ZOINKS! ST. FRANCIS XAVIER HIGH BRINGS ORIGINAL PLAY TO LIFE
Show # 16 St. Francis Xavier High School, Foul Play Directors: Tamara Capyk and Julie Stevens
Schooby Schooby Doom, where are you? St. Francis Xavier High School's performance of their original murder mystery Foul Play put a creative twist on everyone's favourite murder mystery crew.
St. Francis Xavier's own Reese Walker's original script of Foul Play follows high school drama students preparing for their production, “Schooby Doom”, a dupe of Scooby Doo due to the drama program's budget cuts. When the lead of the production is mysteriously murdered before the first curtain call, the rest of the cast sets out to solve the mystery and find the killer before they lose more students. A farcical production, Foul Play is a humorous “play within a play” filled with dramatic irony, red herrings, and iconic Scooby-doobian clichés.
Izzy Bergevin took on the role of the first victim of the play, Violet Blake. Bergevin opened the production with a posthumous monologue and set the tone for the play with phenomenal expression, clearly demonstrating to the audience that spotlight-loving Violet is not to be tested, even beyond the grave. Nick Torres Ramos, playing Blake's love interest George Jones, encapsulated the heart of the gang, nailing the delivery of the play's humorous lines and portraying Jones' good intentions despite him not being the brightest addition to the crew. Evelyn Dinley's problem solving and quick wit was done justice by Ruby Wallner's acting, demonstrating the character's determination and dedication to cracking the case. Iconic duo Bowie and Xander (otherwise known as Scooby and Shaggy) perfected the chemistry between the renowned boy meets dog pairing, bringing laughs and lots of snacks to the set.
The supporting characters of the show shone. Layla Ghadban's expressions and line delivery nailed the role of coffee addicted princess Lilith Sinclair. Violet Blake's mother, played by Emily Bahm, had fantastic stage presence, still making her voice heard offstage by humorously interacting with the audience. Rex Klenavic made the most of the role of Gus Sutton, the school's creepy janitor, making the audience crack up with his every move.
Reese Walker kept the audience on their toes with the creation and delivery of the complex role of Kali Hendrix. While credit is due to playwright Walker's brilliant character creation, this cast's amazing acting skills ensured that this play was done justice.
This production's technical aspects stood out for their precision and polish. The lighting team, consisting of Sam Morin, Layla Levesque, and Tristan Roy, brought the play to life with their innovative and unique uses of colour and movement to create a sense of engagement. The lights were almost actors themselves, illustrating tension, drama, humour, and conveying a story. Camryn Brosseau and James Samiotis's sound team tastefully accentuated key moments in the play, with dramatic music buildups and hilariously unexpected sound effects.
St. Francis Xavier High School's talented cast and crew brought the play of one creative student to life. Jinkies!
About the reviews: The St. Francis Xavier High School production was reviewed by 27 critics representing 6 schools. The critic discussions were mentored by teacher Fadi El-saikali of St. Patrick's High School and student reviews were edited and selected for publication by teacher Adrian Darling of Merivale High School, who could see only the reviews, not the names or schools of the reviewers.