Cappies Review: Stage Door at Thomas Jefferson High School

presented Stage Door to the community on April 20 and 21. The play, written by George S. Kaufman and Edna Ferber, follows the comings and goings of young actresses striving to make it big on the New York City theatre scene during the 1930s. It explores deeper ideas as well, such as pressure, romance, and what it really means to stay true to yourself.

Kate Sanders portrayed Terry Randall, the character whose story is most developed and prominent. She gave a clean and well-timed performance with a range of emotion, always very fitting for the scene. Jordan Goodson appeared as her friend Judith Canfield, who provided much of the comic relief. Her role required the potentially difficult task of eating a banana onstage in time to get all her lines out – a task she undertook with evident care and funny success.

A smaller but notable role was that of Mrs. Orcutt, played by Sarah Stites. She gave the character her necessary age, considerably older than the twenty-something other girls, but using body stance and voice to her advantage. Two other well rehearsed roles were ‘The Marys,’ Yena Seo as ‘Big’ Mary Harper and Sib Shewit as ‘Little’ Mary McCune. The pair played well together, having taken time to organize themselves into twinlike poses when seated and perfecting their witty back-and-forth banter.

The company’s costumes were appropriate for the time period and well-fitted to each performer. The set had a handful of minor issues but it was utilized to a great extent by those onstage. The performers were without microphones, which proved to be no problem at all as their projection was excellent. However, the sound cues that occurred were not always well-timed. All in all, the technical aspects leveled out and problems were smoothed over evenly.

Thomas Jefferson High School’s production was undeniably an ensemble piece, and the actors as well as technicians handled this with care. The hard work and dedication that went into the show became more evident as it progressed, leaving one with the conclusion of a very pleasing play, very agreeably performed.

by Sarah Irving of Robinson Secondary School through the high school Cappies program, the critics and awards program for high school theater. In this program, high school students are trained as critics, attend shows at other schools and write reviews for local newspapers. At the end of the year, student critics vote for awards that are presented at a formal Cappies Gala.