Rating: 3 out of 5
“Fortunes,” a series of seven plays written by members of the Arras Periodical and performed by actors in the Thespian Troupe, made a mixed debut on Jan. 13. The showcase, which marked the second annual collaboration between the two organizations, explored the concept of luck through various critical, humorous, and superstitious lenses.
The standout play was “miss fortune,” by Jeslyn Nguyen which begins toying with the theme of luck in its title and continues throughout the whole script. Miss Fortune bestows gifts upon townspeople — fairytale characters Snow White (Alina Ly), Sleeping Beauty (Rachel Plummer), Alice in Wonderland (ShiraRys Corpuz), and Ariel (Iris Chung) — as the devil follows her, falls in love with her, and sabotages her gifts to reveal the townspeoples’ corruption. Instead of dialogue, the entire story was narrated through an elegant voiceover layered over a beautiful musical composition that enhanced the story’s drama and romance. Clever symbolism — such as Miss Fortune (Allie Klaydman) dancing with the devil (Haleta Ayalew) — was enhanced by the actors’ evocative performances. In particular, Klaydman delivered clear emotion through her body language, enunciation, and facial expressions throughout her performances. The audience’s audible gasp when the devil got down on one knee to propose and their thunderous applause after the conclusion demonstrated the play’s impact.
In the showcase as a whole, the actors did an impressive job maintaining expressiveness with scripts in hand, glancing down for their lines only occasionally. However, more expressive body language, especially in plays that had less onstage action, such as “Turn of the Table” by Andrew Zhu, would have helped to maintain audience engagement and enhance the actors’ command of the stage.
Many of the plays were dialogue-heavy, which often made them difficult to follow, especially with the lack of microphones and inconsistent delivery. Some parts of the scripts didn’t fully translate on stage, resulting in scenes with talking heads and stillness that struggled to maintain my attention. Nevertheless, unique and dynamic formats that optimized stage space — such as “Money Can Grow on Trees” by DieuUyen Vu, which used the front of the stage for mockumentary-style asides — added nuance and complexity to what would have been otherwise simple plots. To the writers’ credit, the dialogue throughout the showcase was delightfully witty, littered with double entendres and pop culture references that prompted chuckles throughout the audience.
Compared to last year’s showcase, “Fortunes” was lacking in its exploration of the central theme. Interpretations were often literal — such as “Call of the Fortune Favored” by Crystal Huang, in which characters’ survival indicates that they are lucky, or “A Shot at Luck” by Kate Chua, in which a character is embroiled in several unlucky situations. The pacing was sometimes awkward and stilted, but the plays that broke up dialogue with action scenes, like “Fortune Royale” by Andrew Ton, avoided that mistake.
Finally, the props and costumes were minimal but effective. Contrasting colors — notably in “miss fortune,” in which the devil dressed in all red and Miss Fortune in all white — were visually engaging, while simple accessories such as horse ears or cowboy hats successfully established characterization and added comedic undertones. The backstage crew did an excellent job moving props such as couches, tables, and chairs rapidly in between scenes and plays, though the lack of a fully painted backdrop and a larger prop setting often made it difficult to fully immerse myself in the story.
Ultimately, “Fortunes” presented an engaging showcase, even if it didn’t quite live up to its predecessor, displaying the talent and creativity of MHS artists.