The Trouble With Summer People
at San Juan Hills High School

Reviewed on November 9, 2013

Megan Forster
SOCSA Dana Hills
Submitted for publication to Orange County Register

Cappies review: "The Trouble With Summer People"
A Night of Bloodcurdling Comedy at San Juan Hills

By MEGAN FORSTER
For the Orange County Register

Megan Forster is a Senior at SOCSA Dana Hills in Dana Point.


Don't be fooled by the menacing red lights and the terrifying screams emerging from SJHHS's cozy black box theatre. The dynamic cast and crew of The Trouble with Summer People utilizes quirky characters and technical proficiency and brilliance to leave audiences chuckling at death itself!

The intriguing plot revolves around one Rupert Baxter who investigates a homicide at his Aunt's hotel off the coast of Massachusetts. With individual energy and distinct character choices, the team at San Juan Hills demonstrates a skillful dedication to both slapstick comedy and murder mystery.

If the bizarre characters in this show were a bag of jelly beans, Makenna Johnson (Harriet Elliot) would be sizzling cinnamon. Her haughty saunter, purposeful malice, and harsh, clear diction ascended the show to a new level of professionalism. Every gesture is purposeful and clear, right down to the occasional fidget with a dress or turn of a page. Countering this saucy anger is the silly, stumbling, "sociable" Leo Moneymaker (Phelps). His contagious energy and puppy-like attraction to Gia Chacon (Hermione Quail) is endearing and believable. Leo especially masters the art of physical comedy with accidental falls and clumsy conduct in his legs and arms when he is flirting.

Exuding nonsensical hilarity are Alexis MacAdams (Nina Puckle) and Joe Fernandez (Dorrit Puckle). As a dynamic, door-slamming, duo, the MacAdams and Fernandez apply small, strange mannerisms to add life and fire to their characters. They twitch, they screech, they fall on the floor, and they bumble about the set like proud, waddling ducks. They also tackle the challenge of finishing each other's sentences with impeccable timing and playfulness.

Reese Ravner, Thomas Pike, and Kaiden Gerlach capture the broad, challenging vision of the show with a technical mastery of lighting, set design, and stage management. Pike's realistic set is personable and aesthetically appeasing, with bright blues to emphasize the lighthearted nature of the show. To balance the cheery set, Ravner employs menacing red lights and ominous lightning effects. Gerlach ties the show together with silent management of backstage chaos, demonstrating faultless coordination between cast and crew.

This fast-paced, hectic show requires individuals as energetic and dedicated as those at SJHHS. It is no "mystery" that the students leave audiences crying with laughter with their wild and enthusiastic production of The Trouble with Summer People.

Megan Forster
SOCSA Dana Hills
Submitted for publication to Orange County Register

Cappies review: "The Trouble With Summer People"
A Night of Bloodcurdling Comedy at San Juan Hills

By MEGAN FORSTER
For the Orange County Register

Megan Forster is a Senior at SOCSA Dana Hills in Dana Point.


Don't be fooled by the menacing red lights and the terrifying screams emerging from SJHHS's cozy black box theatre. The dynamic cast and crew of The Trouble with Summer People utilizes quirky characters and technical proficiency and brilliance to leave audiences chuckling at death itself!

The intriguing plot revolves around one Rupert Baxter who investigates a homicide at his Aunt's hotel off the coast of Massachusetts. With individual energy and distinct character choices, the team at San Juan Hills demonstrates a skillful dedication to both slapstick comedy and murder mystery.

If the bizarre characters in this show were a bag of jelly beans, Makenna Johnson (Harriet Elliot) would be sizzling cinnamon. Her haughty saunter, purposeful malice, and harsh, clear diction ascended the show to a new level of professionalism. Every gesture is purposeful and clear, right down to the occasional fidget with a dress or turn of a page. Countering this saucy anger is the silly, stumbling, "sociable" Leo Moneymaker (Phelps). His contagious energy and puppy-like attraction to Gia Chacon (Hermione Quail) is endearing and believable. Leo especially masters the art of physical comedy with accidental falls and clumsy conduct in his legs and arms when he is flirting.

Exuding nonsensical hilarity are Alexis MacAdams (Nina Puckle) and Joe Fernandez (Dorrit Puckle). As a dynamic, door-slamming, duo, the MacAdams and Fernandez apply small, strange mannerisms to add life and fire to their characters. They twitch, they screech, they fall on the floor, and they bumble about the set like proud, waddling ducks. They also tackle the challenge of finishing each other's sentences with impeccable timing and playfulness.

Reese Ravner, Thomas Pike, and Kaiden Gerlach capture the broad, challenging vision of the show with a technical mastery of lighting, set design, and stage management. Pike's realistic set is personable and aesthetically appeasing, with bright blues to emphasize the lighthearted nature of the show. To balance the cheery set, Ravner employs menacing red lights and ominous lightning effects. Gerlach ties the show together with silent management of backstage chaos, demonstrating faultless coordination between cast and crew.

This fast-paced, hectic show requires individuals as energetic and dedicated as those at SJHHS. It is no "mystery" that the students leave audiences crying with laughter with their wild and enthusiastic production of The Trouble with Summer People.

