Hadestown: Behind the Curtain By Georgia Marshall, Assistant Editor, Sophomore
Every spring, the MHS Drama Club puts on a musical for the whole town to enjoy. While a large chunk of the community knows about and attends the shows, so much beyond what is seen on opening night is put into the performances. Members of the cast and crew dedicate themselves almost entirely, spending hours after school rehearsing, building sets, tweaking costumes and lighting, and fine-tuning choreography and individual performances until they are ready for an audience.
Ashley Skeffington, director of the Drama Club, shares her perspective on the group’s hard work on every production. “It never comes as a surprise to me when this team rallies for a production. This cast and crew is used to scheduling conflicts, technical issues, tough off-book deadlines… problem solving is stressful, but it’s also part of the fun.”
This year’s production, on the weekend of April 11, is the Tony-winning Hadestown: Teen Edition. The musical is a mysterious, jazz-inspired rendition of the classic Greek tragedy of ill-fated lovers Orpheus and Eurydice and their journey to Hadestown, a dark underground factory ruled by Hades and Persephone. It blends elements of the traditional Greek tales with a gritty modern setting and narrative.
“I sat in rehearsal yesterday and saw some things come together beautifully,” says Skeffington. “It was just one of those days where I would periodically sit back and say to myself ‘Ok, this is going to be a really good show’. As a director, you live for those moments. It makes all the stress totally worth it.”
A typical rehearsal starts at around 3:00 pm and goes till 6:00 pm five days a week. After a meeting between the cast and director, the team begins rehearsing. Skeffington shares notes with the actors and dancers as they perform and rerun scenes to perfection on the newly installed rotating stage. A group of students is primarily dedicated to dancing, while others rehearse musical numbers and scenes.
Actors are encouraged to play with their roles and create their own dynamics. Everyone treats each other with respect and encouragement as they perfect their individual performances. Daphne Seliger, a freshman at MHS, describes her experience working on the musical and being a part of the Drama Club as a member of the ensemble. “I feel super welcomed as a freshman. The environment is so nice and the group has been so welcoming and patient.” She is excited for everyone to see the hard work that has gone into the show. “Every single scene has some form of technical magic, from the rotating stage to the incredible lighting. I can’t wait for everyone to see everything, like the music, the costumes, and the sets.”
Daphne’s sister, Charlie Seliger, plays the lead role of Orpheus in the show. When asked about her experience within the role, she shares, “This show is very special to me, as I’ve always been obsessed with Greek mythology—the story of Orpheus and Eurydice in particular. I worked really hard to get the role I got, and I’m grateful for each moment I have to put more work towards developing my portrayal of him.” She encourages anyone who is on the fence about buying a ticket to go ahead and buy it, as they are in for a treat.
As the date of opening night draws ever closer, the cast, crew, and all members of the Drama Club eagerly prepare for the show. Every little detail, from dance steps to music notes, has been polished, and the dedication from every person participating in the show is evident in its execution. The Drama Club invites all members of the community to come to MHS on April 11 at 7:00 pm and April 12 and 13 at 2:00 pm for a night of blues, mystery, and romance, in the grand culmination of their performing talent.
Invincible Season 3 Pulls No Punches – Again By William Pellicotti, Junior
The words of Invincible’s latest adversary have run circles around the internet. The third season of the highly acclaimed animated show Invincible recently wrapped with its eighth and final episode, concluding what was by far the best season of Invincible so far.
The season picks up sometime after season 2, during which Mark has been training with Cecil and the GDA to increase his power levels after his struggles to protect Earth and others around the galaxy from the Viltrumites and other threats in the previous season. Oliver has grown significantly from the last season growing from a toddler to the physical body of a middle schooler, all seems well to Mark, his family, and the GDA.
However, the falling out between Cecil and Mark early in the season takes a massive turn from the previous ones, setting the stage for the major conflict within the season. Much of the season refocuses on Mark’s dilemma over whether or not to kill his enemies, while Mark maintains that killing is wrong in the fear that if he does he will turn into his father. However at the same time Oliver contrasts this with a much more black and white view of killing that contrasts with Mark’s refusal to kill.
While this is happening we continue the story of Allen and Nolan within the Viltrumite empire and we see the two’s relationship develop from enemies to allies as they come to share the common goal of fighting the viltrumites. At the same time we finally get to see the relationship between Eve and Mark develop as well as other characters like Rexplode and Shrinking Rae.
Despite the rest of the season holding up quite well despite the questionable animation, the final two episodes truly make this season stand out from the rest. Slowly through the story it’s revealed that Angstrom Levy, a villain from the previous season, thought to be killed by Mark, is still alive and plotting his revenge against Invincible. To achieve this he brings different evil Invincibles from across the multiverse to wreak havoc across the world. Immediately following this we’re introduced to Conquest, the most powerful viltrumite we’ve seen so far. The fight between Conquest and Invincible is nothing short of incredible, taking up almost an entire episode, and is one of the greatest fights I’ve ever seen in any animated show, rivaling mentions such as the last Agni Kai between Zuko and Azula in Avatar. It’s clear to see the majority of the budget went to these two incredible episodes and it completely makes up for any issues with the animation in the previous episodes.
The third season of Invincible is one of the greatest seasons of any show of recent times and despite some of its relatively minor flaws, it stands out as the best season of Invincible so far.
Special Announcement: Scholarship Application Deadline
Marblehead Dollars for Scholars application deadline is Friday, April 18 at 11:59 PM. High school seniors
who demonstrate financial need based on the student aid index (SAI) on their FAFSA are encouraged to
apply for a scholarship by visiting the following website and creating their online profile:
https://marblehead.dollarsforscholars.org.
Questions may be directed to: Mike Weed at (617) 823-9898 or mweed1973@gmail.com and Jennie
Sheridan at (781) 962-3594 or Jfsheridan9@gmail.com.