Ring Round the Moon
at Freedom High School
Reviewed on November 7, 2009
| Name | School | Publication/Broadcasts |
Megan Fraedrich | West Springfield High School | Washington Post - Loudoun Local Living |
Janie Yurechko | Langley High School | Washington Post - Loudoun Local Living |
Emily Mannon | Langley High School | ShowBizRadio.net |
Tess Higgins | Langley High School | Observer News |
Eileen Sugameli | Yorktown High School | |
Claire Withycombe | Yorktown High School | Freedom Flyer |
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Megan Fraedrich
West Springfield High School
Submitted for publication to Washington Post - Loudoun Local Living
Amid a sea of preening aristocrats, one mysterious girl with a fictitious noble lineage shimmers especially brightly… although her ball gown is borrowed. However, this young lady is no Cinderella, and the man of her dreams is no Prince Charming, because they are part of something decidedly wackier.
Ring Round the Moon, Christopher Fry’s adaptation of a 1947 play by Jean Anouilh, is a comedy of double identities and duplicitous relationships. When dashing cad Hugo suspects his brother Frederic’s fiancée doesn’t love him, he takes a page out of George Bernard Shaw’s book and hires a commoner to pose as a society lady and capture Frederic’s heart. The trouble is, both women really love Hugo…who happens to be Frederic’s identical twin.
Garrett Bornath excelled at juggling the roles of both twins, never breaking character. Bornath portrayed Hugo as a social vampire—charming, handsome, and powerful, but parasitic and manipulative—while Frederick was a pallid ghost, fidgety and morose but sympathetic. Bornath managed to make both brothers likeable and completely distinct from one another, changing characters at the drop of a tuxedo jacket.
Kaitlyn Vickers sparkled as the hired commoner, Isabelle, growing beautifully from Hugo’s meek puppet to a confident heroine, while Lizzy Topper dominated the stage from her wheelchair as the cantankerous Mme. Desmortes. Her arch, imperious delivery and crisp diction remained consistently strong. As Isabelle’s domineering mother, Jessica Salazar played the hilarious epitome of an unwanted guest with flair and energy.
Also very funny was Anthony Wrotten as the droll and dimwitted Patrice, always ready for a glove-slap at an inopportune moment. Katie Groves’ graceful performance as Patrice’s mistress made her brief stage time memorable, while Patrick Carnes brought heart to the role of miserable miser Messershmann, who ate only “noodles—without butter and without salt!” The long-suffering butler Joshua (Scott Keeler) was an audience favorite with his expert timing and deadpan expression.
In a play where so much action took place offstage, Andrew Barnett, Vy Pham, and Jared Soloman’s set anchored the storyline, creating an exquisitely detailed sitting room in which the many doors and windows seldom went unused. Lighting by Cody Jones enhanced the mood and passage of time without distracting and sound by Adeel Chohan and Thomas Graham made every character audible while also providing the background noises of a raging party offstage.
Although some actors struggled with keeping their performances consistent to the time period and their characters’ ages, the high-energy performances kept the play flowing smoothly. Pacing sometimes seemed inconsistent, but characterizations rarely wavered.
“Vanity, vanity, all is vanity,” Hugo sighs at one point, while twins switch places, women wrestle on the floor, a billionaire shreds his money, a commoner poses as a countess, and a young lady hurls herself into the lake. But Freedom High School’s witty and entertaining production of Ring Round the Moon proves that without a little healthy chaos, what is the world but a bowl of noodles without butter and without salt?
Janie Yurechko
Langley High School
Submitted for publication to Washington Post - Loudoun Local Living
“Our entire lives get altered by accident.” The characters of Freedom High School’s "Ring Round the Moon" were no strangers to accidents this Saturday night. A plot meant to deceive the old rich folk, ridiculous fight scenes, and fantastic one-liners were all present in this frenetic French farce. To top it off, twins with exactly opposite personalities were played by the same actor!
"Ring Round the Moon" first appeared in France in 1947, as a parody of upper-class vanity. The show centers around the antics of two brothers who happen to be twins, one love-struck by a rude socialite, while the other, certain that this girl is wrong for his brother, is fervently attempting to break them up. He brings in a poor girl from the country to do so, disguising her in order to fool all the upper class guests at the party. The overall message of the play was illustrated well by the Freedom players through the oddities of farce, although certain scenes could have moved at a faster pace.
Playing two characters is never an easy task, especially when those two are twin brothers! Garrett Bornarth (Hugo/Frederick) did a terrific job of distinguishing between the two brothers, and although the only costume change made was a mere addition of a blazer, one could immediately tell which brother he was portraying through his voice change and mannerisms as soon as he stepped on stage. Kaitlyn Vickers (Isabelle) also did an excellent job playing her part in Hugo’s plan; she changed flawlessly from the unsure yet obedient lower class girl to the rich heiress as she was known to be the rest of the party. At times a few of the leads spoke too fast and the lines were lost, but overall the hanging mics did an excellent job of picking up their sound.
