Mainland gets audience into the act with ‘And Then There Were None’

Nov, 16-2009 2:51 pm

By JACKIE HANUSEY
Staff Writer

LINWOOD – The audience gets in on the action with “And Then There Were None.”

This fall’s Mainland Regional High School play is a murder mystery in which everyone is a suspect.

During the first act of the three-act play the audience will get a chance to weigh in on who they think is the murderer.

Director Becky Sannino said they will later announce which character garnered the most votes.

With a cast of only 11, eight parts have been double-cast to allow more students an opportunity to perform.

Jordon Hafetz, 18, of Linwood is William Blore in the Byrne cast.

“He’s sneaky – the comic relief at points,” he said.

He said the cast has had to do a lot of work on their reactions for this drama.

The facial expressions can’t get boring, so the reactions are just important as knowing the lines, he said.

Nick Sanza, 17, of Somers Point plays the same part in the Sun cast.

“He’s a lot of fun,” he said.

The play is set in a mansion on the remote Indian Island in 1935. The various characters have been brought there for a variety of reasons.

“First there are no expectations; it is just a casual vacation,” Sanza said.

Then, with the first murder, it becomes exciting, he said.

Rikki Roth, 16, of Linwood is Mrs. Rogers, the butler’s wife.

“She is the complainer of the group,” Roth said. “She wants everyone to know she is the cook, but they mistake her for the housekeeper.”

Ron Ardenti, 18, of Somers Point plays the butler in both casts. He puts on a British accent and is “loud, angry at his wife and nice to other people,” he said in an interview.

“Every time he is with his wife he is disgruntled,” he said.

This leads to her getting mad a lot.

“She’s very nervous all the time and anxious,” Roth said. “Her eyes always look like she is up to something, but that could just be the way she is.”

Jordan Santoro, 17, of Linwood acts the party of playboy Anthony Marston in both casts. His character just wants to have fun and is quite different than the character of Emily Brent, played by Danielle Garofalo, 17, of Linwood and Rachel Smith, 16, of Linwood.

Judgmental and self-righteous, Brent is not the life of the party and would rather be alone.

“You learn everyone in this play has a secret,” Smith said.

Titus Gandy, 18, of Linwood plays Phillip Lombard in the Sun cast, an adventurous fellow who starts to fall in love with the glamorous Vera. Robby Rodriguez plays his counterpart in the opposite cast.

“He gets a surprise,” Gandy hinted, during the play.

More than half the characters fail to survive through the play’s end, students said.

“People die on stage, die off stage; people are dying anywhere,” said Molly Senack, 17, of Linwood, who plays Vera in the Byrne cast.

“You play it like you are the murderer whether you are or not,” she said. “You have to be equally sympathetic and suspicious.”

This keeps members of the audience on their toes, she said. Plus, everyone in the play is guilty of something, even if it’s not homicide.

Vera is also played by Julia Gosen, 17, of Linwood.

A senior, she said viewers might first see Vera as the damsel in distress, but it turns out that she likes adventure.

Even when there are no lines, there is no sitting around for the actors, as facial expressions are a big part of this drama, Gosen said.

“It’s like a good book you can’t put down,” she said.

Sannino has been helped by two assistant directors, teacher Judy Cline and Mainland Class of 2003 graduate Phil Hopf of Millville.

The Sun cast performs 7 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 19 and Saturday, Nov. 21. The Byrne cast will go on 7 p.m. Friday, Nov. 20 and 2 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 22.

Tickets are $7 at the door. The high school is at 1301 Oak Ave. in Linwood.

To comment on this story email Jackie.Hanusey@catamaranmedia.com.