'She Kills Monsters' at West Springfield High School: Cappies Review

PHOTO (from left to right): Eila Nash, Jane Schwartz, Tessa Chaplin/PHOTO by Liz Boone

By Jessie Yu of Oakton High School

WEST SPRINGFIELD, VA — Dungeons and Dragons, an outdated game notorious for its popularity among stereotypical social outcasts, became a vessel for a woman to connect with her dead sister in She Kills Monsters.

The cast and crew of West Springfield High School killed it as they took a witty script flawlessly to the stage and plunged their audience into the unique world of 90s role-playing games. Written by Qui Nguyen, a dramatist well versed in greek theatre, the play takes place in 1995 in Ohio and follows a schoolteacher, Agnes (Delaney Fetzer), who finds a D&D game created by her late younger sister, Tilly (Jane Schwartz).

Enlisting the help of a geeky high school boy, Agnes embarks on an adventure to understand her sister and come to terms with her grief. Delaney Fetzer's performance as Agnes was impeccable and entertaining. Her visible bewilderment of her sister's game was hilariously relatable, her practical physicality standing out in amusing contrast to her fantasy companions in the D&D world.

As the story progressed, Fetzer handled Agnes' emotional character arc with touching sensibility. Appearing at her side to guide Agnes through the game, Jane Schwartz as Tilly struck a natural balance between the confident smart-aleck bickering with her sister and the vulnerable teenage girl wrought with feelings of loneliness and insecurity.

The development of her dynamic with her sister was heartwarming to watch, from the gripping reveal and tender acceptance of Tilly's sexuality to heated arguments that culminated in Agnes confronting her guilt for never getting to know Tilly as a teenager. Bringing a hilarious presence to the play, Carden Warner embodied the typical awkward teenager as Chuck, staying consistent with his cheeky mannerisms every second he was onstage.

Employing perfect comedic timing and deftly delivered innuendos, the audience was choking with laughter through his interactions with every character, but particularly his first scene with Agnes's indignant boyfriend, Miles (Will Boone).Another outstanding performance was one by Eila Nash, who played Lilith, a demon princess. Her ability to switch seamlessly from the leather-clad, fierce and passionate character in the D&D game to the diffident real-world counterpart of Lily showed extraordinary versatility and range in acting.

In addition to maintaining a lively and humorous energy in the show, most of the main cast and ensemble engaged in several scenes of stage combat, including a deadly dance-off. The battles were smoothly incorporated with superbly rehearsed choreography that brought the D&D world to life. With often three or four different pairs locked in combat at once, each performer fought with a style befitting the individual characters.

A simple set worked well for the show, with a single raised platform that allowed for electrifying battles and minimal scene changes paired with color shifts of the backdrop to indicate a switch from the real world to a fantasy world. Aiding greatly in these transitions were elaborate costumes and makeup, with mystical creatures in their earthen tones and otherworldly faces distinguished from the bright hues of their human counterparts.

These transitions were instantaneous, and the cast and crew pulled off quick costume and makeup changes impressively to keep the story uninterrupted.

With an exemplary cast, intricate costumes, and thrillingly executed choreography, West Springfield High School's production of She Kills Monsters was an action-packed show full of humor and heart that was enjoyable for everyone, whether aligning with good, chaotic, neutral, or Democrat.

Image: Patch file