Cult. Op. #1

On September 27th I attended A Party to Murder at the Performing Arts Center at Illinois Central College. The cost for attending the play was five dollars. A Party to Murder was a comedy about a group of five people coming in secret on Halloween to play a murder mystery game at an island cottage. The group was invited by Charles Prince for a weekend set for fun, but when ghosts from the past come to haunt them it becomes clear it is not what it seems.
Valerie was one of the characters in this play. She was portrayed as a successful business woman. Valerie’s part was performed well all the way up to the end when she got shot. Valerie way overplayed her part and was a million times dramatic than she needed to be.
Henri was Valerie’s shy younger sister in the play. Henri’s part was played poorly. Her accent was too fake and she sounded like she was trying too hard. Her volume when speaking was well done from where I was sitting. Her attire for the part fit the aspects of Henri very well. Overall she was the most annoying part of the play.
Willy was a humorous character. He was played as a retired pro football player who faked an injury and put himself in a wheel chair. His accent was well done and fit his part well. His lines were spoken fluently and at a high enough volume for all to hear. Willy was the funniest character in the play. Having his accent and facial expression added a lot to the play.
Elwood was another character in the play. He was portrayed as this powerful business tycoon. The guy who played Elwood’s role played it with too much confidence. His laughs were annoying and he wanted all the attention on him. His part was poorly and selfishly played. His volume when speaking was way too loud, which in turn made it hard to concentrate on what was going on elsewhere on stage. Overall, it was not a good performance by Elwood.
Mackenzie was Elwood’s young girlfriend and a model for Vogue. Her part was played well. The way she spoke her lines and her body language really added a lot to this play. She spoke fluently and loud enough for the audience. She didn’t try too hard or over-play her part; she was smooth with everything and performed really well.
The lighting for the play was done with excellent fashion. At one point one of the characters was walking across the stage with a candle and the light crew brightened and dimmed the lights in sync as the character walked across stage. This was a really neat effect. Also, there was a storm the night the group stayed at the house and the light crew had white lights flashing through the windows to simulate the lightning. The special effects during the play were done well also. At one point in the play a character walked outside during the storm and when they did the wind blew and leaves came into the house which made it seem even more real. Overall the play was performed well on special effects and lighting, but not so much on the acting. I felt like I was at a high school production. There is plenty of potential and room for improvement for the actors. This could be the result of a bad night but either way it wasn’t that good.