Redeemer Christian fully embraces the chaos that defines Play On! | Cappies

Redeemer Christian High School leaned into the madness as everything unravelled on stage. Through it all, they showed that the show indeed must go on, no matter what. Photo by Anna Dominique /Teacher

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Show #20

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Redeemer Christian High School

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Play On!

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Director: Ashley Visser

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Safya Khan, Lead Critic
Colonel By Secondary School

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Opening night is in four days, and a hectic theatre troupe is striving to keep up with their playwright’s haughty demands. Originally published in 1980 by Jack Sharkey under the pseudonym Rick Abbot, Redeemer Christian High School’s production of Play On! was a riotous love letter to the arduous challenges of the performing arts.

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A renowned archeologist, celebrated scientist, famed billionaire, and lovely socialite are invited to dine at the estate of Lord Dudley and Lady Margaret, but when one of the distinguished invitees never arrives, the guests find themselves at the curious centre of a murder-mystery cliché. At least, this is the storyline of amateur playwright Phyllis Montague’s latest drama, Murder Most Foul, which a community theatre company has decided to produce. From rehearsal to opening night, Montague’s devastating interference and the disorganized bumbling of both cast and crew culminate in a catastrophic yet hilarious meta-theatrical romp.

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The cast and crew superimposed the inner play, Murder Most Foul, over the outer with a delightful cohesiveness. Oscillating from disgruntled thespians to posh elites, the cast effectively transitioned between their character and their character’s character with a polished skill, and evoked a multidimensional atmosphere by equating both theatrical personas with refined nuance.

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Mercedes Gelso nailed the role of exasperated theatre director Gerry Dunbar. With an authoritative austerity and sobering groundedness, Gelso established the pressured company leader as an anchor despite being engulfed by chaos. As Saul Watson, a trouper portraying the scheming antagonist of Montague’s narrative, Luc Fohr balanced the parts of overworked actor and fulminating menace with comic ease. Through the intentional fluctuation of accents, Fohr’s Watson subtly perfected the villainous role, and tantrums of manic rage and agony. Fohr seamlessly incorporated two personas into one compelling performance. With a pretentious and commandeering swagger, Anna Oeschger’s portrayal of the entitled auteur, Phyllis Montague, was as flamboyant as it was jocular. Embodying actor Billy Carewe, Eli Kaiser delivered a fantastically farcical performance, embellished with snarky and cheeky charm. As frenetic stage manager Aggie Manville, Savvy Steiginga personified the hustle and bustle of the frazzled crew member with fluency and ease.

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The cast of Play On! Photo by Anna Dominique /Teacher

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Flashy tights and bulky furs, complemented by vivid teal and vermillion eyeshadow, solidified Phyllis Montague’s pretentious and pompous air for the dramatic. Violet Imbry’s milky white gown, laced with baby blue flowers, and Saul Watson’s dark and devilish suit matched the roles each player took within Montague’s play. From everyday to elegance, the costumes department, consisting of Pascale Adéa, Rebecca Van Popta, and Olivia Matera, alongside the hair & makeup team of Emi Helleman, Liya Kuyt, and Pascale Adéa, adorned the cast with fitting attire and macquillage.

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The cleverly immersive utilization of houselights by Freya Anonby enhanced the evolution of the inner play, and the rapid flashing of multi-hued washes indicated accelerated time. With an open-concept allowing cast full and collaborative use of the space, and a multi-faceted structure permitting the crew of Murder Most Foul to frantically dash to and fro in an attempt to save the show, the minimalist set was a wonderfully effective tool to convey metatheatre.

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From casting to curtain call, Redeemer Christian High School’s uproarious production of Play On! employed boisterous comic timing, naturalistic chemistry, and adept differentiation to earnestly embody the overwrought theatre troupe and their facetiously turbulent performance that not even St. Genesius could salvage.

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Yoanna Peng, Critic
Merivale High School

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What do you get when you mix a chaotic rehearsal, clashing personalities, and a script that refuses to stay the same? In their hilariously unpredictable production of Play On! Redeemer Christian High School leaned into the madness as everything unravelled on stage. Through it all, they showed that the show indeed must go on, no matter what.

