William Mason High School's THE OLD MAN AND THE OLD MOON
Review by Heidi Hassman, Milford High School Critic Team
In a whimsical world made of strings, shadow puppets, and the liquid light of the moon, William Mason High School's production of The Old Man and the Old Moon showed that theatrical magic needs nothing but boundless imagination.
Created by seven classmates in 2007 from Carnegie Mellon University, The Old Man and the Old Moon took the stage taking the audience in with its versatility, whimsy, and mythical tale of how the phases of the moon came to be. From off-Broadway productions, a nationwide tour, and now being taken on by many high school theater programs, the tale of The Old Man and the Old Moon follows the adventure of The Old Man as he searches for his wife who left suddenly in the night and took to the sea. Abandoning his post of filling the moon with liquid light, The Old Man quickly finds himself wrapped up in lies, a battle at sea, and nothing short of a harrowing journey.
With the lively choreo, dynamic cast chemistry, and the folk-like shanty's of the versatile band all beautifully accentuated by the mastery of a skilled crew, William Mason High School's rendition of The Old Man and the Old Moon was a transcendent performance.
A lifetime of routine became a voyage unlike any other on which Lily Droege, playing The Old Man, skillfully brought the audience along. Droege showed development of The Old Man from the beginning, portraying an angry, tired, and apathetic old grump, to the end where Droege showed a softer and more loving side of a man finally seeing and hearing his wife and loosening the grip on his duty.
From sailors to story tellers, this entire cast brought the journey to life. Starting with the narrator-esque role of Matheson played by Xyris McClain. Whether in the spotlight or not, the subtle but dynamic choices of McClain were telling of the wisdom and seniority of Matheson. Second is the kooky role of Mabelu, played by Drew Schulz. Unfailing eruptions of laughter followed Schulz's take on the character of Mabelu; from the hilarity of his unironic idiocy to the reunion with his long-lost dog Lucy, he was consistently engaging and entertaining.
No ship can stay afloat without its crew, and William Mason's crew played their vital part in the voyage. The set, led by assistant technical director Isabella Castro, was versatile and detailed. It worked seamlessly no matter the scene or setting, it set the tone and carried the audience through the story. The choreography, done by Alaina Jones and Kenzie Brown, had a folky and entrancing feel to it. It brought the stage to life and pulled the audience in. From traditional dances to slower emotional ones, Jones and Brown brought depth into the movements. The Orchestra gave every wave a rhythm and every moment a melody, full of strings and vivacious piano. With no conductor, the steadfastness and unity of the group was incredibly impressive, with each instrumentalist playing two to three instruments throughout the production, even jumping in to act many times. That talent was a rare gem and an honor to see.
This production bridged the gap between folklore, fable, and deeply human emotion. It taught a lesson of love over obligations in a stunningly fluid and crafted way thanks to the incredibly well-meshed cast and the dedicated, skilled, and detailed crew of William Mason High School.
Review by Betty Good, Mariemont High School Critic Team
As soon as the lights dimmed and folk music rang through the theater at William Mason High School, the audience was immersed into the not-so-simple life of an Old Man with a touching tale. The Old Man and the Old Moon was a production full of hope, determination, and most of all, love.
Written in 2009 by Carnegie Mellon University students known as the PigPen Theatre Company, this music-filled play debuted Off-Broadway on October 7, 2012. The story follows an Old Man as he temporarily leaves his job filling the moon to find his recently departed wife. The Old Man must face obstacles he never dreamed of and rediscover himself in adventure. However, as the journey continues the Old Man is faced with the biggest question of all: if finding his love is worth it all.
The dedication and efforts of both cast and crew members combined created the heartwarming narrative. Actors in a range of melancholy to comedic roles demonstrated their abilities as punctuated by the efforts of crew members in various positions on and off stage. Without contributions from both positions, this masterful spectacle could not have occurred.
As the titular character, Lily Droege was intentional in her acting choices to display the transition of confusion and reluctance to understanding and satisfaction in the Old Man's journey. Even in moments in the background of scenes, Droege impressively remained in character, reacting rather than anticipating the events unfolding around her. Droege's subtle yet deep performance was unwavering throughout plot development in a truly professional fashion.
One performer that was unfailing in earning laughs from the audience was Drew Schulz as Mabelu. Schulz made loud acting choices that paid off in capturing Mabelu's naive and childish nature. Even in serious plot moments, Schulz never failed to garner giggles. Another actor unafraid to fully embody his character was Sean MacFarland. Embracing the humorous creepiness of Perry, MacFarland used physicality, in one moment even crawling across the stage, to completely display his character.
Particularly outstanding was "The Old Man's Old Band" who reappeared throughout the duration of the show. This completely student orchestra blended perfectly even without a conductor keeping time. Even more impressive, the banjo players, consisting of Arlo Rosenzweig and Kade McCartin, learned the banjo specifically for this production without any prior experience. Despite being novices at this particular instrument, the musicians seemed quite proficient in ability. On the other end of the technical crew, the stage management team consisting of Maya Donohoe and Morgan Engel called the show smoothly. Even in battle scenes consisting of multiple timed elements, everything ran smoothly and in sync due to the masterful efforts of these students.
In only two acts, William Mason High School turned a seemingly quaint story of an old couple into an inspiring tale of the lengths people will go for those they love. Ending in a lesson of the balance of love and duty, audiences are unlikely to forget this production any time soon.
