Cappies Review: 'Freaky Friday' At Langley High School

By Sarah Jakubowski of Broad Run High School

Today and every day, the students of Langley High School's Saxon Stage throw their hearts and souls into their craft, and their production of "Freaky Friday" was certainly no exception. The cast and crew took Bridget Carpenter, Tom Kitt, and Brian Yorkey's musical adaptation of Mary Rodgers's classic novel and created a colorful, emotional, and mystical tale of family relationships that kept audiences at the edges of their seats, waiting to see what could come next.

Naturally, a story in which two characters switch bodies would require a great deal from its lead actors, but Tiffany Bennett and Claire Stephenson took those expectations and said, "I got this." As the duo of daughter Ellie and mother Katherine respectively, Bennett and Stephenson's performances expertly captured both characters' personalities, creating clear and seamless transitions between the two each time they swapped. Both actors also brought gorgeously strong vocals that blended and harmonized beautifully overtop Tom Kitt's score. The other members of the Blake family, little brother Fletcher (Caleb Toronto) and soon-to-be stepfather Mike (Alexander Rubin), gave beautifully grounded and heartbreaking performances as Ellie and Katherine's predicament brought about tension and confusion in the household and beyond. Also of note was Conor Farah's charismatic portrayal of Adam, Ellie's crush and List Master of the annual city-wide scavenger hunt. Farah's impressive vocal and emotional range in songs like "Go" and "Women and Sandwiches" brought the house down and provided a lighthearted presence when the stakes were high.

What truly brought the show together was the carefully crafted aesthetic displayed in the sets designed by Teddy Spaner, Killian Korchnak, Tori Ransom, Vic Scarpato, and the costumes designed by Ella Smith and Evey Burnette. Both departments took aspects of the 1990s time period and integrated them into the stage pictures, color palettes, and individual character looks. From the arcade-carpet pattern on the stationary set piece (Jackie Gauthier, Katie Chen) to Ms. Meyers's (Samantha Brunjes) bedazzled tracksuit, audiences could truly feel transported into the past. In addition, the attention to detail utilized to create the technical elements was nothing short of impressive, with the most effort seeming to go toward Kira Lentz's hand-made and coded scoreboard that nearly stole the show, despite only being present for a single scene.

Langley High School's production of "Freaky Friday" was a fresh and unique performance that radiated the love, care, and detail that was put into creating the experience. In the words of gym teacher Ms. Meyers, "watch your back," because Langley High School's passion for their craft, both onstage and off, cannot be stopped!