Jennifer Kaplan
Tesoro
Submitted for publication to Orange County Register

Cappies review: "The Trouble With Summer People"
Laughing to Death at San Juan Hills

By Jennifer Kaplan
For the Orange County Register

Jennifer Kaplan is a Junior at Tesoro in Las Flores.



Laughter flows more freely than blood in San Juan Hills's paradox of comedic murder in "The Trouble with Summer People". After a grisly murder at the Wind Chimes hotel in Cape Cod, hotel owner Margaret Ames recruits her nephew, Rupert Baxter, to investigate. Their plans are nearly foiled when a group of meddlesome ‘summer people' begin checking in- each one a more suspicious suspect than the last.

Dreamily wandering onstage, Fluff (Madeline Blomdahl) collides into plants and collapses into the hotel clerk's counter in an absent-minded flop. With gaping mouth, wide eyes, and lolling tongue, she is obliviously lost in her own world. Blomdahl's floundering gestures mimic her airy nature, most notably when she flails her arms and erratically thrusts her body while dancing the Hula-or, as she drawls in her nasal, high-pitched Bostonian inflection, the "Hu-lay".

Squawking and clucking in their hen-like voices, the Puckle sisters (Alexis MacAdam and Joe Fernandez) strut across the stage. Every gesture is in perfect unison: from bouncing up-and-down and severely craning their necks, to demonstrating acute comedic timing by finishing one another's lines. MacAdam strides on the tips of her toes, her pursed lips fish-like and eyes bulging whenever she crows an accusation, while Fernandez complements her cawing with his own absurd pitch fluctuations.

With a straight face and measured gestures, Rupert Baxter (Grant Dossey) is earnest and deliberate, whether pacing or firmly grasping the furniture with both hands-a reflection of his contemplative nature. His relaxed posture, mocking tone and exasperated expressions when interacting with the teenaged Danny offer a charming contrast to his otherwise serious nature.

A rock amongst this storm of eccentric personalities, Margaret Ames (Alison Galvin) grounds the show. She composedly clasps her hands and offers a mothering, concerned voice, reflecting her efforts to contain the surrounding chaos. Standing poised in the center of the tumult, and with an aplomb that serves as a foil to Blomdahl's whimsy, Galvin's worried eyes lend gravity to the otherwise comedic performances.

From the opening eerie red spotlight illuminating the murder chair to the bursting, blinking red flashes of the police cars creating urgency during the final scene, lighting design by Reese Ravner sets a tonal balance between the realistic and the absurd.

The killer comedic timing won't leave you hanging- so get a clue and investigate "The Trouble with Summer People"!

Jennifer Kaplan
Tesoro
Submitted for publication to Orange County Register

Cappies review: "The Trouble With Summer People"
Laughing to Death at San Juan Hills

By Jennifer Kaplan
For the Orange County Register

Jennifer Kaplan is a Junior at Tesoro in Las Flores.



Laughter flows more freely than blood in San Juan Hills's paradox of comedic murder in "The Trouble with Summer People". After a grisly murder at the Wind Chimes hotel in Cape Cod, hotel owner Margaret Ames recruits her nephew, Rupert Baxter, to investigate. Their plans are nearly foiled when a group of meddlesome ‘summer people' begin checking in- each one a more suspicious suspect than the last.

Dreamily wandering onstage, Fluff (Madeline Blomdahl) collides into plants and collapses into the hotel clerk's counter in an absent-minded flop. With gaping mouth, wide eyes, and lolling tongue, she is obliviously lost in her own world. Blomdahl's floundering gestures mimic her airy nature, most notably when she flails her arms and erratically thrusts her body while dancing the Hula-or, as she drawls in her nasal, high-pitched Bostonian inflection, the "Hu-lay".

Squawking and clucking in their hen-like voices, the Puckle sisters (Alexis MacAdam and Joe Fernandez) strut across the stage. Every gesture is in perfect unison: from bouncing up-and-down and severely craning their necks, to demonstrating acute comedic timing by finishing one another's lines. MacAdam strides on the tips of her toes, her pursed lips fish-like and eyes bulging whenever she crows an accusation, while Fernandez complements her cawing with his own absurd pitch fluctuations.

With a straight face and measured gestures, Rupert Baxter (Grant Dossey) is earnest and deliberate, whether pacing or firmly grasping the furniture with both hands-a reflection of his contemplative nature. His relaxed posture, mocking tone and exasperated expressions when interacting with the teenaged Danny offer a charming contrast to his otherwise serious nature.

A rock amongst this storm of eccentric personalities, Margaret Ames (Alison Galvin) grounds the show. She composedly clasps her hands and offers a mothering, concerned voice, reflecting her efforts to contain the surrounding chaos. Standing poised in the center of the tumult, and with an aplomb that serves as a foil to Blomdahl's whimsy, Galvin's worried eyes lend gravity to the otherwise comedic performances.