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The production of Play On! follows a community theatre troupe attempting to stage a murder mystery titled Murder Most Foul. In Act One, rehearsals quickly descend into chaos as the actors constantly struggle with memorization of lines and stage directions, which is further exacerbated by playwright Phyllis Montague, who constantly arrives with last-minute script changes. By the end of the dress rehearsal, technical failure, missing props, and rising frustrations push the production to the brink. On opening night, the performance dissolves into a complete disaster, as forgotten lines and mistimed cues turn the intended mystery into an improvised farce. Through its escalating chaos and perfectly timed mishaps, Play On! highlights the unpredictable nature of live theatre, making it a consistently funny and highly entertaining performance.

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Mercedes Gelso delivered a strong and grounded performance as Geraldine (Gerry) Dunbar, the director of Murder Most Foul. Through precise vocal inflection and expressive facial reactions, Gelso effectively portrayed the growing frustration and exasperation of trying to manage a production that continually falls apart. Anna Oeschger, in contrast, portrayed Phyllis Montague with strong determination, convincing the audience of the character’s belief in the superiority of her writing. Oescheger portrayed Montague’s obliviousness to the chaos around her through strong vocal choices and deliberate physicality, using a consistently haughty tone, confident posture, and dismissive gestures to emphasize the character’s self-importance.

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Ruth Vuyk as Smitty (L), Savvy Steiginga as Aggie (C), and Lucy Mantel as Louise (R). Photo by Anna Dominique /Teacher

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Furthermore, the role of Saul Watson was delivered flawlessly by Luc Fohr, who depicted the character with high energy and a charismatic performance. Fohr stood out throughout the play with the use of multiple accents, which added both humour and versatility. Fohr balanced comedic timing with strong emotional intensity, particularly using his vocal range and dramatic gestures during heated exchanges on set. Polly Benish, played by Amara Kaiser, provided a highly expressive and emotionally responsive character, reacting dramatically to the chaos unfolding around her, all the while maintaining a steady British accent.

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The technical elements of the production stood out as much as the stellar performance by the cast. Pascale Adéa, Rebecca Van Popta, and Olivia Matera of the costume crew incorporated multiple elements of the 19th century British setting, with elegant dress and tailored suit establishing a clear sense of time period. Thoughtful details, such as the white shirt under Billy’s suit symbolizing innocence and the red shirt under Saul’s hint at bloodshed, added subtle depth to characterization, while Phyllis’s more extravagant attire reinforced her self-important persona. The sound design was equally impressive, incorporating numerous well-timed cues, from telephone rings to intentionally mistimed effects that heightened the chaos while remaining controlled and purposeful. Meanwhile, the set design evolved noticeably throughout the acts, beginning with a simpler rehearsal space and gradually becoming more detailed and complete, including additions such as a filled bookshelf, paintings, and curtains by Act Three.

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In the end, Redeemer Christian High School fully embraced the chaos that defines Play On!, delivering a performance that was as entertaining as it was unpredictable. With strong performances and well-executed technical elements, the production kept the audience engaged from start to finish. Sometimes, it’s not perfection that makes a show memorable; it’s everything going wrong in just the right way.

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Beatrice Tobin, Critic
St. Pius X High School

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As the curtains rise, everything else comes crashing down in Redeemer Christian High School’s riotous production of Play On! With punchy comedy, a myriad of mistakes, and so much chaos, their performance went brilliantly right where everything within it fell horribly wrong.

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Penned by Rick Abbot, the farcical play-within-a-play follows a theatre group days away from their opening night of Murder Most Foul, a show given to them royalty-free by the illustrious author Phyllis Montague. As if forgotten lines, missed cues, and arguments between cast members weren’t bad enough, Phyllis’ ceaseless revisions of the script drive the entire cast and crew into pandemonium. It all comes down to the big performance, and when the unreadiness reaches its tipping point, this avalanche of a production stops for no one and is a delight to watch.

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From the high-tension rehearsals to the catastrophic premiere, the cast portrayed their roles of nested characters with tireless energy and flair, supporting collective exasperation and quarrels with hilarious improvisation in flawless accents when the play begins to unravel.

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Luc Fohr delivered a dynamic performance as Saul. Fohr demonstrated great comedic timing while dropping zingy one-liners with a cheeky smirk, then seamlessly flipped to Dr. Forbes’s poised gravitas, voicing lines with a seamless French accent and great vehemence. When accused of murder, Fohr portrayed the doctor’s shattering of composure with furious roars and hostile physicality. As Billy portraying Stephen, Eli Kaiser’s passionate cadence and expressive movements showcased strong acting ability, particularly when his demeanour and line delivery became muddled with drunkenness for a hilarious bit with Forbes.

