Ash Girl
at Sunny Hills High School

Reviewed on February 16, 2017

Jake Rhode
La Habra
Submitted for publication to OC Varsity Arts

‘The Ash Girl' at Sunny Hills burns with intense color
written by Jake Rhode, a junior at La Habra High School

Sunny Hills' ‘The Ash Girl' tackles important themes, including the strength that comes with believing in oneself, in the new twist on the classic tale of Cinderella.

Ashgirl, the constantly criticized and overworked stepdaughter of a sinister mother, must battle the seven deadly sins, represented by monsters, through realizing her own value. The fiery ensemble brings the play to life and constantly contributes strong character and endless energy to the production.

Anais Lino skillfully plays Ashgirl with grace and commitment, using her deep and thoughtful voice to bring more and more confidence to her complex character as the story progresses. In Lino's battle with the monsters that control her, she shows the power that they hold over her throughout her entire body, rising and falling with authentic emotion.

Gluttontoad, the monster of gluttony, is masterfully played by Kaylynn Heatley, whose purple costume and makeup assist with defining her persona. She greatly defines her character in her silences, using devious facial expressions and continuous movement on stage during her powerful connection to each moment. Heatley's contribution to every scene is an example of the dedication each actor has to creating individual moments throughout the story.

Paul (Isaac Pratt-McDonald) and Amir (Daniel Park) enhance the intensity of the plot through their fights and clearly communicated emotions. Pratt-McDonald illustrates his envious feelings with looks of hatred and a posture that indicates his tension, while Park's voice booms with power and emotion as his pride and anger overflow. Their encounter also allows Felix Ysais, as Envysnake, to showcase his subtle acting with the movement of his hands and intent stare into the scene during his moment of power and influence.

The makeup design by Ryan Mercer, Rachel Kim, and Bailey Shea, fully immerses the actors in their characters, turning Sammie Cano into sadness with bright blue eyes and accents, and Ysais into a snake with green serpentine features. Ashgirl is further contrasted and defined by the lack of lively color in her simple costume, and the makeup on her face representing the ashes.

"The Ash Girl" illustrates the beauty that accompanies confidence, providing moments of joy and compassion through a clever cast.

Arcadia Eckmayer
Fullerton Union High School
Submitted for publication to OC Varsity Arts

Sunny Hills' "Ash Girls" is magical story
written by Arcadia Eckmayer, a senior at Fullerton Union High School

At its heart, "Ash Girl" is a story of love enduring despite challenges, however the play also interjects topical and important commentaries on beauty and the role that emotions play in the real word. Based upon the stories of Cinderella, "Ash Girl" remains unique in that it incorporates the seven deadly sins. Sunny Hills High School cast and crew of "Ash Girl" immerse the audience into a land, of fairies, evil step sister, and strong willed emotions.

Playing the titular Ash Girl, Anais Lino showed how a character could change greatly throughout a play, yet still possess the same fire and energy. Lino showed how Ash Girls confidence only built, persevering through the challenges thrown her way by the emotions and wicked step sisters. Going from a soft spoken girl hiding in the ashes to a confident lover, with a sureness in her walk, Lino displayed the effect that love can have on a person in a subtle, yet satisfying way.

The seven deadly sins in the show worked together from the very start, committing to each of their over exaggerated characters and physicalizing what it meant to be a sin. Fiona Pratt-McDonald morphs herself into Pridefly through constant mimicking and deceitful smiles paired with scheming gesticulations with her hands. All of the other sins were constantly engaging with one another: watching as another took control of a human and laughing and screaming as one as their plans for domination fail at the hands of good fairies.

The technical aspects within the show all compliment the actors and their characters, as well as bring light to different facets of the play. Ryan Mercer, Rachel Kim and Bailey Shea create the insightful makeup design. Creating large designs on the faces of sins to contrast the simplicity of the humans, created a strong visual distinction between the two ensembles. The set design, by Andraya Eisenman, creates a unitary and simplistic atmosphere that serves the show and its many scene changes well. The platforms are painted, using blues, greens, and greys, so the actors can transition seamlessly to and fro.

Sunny Hills High School's production of "Ash Girl" is one that captures the whimsy of a classic tale, and the actors and technicians all work marvelous together to bring that wonderous world to life.

Daniela Carmona
Katella High School
Submitted for publication to OC Cappies Facebook Page

Sunny Hills "The Ash Girl" is Authentic; Inspiring
written by Daniela Carmona, a senior at Katella High School

A happily ever after often times is preceded by an uphill battle. Sunny Hills High School powerful performance of "The Ash Girl" is a testament to exactly that.

This play is modern twist on the iconic story of Cinderella mixed in with the Seven Deadly Sins combined with an animal posing as the antagonists of the play who try to wreck the lives of humans passing through the forest. Despite these monsters, Ashgirl is more heavily influenced by Sadness, an entity of her own that tries to break Ashgirl's spirit and ultimately destroy her life. Ashgirl must learn to overcome the inner monsters that have a grip on her to learn that the answer was always within.

Anais Lino as Ashgirl gives an empowering performance from beginning to end and does an admirable job at portraying the rollercoaster of emotions that Ashgirl faces throughout the play. Sadness (Sammie Cano) represents Ashgirl's painful past and only seeks to drag her deeper into self pity and heartache. Cano embodies Sadness through a distraught countenance and a quivering voice, when mixed together creates a compelling portrayal.

Memorable and humorous performances are made by Fairy in Mirror (Jake Cirrito) and Otter (Joseph Hanson) who are both vital in helping Ashgirl along her journey of self discovery. The Seven Deadly Sins consisting of Slothworm (Takumi Suto), Angerbird (Amanda Turner), Envysnake (Felix Ysais), Gluttontoad (Kaylynn Heatley), Pridefly (Fiona Pratt McDonald), Greedmonkey (Josh Acosta), and Lust (Olivia Godinez) were standout performances. Each performer gave their monster life through a set gesture and expressive body language.

The imaginative and creative talents of the hair and makeup team consisting of Ryan Mercer, Rachel Kim, and Bailey Shea were superbly displayed through characters such as the Seven Deadly Sins whose makeup beautifully correlates with the forest animal they each represent. The skillful stage crew added fluidity to the show and the lighting design of Sophia Jang and Nancy Cervantes created emotion with dimmed lights for intense scenes. The cast and crew as a whole made evident their hardwork and commitment through a production that flawlessly comes together.

Sunny Hills production of "The Ash Girl" leaves a resounding message that anyone can rise up from the ashes.