to be. The sound had a fuzzy feedback for nearly half of the first act. This element made it difficult to hear the exposition of the play. The props were daring. Using real flames and drinking actual liquids on stage is far above the bar for some high school plays. This was a huge plus for the show as a whole.

The ensemble and crew banded together to ensure the storyline was given to the audience in the way it was intended to. This ensemble and crew did not disappoint in either thrilling the audience or making it laugh. It was two hours to remember.

This review was submitted by The Cappies, a program that trains high school theater and journalism students as critics. The students then attend shows at other schools, write reviews and publish those reviews in local news outlets. At the end of the year, student critics vote for awards that are presented at a formal Cappies Gala.