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Caleb Vuyk as Henry (L) and Michaela Wyngaarden as Violet (R). Photo by Anna Dominique /Teacher

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As Gerry, Mercedes Gelso embodied the frustrated authority of a director trying to elude onstage disaster. Gelso spoke with a patient yet stern tone of voice, using varying intonation and body language to portray Gerry’s growing worry for the performance. With a haughty stride and plenty of eye rolls, Anna Oeschger remained fully immersed in the role of Phyllis Montague. Whether proudly presenting new script iterations or making shocked remarks while sitting with the audience, Oeschger curated an unmistakable presence. Michaela Wyngaarden exuded elegance as Violet playing Diana, grounding the performance with hilarious humanity as the character scrambled her lines and acted with panicked facial expressions.

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Beyond the mayhem of the performance, the clever technical elements added a layer of madcap humour and visual interest to the production. A perpetual flaw in the theatre group’s rehearsals, the sound effects, executed seamlessly by Stephan Gryba, never seemed to be playing when needed and always hit the right comedic beat. Whether telephone rings, gunshots, or bloodcurdling screams, the sounds elevated the murder mystery with amusing misapplication. Isaac Ricci and Freya Anonby’s set design marked the transition from rehearsal to showtime, including painted bookshelves, a mobile curtain frame, and increasingly sophisticated furniture. Maintaining clean organization in an otherwise frantic environment, Hannah Van Popta’s stage management allowed the chaos to ensue with precision.

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While Murder Most Foul may have been a theatrical disaster, Redeemer Christian High School’s rendition of Play On! went off without a hitch, reminding us that no matter the mishaps, the show must go on.

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Sophia Di Iorio, Critic
Sir Wilfrid Laurier Secondary School

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Redeemer Christian High School’s comedic and enjoyable production of Play On! had everything go exactly as intended; therefore, completely wrong!

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Play On! is a farce written by Rick Abbot that follows an amateur theatre troupe as they try to perform a serious murder-mystery entitled Murder Most Foul. With four days remaining until the big premiere, director Geraldine “Gerry” Dunbar does her earnest best to keep the actors and crew afloat, but the situation seems hopeless for the thespians as revisions pile on and lines remain unmemorized. Amidst missed cues, devilish double alliterations, and a few too many cups of coffee, can Gerry and her wayward cast put the play on?

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Mercedes Gelso’s performance as Gerry Dunbar offered a mature voice of reason in times of mishaps and mayhem. With a headstrong composure, Gelso had an authoritative presence as the director, projecting an articulate voice that resonated without any need for a microphone. Acting as a direct foil in Gerry’s production process was Phyllis Montague, played by Anna Oeschger. As the eccentric playwright, Oeschger induced laughter with exaggerated eye rolls and foot stomps as Phyllis scurried from the audience to the stage and back.

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Eli Kaiser as Billy (L) and Luc Fohr as Saul (R). Photo by Anna Dominique /Teacher

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While the fictional cast had fallen apart long before the final bows, the actual actors who portrayed the Players did an excellent job at depicting the dysfunctional team from beginning to end. Each possessing distinctive personalities and a posh accent when in character, the ensemble of thespians’ ability to work off of each other was remarkable and served to enhance the show’s farcical plot.

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Within the ensemble was Luc Fohr as the witty Saul Watson, who put on a ludicrous amalgamation of accents that was more hilarious than menacing. In the role of Billy Carewe, changes in Eli Kaiser’s intonation provided a clear contrast between Billy’s character, the regal Stephen Sellers, and the laidback performer himself. Together, Fohr and Kaiser convincingly acted intoxicated, dramatically slurring their lines in a comical display.

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Over the course of three acts, the technical details showcased the troupe’s progression as they went from their final rehearsals to their debut performance. The well-designed set by Isaac Ricci and Freya Anonby was integral in this matter, with the central bookshelf slowly becoming more furnished to show the passage of time as they prepared for the opening night. Likewise, the costumes team initially had the Players dressed in casual attire before switching to their costumes for the dress rehearsal. Responsible for executing 35 cues, soundboard operator Stephan Gryba precisely timed spontaneous phone calls and other unfortunate occurrences that were the pinnacle of many comical moments.