The leads were complemented by many fantastic supporting actors, including Jessica Salazar (Mother) and Lizzy Topper (Mme Desmortes). Salazar added much comedic flair with her movements and facial expressions, while Topper, although confined to a wheelchair throughout the show, portrayed the slightly senile grandmother figure well in a very effective comedic deadpan style. They were joined by Patrick Carnes (Messershmann) and Scott Keeler (Joshua) in providing many laughs to the audience in their depiction of members of old rich families.
The sets were very French in style and the detail was extremely well done and interesting to look at. In addition the lighting was very creative and effective, as different colors behind the windows in the back of the set were used to show the passage of time. At times the addition of orchestra music at random intervals was a little distracting, however this music never once overpowered the actors.
By and large, Freedom High School presented a very suitable performance of "Ring Round the Moon." At the end of the performance, the audience truly could see that “vanity, vanity, all is vanity” and that things are not always what they seem, especially when it comes to twins!
Emily Mannon
Langley High School
Submitted for publication to ShowBizRadio.net
You’ve seen it before. The evil twin and the sweet one. These polar opposites appear in many a theatrical performance. They’ve always been played by two different people. Until now. In Freedom High School’s Ring Round the Moon, the evil twin Hugo and the sweet twin Frederick were played by the same actor, Garrett Bornath. In this comedy of errors and witty snide comments, Hugo and Frederick are attending a party their aunt Mme.Desmortes (Lizzy Topper) is throwing. Frederick is engaged to a girl Diane (Brittany Klein) who is about as sweet as a hive of hornets and Hugo is engaged to…no one. Eager to prove to the wealthy patron attending the party that they are nothing more than simpletons he hires a poor girl named Isabelle (Kaitlyn Vickers) to pretend to be his lover, and to fool the wealthy attendees. Chaos abounds as identities are revealed, mistakes are made, and people slap people with white gloves for no apparent reason.
Bornath, as Hugo and Frederick (who never appear on stage at the same time), was excellent as creating a distinction between the two characters. Even without the aid of a jacket to help the audience tell his characters apart, this critic was able to distinguish between the two with ease. His voice and mannerisms changed flawlessly to create two very different characters. Topper, one of the most subtly funny characters of the night, said her lines with perfectly timed delivery, drawing laughter from the audience especially from lines that were clearly improved. A blanket that became stuck under her wheelchair by accident was perfectly covered up, so that it was hard to tell it wasn’t part of the script. Although the cast was perfectly cast, some characters stood out more through their stage presence than others. Jessica Salazar, as Mother, lit up the stage with her boisterous and comical personality without dominating the scene, and Patrice, played by Anthony Wrotten, though a minor character, commanded the audience’s attention whenever he was speaking.
Though the play was set in France, many characters chose to use British accents, which although may not have matched the setting were still pulled off a fair amount of skill. An actor who was particularly good at this was Scott Keeler, who played Joshua, the old and comical butler. Although some actors lacked focus and diction at times which made jokes hard to hear, and some actors could have made stronger acting choices, overall the cast worked very well together. One scene that stood out was a catfight between Klein and Vickers’ characters which seemed incredibly real.
The set for the show was one of this critic’s favorite features. Though there was only the one set of the interior of the house, it was done beautifully, very realistically, and matched perfectly with the setting and time period. The masterful execution was orchestrated by students Vy Pham, Jared Solomon and Andrew Barnett. The lighting, which at one point mimicked the effect of fireworks, was also impressive and was designed by Cody Jones.
All in all, Ring Round the Moon made for a very humorous night that left the audience wanting to know more about the plotting lives of the Desmortes household.
Tess Higgins
Langley High School
Submitted for publication to Observer News
Mistaken identities, long lost friends, destroyed wealth, love affairs, and attempted suicide does not quite sound like your typical formal party, but it was Freedom High School’s production of Jean Anouilh’s Ring Round the Moon.
Set in the countryside in France, in the early 1950s, Ring Round the Moon chronicles events that happen to the pair of identical twins, Hugo and Fredrick, at a spring ball thrown by their Aunt. While Hugo has “schemed a scheme” for the ball, in order to show his detest for upper class snobbery, Fredrick deals with his controlling and deceptive girlfriend, Diana.
Freedom High School’s production was certainly an ensemble effort, with frequent appearances by all characters throughout the show. Since Ring Round the Moon is a farce, physical comedy played a big role, which added to the production as a whole, including a catfight and antics with a wheelchair.
Hugo and Fredrick (both played by Garrett Bornarth) could not be more different. While Hugo is conniving and scheming, Fredrick is more reserved and socially inept. Even though a simple addition of a blazer turned Hugo into Fredrick, Bornarth was able to successfully convey this difference between the characters, through his mannerisms and the tone of his voice.
Another notable performance was that of Scott Keeler who played the crumbling old house servant, Joshua. With a British accent, precise line delivery, and a hobbling walk with his cane, he added comedy in many scenes. Messershmann, played by Patrick Carnes, was a curious character, who believed that nothing was too expensive for him, and ate only noodles, without butter, and without salt. Carnes moved about the stage with careful determination, proving that he could stand tall against obstacles.