From the opening eerie red spotlight illuminating the murder chair to the bursting, blinking red flashes of the police cars creating urgency during the final scene, lighting design by Reese Ravner sets a tonal balance between the realistic and the absurd.

The killer comedic timing won't leave you hanging- so get a clue and investigate "The Trouble with Summer People"!

Samantha Kelley
SOCSA Dana Hills
Submitted for publication to OC Cappies Facebook

Cappies review: "The Trouble With Summer People"
There's Trouble at San Juan Hills

By SAMANTHA KELLEY
For the OC Cappies Facebook

Samantha Kelley is a Senior at SOCSA Dana Hills in Dana Point


The case: A man is found dead in the living room of the "Wind Chimes" bed and breakfast. The suspects: A haughty newly wed who seems a bit too eager to stay at the scene of the crime, a businessman with an eerie resemblance to the murder victim, and a bird watcher who mysteriously asks to stay in the dead mans room due to a "heart condition." The only questions are "whodunit," and why? A classic mystery with a comedic twist, The Trouble With Summer People at San Juan Hills High School has the audience laughing, gasping, and jumping out of their seats.

As the maternal owner of the "Wind Chimes" who stays grounded amidst all of the chaos, Alison Galvin shines as Margaret Ames. Galvin's calm and composed inflection in her tone and mature body language is evident, contrasted by the actions of Madeline Blomdhahl who plays her quirky, ditzy niece, Fluff. Whether she's dancing across the stage in an exaggerated and hysterical version of the hula, stumbling up the stairs with an arm full of rumpled sheets, or playfully skipping across the room, Blomdahl's persona of her scatterbrained character is exemplified in her physicality and comedic timing.

The ability to complete another character's sentences in perfect timing is a challenge in itself, and yet Alexis MacAdam and Joe Fernandez make it look easy as the hilarious Puckle sisters. With their uproarious banter, outlandish walks, and unfaltering zany demeanor, MacAdam and Fernandez steal the show whenever they enter the stage. From Fernandez's gnawing on a pencil to MacAdam's facial expressions, the duo embraces their idiosyncratic characters and has the audience rolling with laugher.

The mysterious mood set by the murder of Mr. Pitkin in a quaint Cape Cod bed and breakfast is exemplified through the lighting and set designs. From the foreboding red light shining on the "dead man's chair" to the quick flashes of lightning and police sirens outside the window, the lighting by Reese Ravner, Lina Hannegan, and Lucas Brechbill perfectly transports the audience to the scene of the crime. The calming blue walls, paintings, and furniture transform the black box theater into the intimate, charming, and homey "Wind Chimes" lending to the feel of an endearing Cape Cod guest house.

As a whole, the actors of San Juan Hills High School kill it in The Trouble With Summer People.

Samantha Kelley
SOCSA Dana Hills
Submitted for publication to OC Cappies Facebook

Cappies review: "The Trouble With Summer People"
There's Trouble at San Juan Hills

By SAMANTHA KELLEY
For the OC Cappies Facebook

Samantha Kelley is a Senior at SOCSA Dana Hills in Dana Point


The case: A man is found dead in the living room of the "Wind Chimes" bed and breakfast. The suspects: A haughty newly wed who seems a bit too eager to stay at the scene of the crime, a businessman with an eerie resemblance to the murder victim, and a bird watcher who mysteriously asks to stay in the dead mans room due to a "heart condition." The only questions are "whodunit," and why? A classic mystery with a comedic twist, The Trouble With Summer People at San Juan Hills High School has the audience laughing, gasping, and jumping out of their seats.

As the maternal owner of the "Wind Chimes" who stays grounded amidst all of the chaos, Alison Galvin shines as Margaret Ames. Galvin's calm and composed inflection in her tone and mature body language is evident, contrasted by the actions of Madeline Blomdhahl who plays her quirky, ditzy niece, Fluff. Whether she's dancing across the stage in an exaggerated and hysterical version of the hula, stumbling up the stairs with an arm full of rumpled sheets, or playfully skipping across the room, Blomdahl's persona of her scatterbrained character is exemplified in her physicality and comedic timing.

The ability to complete another character's sentences in perfect timing is a challenge in itself, and yet Alexis MacAdam and Joe Fernandez make it look easy as the hilarious Puckle sisters. With their uproarious banter, outlandish walks, and unfaltering zany demeanor, MacAdam and Fernandez steal the show whenever they enter the stage. From Fernandez's gnawing on a pencil to MacAdam's facial expressions, the duo embraces their idiosyncratic characters and has the audience rolling with laugher.

The mysterious mood set by the murder of Mr. Pitkin in a quaint Cape Cod bed and breakfast is exemplified through the lighting and set designs. From the foreboding red light shining on the "dead man's chair" to the quick flashes of lightning and police sirens outside the window, the lighting by Reese Ravner, Lina Hannegan, and Lucas Brechbill perfectly transports the audience to the scene of the crime. The calming blue walls, paintings, and furniture transform the black box theater into the intimate, charming, and homey "Wind Chimes" lending to the feel of an endearing Cape Cod guest house.

As a whole, the actors of San Juan Hills High School kill it in The Trouble With Summer People.