Review by Caroline Bybee, Mariemont High School Critic Team
As the moon goes through phases, the people below it do as well. In William Mason High School's production of The Old Man and the Old Moon, Old Man has to learn how to manage his occupation with his wife's desire to explore beyond their quaint life in order to keep their relationship strong.
The Old Man and the Old Moon is a play created, written, composed, and performed by PigPen Theater Company. It began as a 25 minute sophomore project at Carnegie Mellon School of Drama's Playground Festival in 2009. It began performing off Broadway and eventually got a license with Concord Theatricals. The show follows an old couple- Old Man and Old Woman- with a rocky relationship. When Old Woman is finally sick of staying with Old Man while he fills the moon with liquid light, she leaves to follow her dreams. Old Man is left distraught, and he decides he needs to find her and fix their relationship.
William Mason High School turned a simple story into an extravagant play. The cast members, tech crew, and directors clearly put in a lot of effort to make this play special. This talented group banded together to create the professional quality play that William Mason High School put on.
Old Man, played by Lily Droege, did not disappoint in her title role. The gender bending of the character made for a special twist and gave a lot of creative opportunities for Droege to play with. Her emotional acting set the tone early, and she stayed consistent throughout the entirety of the show.
The supporting actors kept the audience delighted the entire time as well. Mabelu, played by Drew Schulz, made his first impression with a chicken puppet and audience interaction, and received smiles and laughter for the remainder of his performance. Matheson, played by Xyris McClain, is a complexly written character; however, McClain took the character and made it her own. Her confidence in acting was portrayed beautifully throughout the whole show, and her dynamic skills became more apparent as the show went on. Old Woman (Sofia Seitz), though not given much stage time, performed beautifully and embodied her character perfectly every time she appeared on stage.
No matter how well the actors performed, they couldn't have put on the show without their talented, student-dominated tech crew. Kade McCartin and his team created a set that filled the entire stage of the black box theater beautifully, and Aiden Fowler and five other students confidently took on the challenge of learning new instruments from scratch as the on-stage band. Their Instrumental Direction was also done by Kade McCartin, a very dedicated and hard-working student. Their tech crew truly had no flaws and had a great impact on the success of the show.
The Old Man and the Old Moon is a difficult production to put on, but William Mason High School executed the show exquisitely. Their efforts in fine-tuning the play was very evident in their impeccable performance.
Excerpts From Other Top Reviews
"Enticing laughter from the audience, Drew Schulz as Mabelu used embellished reactions, enhancing the humorous tone of the show, specifically during "Sail for Love" or at any mention of his lost dog Lucy, puppeteered by Savannah Turner. Finally reunited during act 2, both actors portrayed this scene with uproarious reactions, drawing laughter from the crowd."
-Lila Trudel, Highlands High School Critic Team
"Led by Annabelle Shek, the addition of shadow puppets brought symbolic moments to the show such as the depiction of the Old Man's memories with his wife. Onstage, an orchestra full of sea shanty melodies anchored audiences to this magical world. Even without a set conductor, each student performed with commendable technique. As another challenging factor to their show, Aiden Fowler, Arlo Rosenzweig, Kade McCartin, Yaara Raad, and Elliot Rack took on the challenge of learning entirely new instruments for their performance."
-Harper Luebbers, Highlands High School Critic Team
"If the Old Man was the window into the world, the supporting characters displayed how that world works, and none did that better than Matheson played by Xyris McClain. Matheson's roles as narrator and sailor made him a difficult character to play, but McClain navigated this with ease. The change between roles was clear and skillful. Equally impressive was her ability to filter emotion through the reservations of her characters. Conversely, Sean MacFarland's Perry expertly switched from humor to hopelessness with no hesitance and made a lasting, emotional impression."
-Avery Cunningham, Mercy McAuley High School Critic Team
"One of the most technically neat things about the show was the falling cannonballs during an attack on the ship, created by the props crew, made up of Anya Bandekar, Annabelle Shek, and crew. The crew painted dodgeballs silver and had them dropped from a bridge above the stage, creating a relentless assault that greatly added to the believability of the story. The orchestra, dubbed 'The Old Man's Old Band', was impressive, bringing a sense of life to the stage no music from a speaker could. The orchestra was extremely versatile, two members learning banjo and one learning the accordion in only five weeks."
-Margaret Evenson, Mercy McAuley High School Critic Team
"Lily Droege embodied the Old Man with the utmost grump and heart. She carried strong expressions throughout the whole show and captivated the development of the Old Man as he learned what it means to remember and let go. Lily Droege's physicality of the Old Man was very impressive and deliberate to change her usual demeanor to match the set of an old weathered man."
-Vivienne Klatzke, Boone County High School Critic Team
"Behind the Old Man, the supporting cast kept the show afloat. In specific, Xyris McClain as Mr. Matheson was truly captivating as the narrator of the story and a member of the boat crew. Through artfully delivered lines and authentic emotion, McClain made it seem as if Mr. Matheson was just telling a story like he would to his crew, giving the entire play an intimate feel. In addition, Drew Schulz lightened the story with a comedic presence through the entire production. His performance as Mabelu elevated each scene he was a part of by providing laughter with smart delivery and comical expression."
-Cody Ching, Mariemont High School Critic Team
Overall, this production of The Old Man and The Old Moon did an excellent job portraying the themes of love, adventure and adjusting to change through individual and group performances on and off stage. The cast and crew alike clearly put a tremendous amount of dedication into making this not simply succeed, but excel.
-Claire Goulait, Mariemont High School Critic Team
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