Lizzy Topper brought energy and hilarious dry wit to her character of Madame Desmortes, all the while being seated in a wheelchair. She also maintained a fitting elderly, upper-class accent throughout the show. Jessica Salazar (Mother) entertainingly embodied her character as a hovering parent, and was all smiles and giggles while her daughter Isabelle, was transformed into a seemingly rich socialite.
All of the actors did a fine job with projection and diction. Although some lines may have been lost due to laughter, their voices were clear and pronounced. The set nicely conveyed the winter garden of Madame Desmortes’s home, with greenery in many areas, and large French doors.
Freedom High School solidly performed this farce with indubitable effort, and demonstrated how one single event can turn “a night of otherwise aristocratic joy” into something no one should have to denounce.
Eileen Sugameli
Yorktown High School
Submitted for publication to
Put your monocle on, it's worth it to see Freedom High School's production of Ring Round the Moon. This classic lovers' tale follows the story of Hugo, the overconfident ladies man, and Frederick, his awkward, shy, yet adorable and “aw”-evoking twin brother. The brothers look “so alike it is neither permissible nor proper” and are played by the same actor, Garrett Bornarth.
The story develops into a lovers' mess when Hugo hires a poor young dancer to come to a high-society party to save his brother from a potentially terrible marriage to Diane, who is really in love with Hugo, not Frederick. By the end of the play, it seems as if everyone has fallen in and out of love with everyone else and they all want to go drown themselves in the shallow lake in the courtyard. And one of them tries. But, in the end, love triumphs over suicide.
The young ingénue, Isabelle, is convincingly portrayed by Kaitlyn Vickers as an innocent and naive young lover who has obviously fallen in love with the wrong brother. Bornarth makes a clear distinction between the twins who look alike but whose hearts couldn't be more different. With a little help from costuming, there was never a doubt as to which brother was on stage.
Romainville (Tim Lewis) and Messershmann (Patrick Carnes) both have great moments-- Romainville with his monocle, and Messershmann ripping up his money. Patrice's (Anthony Wrotten) ill-timed attempts to start a faked duel with Hugo get funnier and funnier. Lizzy Topper, as the wheelchair-bound matriarch Madame Desmortes offers amusing insights into the plights of the others.
Joshua (Scott Keeler) added great comic touches with witty entrances and exits. Isabella's mother (Jessica Salazar) was hilarious, especially in her reunion with Madame Desmortes' servant, Capulet (Joy Zhang) after they each thought that the other was dead. Brittany Klein develops the icy character of Diane throughout the show, up to a well-executed, all-too-believable cat-fight with Isabella.
The action took place on an elaborate set with lighting that reflected the time of day. Although some oddly timed music and light changes, and inconsistent costumes were sometimes distracting, the technical elements added to the environment of the show.
The cast overcame some mixed-up lines and odd pacing and covered mistakes well. They warmed up the stage and by the second act seemed relaxed, focused, and having fun. The entire ensemble provided the audience with an infectious night of love and laughter.
Claire Withycombe
Yorktown High School
Submitted for publication to Freedom Flyer
Not your typical comedy of errors: that’s how one might describe Freedom High School’s recent production of Ring Round the Moon. Adapted by Christopher Fry from the 1947 French play Invitation to the Castle, by Jean Anhouihl, Ring Round the Moon is a zany trip through a single night among the rich. Originally performed at the time of its adaptation in New York, it was revived both in 1999 and in 2008.
Though physically identical, twins Hugo and Frederic are nothing alike in personality: as the play opens, the timid Frederic is about to announce his engagement to the wealthy Diana Messerschmann at a ball at the home of his aunt, the elderly Mme. Desmortes. Despite Frederic’s deep love for Diana, we get the sense that she does not feel the same way about him—in fact, she is settling for Frederic while fascinated by the scheming and elusive Hugo. Hugo himself plans to reveal Diana’s false front by inviting a poor young woman, Isabelle, to play the part of an aristocrat and woo Frederic. While this plot stirs up chaos, relationships among secondary characters provide a whimsical background hum.
Freedom’s production, despite notable challenges presented by a complex text, was clean and well constructed. The actors clearly were devoted to their roles. The parts of Hugo and Frederic were played by one actor, Garrett Bornarth, who handled the responsibilities of each role very well. In addition, Brittany Klein and Kaitlyn Vickers (who played the parts of Diana, and Isabelle, respectively) each developed distinct characters.
Some other highlights included the prickly Mme. Desmortes, played by Lizzy Topper, who elicited much laughter from the audience with her dry delivery and clear grasp of the humor of her character’s perspective; and the quiet yet omniscient butler Joshua, performed by Scott Keeler, whose physicality and attitude remained consistent throughout the production.
Technically, the production was simple but also well executed; lights and sound were reliable and changed depending on the mood of the situation. In particular, the set was very well constructed; it was elaborate without distracting from the acting. The actors interacted well with the set pieces; however, location was not always clear, and the distinction between different parts of the house might have come through a bit more had there been more reaction to environment.
Overall, Freedom’s production of Ring Round the Moon was solidly put together. Each member of the cast came together create a cohesive and entertaining production.
