For some people, life is all about reputation. In our society, maintaining the positive and ideal image, especially for high society figures, is essential. Sometimes, however, our images are rocked by scandal or rumors, as shown in Americas High School's hilarious adaptation of Rumors by Neil Simon.
The play is introduced with two characters, a couple by the names of Chris and Ken Gorman. The Gormans were planning on having a lovely night with their friends for their client Charlie’s 10th wedding anniversary, but their plans are suddenly changed when they discover Charlie in his room with a bullet through his ear lobe. As the party guests continue to arrive, they must decide whether to share what they discovered, and risk spilling his secret to the public, or find a way to hide it. Much ruckus is created and with the help of many hilarious and unique characters the show never fails to entertain.
Overall, the acting was nice and enjoyable. Christian Cuevas as Ken Gorman was notably one of the most believable and well developed characters. Texas Quezada as Lenny Ganz, a dorky, yet witty accountant, was also very enjoyable to watch. Kristen Moreno and E.J Harrell as the Cusacks were also extremely memorable. Both always brought laughs, even with small gestures, and made a very hilarious pair. Arguably some of the funniest characters, though, were the ones with the least amount of stage time-the police officers (Anthony Molina & Sarah Ireland.) Though they were only on stage for one scene, both officers took full advantage of every line and reaction and left the audience in fits of laughter.
Though technically the show was simple, it was sufficient. The costumes and makeup were fitting, looking expensive and well made as their characters demanded. The set was designed as the living room of a wealthy man's house, featuring many doors and an upstairs. The stairs, especially were very well made, not shaking even an inch when cast members ran up and down or fell on them. However, perhaps the most interesting technical aspect of the show was the director. Erika Mendoza, a student at Americas High School, in her directorial debut, managed to do a job comparable to a professional, which was certainly impressive.
Overall, Americas High School was faced with an exceptionally difficult task: putting on an adult show about lawyers, accountants, and politicians, while having very little life experience themselves. However, though this may have been so, they truly overcame the challenge and were able to make this a enjoyable and entertaining show.
by Marissa Rojero of Eastwood High School
When attending a small wedding anniversary, one would expect a grand time with laughter, cheerful socializing of other couples, and the actual host attending the anniversary. When everything goes into a frenzy about four couples covering up the truth about the attempted suicide of their host, who is the deputy mayor of New York City, as well as gossip about each other, Americas High School’s comical student-directed production of Rumors brings a great amount of humor that made it very enjoyable.
Though there were some issues with volume and energy, they both picked up as the show progressed. Playing the panicked Ken Gorman, Cristian Cuevas had good energy towards the end of the first act and onward. His expressions from being deaf due to the sound of the gunshot were hilarious as well, as his interaction with the other actors as he was trying to comprehend what they were saying. Portraying the confused and frantic Chris Gorman was Andrea Olivas. Her drunken mannerisms remained constant, and her volume improved as the show progressed in its chaos.
Texas Quezada (Lenny Ganz) had amazing energy during his explanation of the incident with the gunshots when he was impersonating the party’s host. His relationship with Kiriana Herrick (Claire Ganz) was amusing when they would gossip about scandalous affairs between other acquaintances, which gave both of them very distinct personalities.
E.J. Harrell and Kristen Moreno (Ernie and Cookie Cusack) went perfectly well together. They both brought a huge amount of energy, and their characteristics made their characters unique. Ms. Moreno’s crawling on the ground and random back spasms helped give life to her performance. They were also able to feed their energy off of each other, which helped strengthen their connection.
Anthony Molina and Sarah Ireland (Officer Welch and Officer Pudney) were enjoyable to watch all the way from their entrance to their final exit. Both of their mannerisms always had a comedic touch to it, and their tone of voice when talking and muttering to each other made them very memorable characters.
The complexity of the set helped give off the feeling of being in a large home with the structure of the staircase heading up into the other rooms. The costumes were slightly off in time periods but they each fit their characters well. The simple lighting gave off a warm feeling of being at home and worked well with the color of the walls.
With comical personalities, and relationships, Americas High School’s production of Neil Simon’s Rumors is one that had people laughing throughout.
by Christina Vargas of Socorro High School
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