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A humorous ode to the challenges of pulling a show together that anyone involved in the theatrical arts can find relatable, Redeemer Christian High School’s cast and crew effortlessly put on a charming rendition of Play On!

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Firdaus El-Darymil, Critic
Merivale High School

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A tight deadline, mistimed sound effects, actors who barely know their lines, and a supercilious playwright who will not stop rewriting the script… What could possibly go wrong? Redeemer Christian High School’s production brings to life the chaos of one of theatre’s most hilariously disastrous comedies: Play On!

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Written by John Michael Sharkey under the pen name Rick Abbot, the play follows a theatre group attempting to stage a new production, Murder Most Foul. As rehearsals begin, everything that can go wrong does. Lines are forgotten, cues are missed, and constant rewrites throw the cast into confusion. As the process shifts from rehearsal to performance, chaos intensifies, transforming a simple production into a farcical catastrophic experience.

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Eli Kaiser, acting as Billy Carewe, delivered an impressive performance. Expressive intonation suited each moment, while body gestures remained precise and engaging. A standout moment occurred when Billy Carewe, performing as Stephen Sellers in Murder Most Foul, accuses Saul Watson’s character, Dr. Rex Forbes, of murder. Strong vocal projection and confident delivery created a believable and intense confrontation. Another notable moment appeared during the love confession scene in rehearsal, where Kaiser’s Billy Carewe, as Stephen Sellers, confesses feelings for Diana Lassiter, played by Violet Imbry and performed by student Michela Wyngaarden. Rising pitch, gradually closer hand gestures, and strong comedic timing built anticipation throughout the scene, especially during the intentional slip when Stephen Sellers accidentally referred to Diana by the actor’s real name, Violet.

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Ruth Vuyk as Smitty (L), Eli Kaiser as Billy (2ndFL), Amara Kaiser as Polly (2ndFR), and Luc Fohr as Saul (R). Photo by Anna Dominique /Teacher

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Capturing the disdainful spirit of Phyllis Montague was Anna Oeschger. From confident entrances to rushed assistance with the crew, the portrayal fully embodied the nit-picky playwright. Strong pacing and deliberate footsteps showed determination during the introduction of revised scripts, even when faced with resistance from the director. Subtle facial expressions, including slight frowns and dismissive gestures, reinforced stubborn confidence. During the final performance, exaggerated, choppy movements combined with loud, abrupt footsteps created urgency while emphasizing the comedic effect.

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Behind the scenes, the crew demonstrated strong coordination. Lighting cues remained precise and effective in distinguishing rehearsal, breaks, and performance. Neutral house lights reflected rehearsal settings, while darker, theatrical lighting transformed the stage during performance scenes. Sound cues were well synchronized, including purposeful mistimed effects placed accurately for comedic impact. A notable example involved thunder interrupting Phyllis Montague, timed almost immediately after her speech began, creating a realistic and humorous interruption.

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Strong collaboration between cast and crew created a cohesive and engaging production. Clear projection allowed dialogue to reach the entire audience, while expressive acting added realism to both rehearsal scenes and staged performance. The balance between disorder and control made scenes feel authentic, portraying both a struggling rehearsal and a functioning production. The final moments delivered a memorable and energetic conclusion, reinforcing the comedic brilliance of the play.

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With clear effort and dedication, Redeemer Christian High School’s production of Play On! successfully captured the chaotic, comedic nature of theatre, leaving the audience in roaring laughter.

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About the reviews:

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The Redeemer Christian High School production was reviewed by 28 critics representing 7 schools. The critic discussions were mentored by teacher Laura Grace Conlon of Elmwood School and student reviews were edited and selected for publication by teacher Hayley Irvine of Kanata Montessori School, who could see only the reviews, not the names or schools of the reviewers.

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Next review: Immaculata School’s production of We Will Rock You: School Edition.

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About the Cappies:

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The Citizen and 21 local high schools are participating in Cappies, a Washington, D.C. based program that uses high school critics to review high school theatre. The program is a unique partnership between the Ottawa Citizen, the Ottawa-Carleton District School Board and the Ottawa Catholic School Board. Two schools from other boards in the region and three private schools have also joined. The Canada’s Capital Cappies season culminates with an awards Gala in June graciously hosted by the National Arts Centre. Follow Canada’s Capital Cappies on Instagram @OttawaCappies.

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