Theater Name/Location: SAS Drama Theater
Day Reviewed: November 22, 2017
Written By: Tavishi Baidwan
Directed By: Ethan Curnett
Number of Stars(1 to 5): 5
The Murderous Mansion of Mr. Uno was a show not be missed. It is was a student-led play, but was done so well that it felt professional! The play took place in a mansion which belonged to a man named Mr. Uno. In this mansion, we start off with a lovely dinner with 6 different characters being introduced. It starts off happy enough, but when each character receives a different letter from Mr. Uno, things start to go downhill. Soon, the play progresses to a series of murders that take place in the mansion, and the incredible part about this production is that the audience votes on the murderer! It is full of suspense and accusation on who the murderer is, and is filled with drama and comedy that is sure to leave you in fits of laughter! In my opinion, this show was undoubtedly a success, not just because of the emotional acting, but also because of the lighting skills.
Although this play was completely student-led, the acting felt so professional that I was completely engrossed in the story. Every character had its own flaws and personalities, and because every character had a different attitude, the play was immensely interesting. For example, a character named Mrs. Tarragon was a little crazy and had a frantic loud attitude. On the other hand, General Spragmorton was a strict military soldier with a leadership attitude. These two character's personalities and attitudes contrasted with each other to create comedy. The acting and the words that they said to each other and everyone else, seemed extremely realistic. The tone of their words fitted their personalities perfectly and I thought that everything executed was magnificent. Another example of great acting was Madame Isis. She was acting as a classy person and acted it really well. Her words had a sarcastic edge to them and an undertone of "I don't care" attitude beneath them. I thought that her acting was especially good, but everyone's acting was superb and everyone's attitude was also funny and intriguing, but most importantly, every character brought the play to life!
The second brilliant work of this play was the lighting. Sometimes, the lighting of a production is underrated and only the acting is spoken about. Well, I can assure you that this play wouldn't have been half as good without this incredible lighting. In the beginning, the whole stage was covered with light. As the characters were dining, everything was lit up, showcasing the gorgeous set. Then, only half of the stage was lit - the half that the characters were standing in. When the characters received their ominous letters from Mr. Uno, only the half of the stage with characters was lit. This was done so that the tension was directed completely at the characters opening the letters so that the audience wouldn't be distracted by the other set pieces. Next, the characters all moved to the other side of the stage and only that half was lit up so that all eyes were once again directed to the other side. But, that wasn't all, another technique used was the dimming of lights. For instance, in a scene in which someone gets murdered, all lights are off and it is pitch black, so you can't see anything and can only hear screams. When the lights came up, there was a dead body. This lighting technique was used to create confusion for the audience. Lastly, the classic spotlight was used. This was usually used to create comedy like when the beam was on General Spragmorton boasting about how he knew who the murderer was. In all, the lighting techniques were used expertly and brought this play up to the next level!
The Murderous Mansion of Mr. Uno was a great production which I thoroughly enjoyed. The play is suitable for middle schoolers, who will enjoy the great acting and suspenseful lighting, as well as find great comedy! For younger children, some of the comedy may not be clear enough, and for older kids, they could find this play a bit too melodramatic. Overall, it was a fantastic performance and a definite must-see!
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