Schools

Toxic Leak of Laughs

Charlene Haparimwi of Bishop DuBourg High School reviewed Parkway Central's performances of "Don't Drink the Water." Performances were Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights.

Silly humor, ridiculous antics and witty one-liners filled the theater in Parkway Central High School’s production of “Don’t Drink the Water.”

“Don’t Drink the Water” is a comedy written by Woody Allen. Set in the late 1960’s, an American family, the Hollanders travel to an unknown European country on vacation. Their relaxing time is cut short when while harmlessly taking pictures, they are accused of being spies. The Hollanders are taken behind the Iron Curtain to the American Embassy, to be left in the care of the absent Ambassador’s incompetent son.

This play had a myriad of powerful performances by central characters. The best was Kilroy (Alex Tash), the Ambassador’s assistant, left to deal with his unqualified son while he is gone. Tash was very comfortable on stage and in character. He had great physical comedy and captured the mannerisms of an adult perfectly.

Tash took full advantage of Kilroy’s funny one-liners and quick wit, making his character one to remember. Another strong character was Axel Magee (Jack Connolly). Axel is the nervous Ambassador’s son, forced to take his father’s place as head of the embassy. Connolly had amazing diction, but at times his emotion didn’t match the words he was saying. But he did play the anxious energy of his character with a professional quality.

More admirable performances came from Marion and Walter Hollander (Samantha Zucker and Jake Blonstein). The accusation of being spies certainly did shock this average New Jersey couple. Zucker and Blonstein’s chemistry was flawless; one could truly believe that they had been married for all those years. They played off each other for laughs and support.

Krojack (Tyler Adelstein) was the antagonist of this play, the main guard who wanted the Hollanders dead. Adelstein pulled off Krojack’s intimidation with extraordinary drive, getting into Walter Hollander’s face a number of times. Adelstein had to have an accent, which was believable and kept strong throughout the whole play.

As the Production Stage Manager and Master Carpenter, Nick Bible is a superstar in his own right. From the beautifully painted wood floors of the set, to the believable gunshot and ringing phone from the sound crew, this play was in good hands with Bible in charge. Whenever a character would look out the window of the Embassy, it seemed like sunlight was streaming down, thanks to the incredible details of light designer, Christina Runk.  A breathtaking mural designed by Emily Walters created the main backdrop of “Don’t Drink the Water”, making the set complete.

Many parts of this show were done right, from the live bunny to the authentic make-up, but some things could have been better. Most of the characters had an accent, whether it was New Jersey or European. Though the accents were done well, sometimes characters would get too into it, speaking so quickly that a number of lines were completely missed. The accents also caused some characters to mumble and not speak up, and when they would fumble a line, the accent was lost. Also, some of the characters’ reactions to things like a bomb being thrown into the embassy were extremely casual, which was off putting.  But things like precise comedic timing and realistic dialogue made up for all that.

It is clear that the cast and crew combined made this terrific play what it was. Though there were some issues with diction, Parkway Central High School performed “Don’t Drink the Water” with great hilarity and imagination.

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