Failure: A Love Story
at Anaheim High School
Reviewed on April 21, 2017
| Name | School | Publication/Broadcasts |
Andy Lee | Northwood High School | OC Varsity Arts |
Andy Lee | Northwood High School | OC Varsity Arts |
Alexandra King | Corona del Mar HS | OC Varsity Arts |
Alexandra King | Corona del Mar HS | OC Varsity Arts |
Jake Rhode | La Habra | OC Cappies Facebook Page |
Jake Rhode | La Habra | OC Cappies Facebook Page |
Andy Lee
Northwood High School
Submitted for publication to OC Varsity Arts
Anaheim High School's "Failure: A Love Story" spins a spellbinding tale
Andy Lee is a junior at Northwood High School in Irvine
Set in the bleak postwar decade of the 1920s, Anaheim High School's "Failure: A Love Story" follows the story of the Fail family as they explore loss not only as a cause of suffering and grief, but as an event that can bring loved ones together in remembrance of a life.
Lorenzo Belmontez delivers a charming performance as Mortimer Mortimer, the confident entrepreneur who is "so famous he is named after himself". Whether flashing self-assured smirks at himself or making heroic promises to his to-be brides, Belmontez drives every scene with a strong voice, vivid facial expressions, and powerful body language.
Stephanie A. Chavez is the Disney-princess-esque Nelly Fail, the youngest of the Fail sisters and the first of Mortimer's love interests. Sporting a lightness in her steps and her voice, Chavez prances around the stage with an aura of sweet innocence and youth that makes her death all the more sudden and tragic.
Ashley Dourado is the loud, boisterous Jenny June, the second Fail sister with the heart of gold. Dourado demonstrates a fearlessness both as an actor and as a character as she leaps and bounds with a vigor and energy matched by few performers anywhere.
The makeup design, done by Vicki Sundgren, Julia Mora, Bianca Trujillo, and Juan Munoz, puts a steampunk spin on the production. Airbrushed, Intricately-drawn cogs and gears mark the skins of the actors and actresses reflecting the industrial times of the 1920s era, while eyeshadows and lipsticks add splashes of color in the otherwise bleak, monochromatic world.
As one character says in the play, "Just because something doesn't last doesn't mean it wasn't a great success." The same message can be said for Anaheim's High School's production "Failure: A Love Story", the play that leaves a bittersweet melancholy as it ponders the value of life.
Andy Lee
Northwood High School
Submitted for publication to OC Varsity Arts
Anaheim High School's "Failure: A Love Story" spins a spellbinding tale
Andy Lee is a junior at Northwood High School in Irvine
Set in the bleak postwar decade of the 1920s, Anaheim High School's "Failure: A Love Story" follows the story of the Fail family as they explore loss not only as a cause of suffering and grief, but as an event that can bring loved ones together in remembrance of a life.
Lorenzo Belmontez delivers a charming performance as Mortimer Mortimer, the confident entrepreneur who is "so famous he is named after himself". Whether flashing self-assured smirks at himself or making heroic promises to his to-be brides, Belmontez drives every scene with a strong voice, vivid facial expressions, and powerful body language.
Stephanie A. Chavez is the Disney-princess-esque Nelly Fail, the youngest of the Fail sisters and the first of Mortimer's love interests. Sporting a lightness in her steps and her voice, Chavez prances around the stage with an aura of sweet innocence and youth that makes her death all the more sudden and tragic.
Ashley Dourado is the loud, boisterous Jenny June, the second Fail sister with the heart of gold. Dourado demonstrates a fearlessness both as an actor and as a character as she leaps and bounds with a vigor and energy matched by few performers anywhere.
The makeup design, done by Vicki Sundgren, Julia Mora, Bianca Trujillo, and Juan Munoz, puts a steampunk spin on the production. Airbrushed, Intricately-drawn cogs and gears mark the skins of the actors and actresses reflecting the industrial times of the 1920s era, while eyeshadows and lipsticks add splashes of color in the otherwise bleak, monochromatic world.
As one character says in the play, "Just because something doesn't last doesn't mean it wasn't a great success." The same message can be said for Anaheim's High School's production "Failure: A Love Story", the play that leaves a bittersweet melancholy as it ponders the value of life.
Alexandra King
Corona del Mar HS
Submitted for publication to OC Varsity Arts
Failure: A Love Story at Anaheim High School packs a poignant punch
Alexandra King is a junior at Corona del Mar High School in Newport Beach.
Anaheim High School's production of Failure: A Love Story is the perfect mix of over the top comedy, and melancholic moments. Centered around the Fail sisters and their deaths, the show faces uncomfortable truths about life, death, and love.
As Gertrude Fail, Alexia Rosa is a perfect contrast to the whimsical characters around her. Her motherly posture, no-nonsense tone, and bright facial expressions entrap you in the world of the play. Amongst all of the melodramatic goings-on, Rosa portrays a real person, and it makes the scene of her death even more heartbreaking.
Playing the middle Fail sister, Ashley Dourado dominates the stage. She commits completely to her character, and is not afraid to sprawl herself across the stage to get a laugh. Her facial expressions are reminiscent of a cartoon character, and contribute to the liveliness of the production. Even when she wasn't delivering lines, Dourado is fully engaged in the world of the play around her.
Lorenzo Belmontez plays Mortimer Mortimer, the man who loved every one of the Fail sisters, but married none of them. Belmontez creates a perfect character arc with his role. Through his body language and tone, his transformation from a carefree young man to a man who has lost it all is clear. At the end of the play, Belmontez portrays his character as an elderly man. His posture and voice changes distinctly, but he does not make these changes comedic. He simply ages with his character.
Led by Julia Mora and Rafael Barradas, the lighting of the show uses colors to convey moods, settings, and even the passing of time. Throughout the production, the lighting is mostly cool toned, but progressively gets bluer as the Fail sisters' deaths occur. Also, in the Fail household, different pools of light make the minimalistic set appear like a home with different rooms and alcoves.
Failure: A Love Story is a hilarious comedy that takes the audience on a journey of introspection about life and death. From beginning to end, the play is engaging and emotional to an extent that surpasses most high school productions.
Alexandra King
Corona del Mar HS
Submitted for publication to OC Varsity Arts
Failure: A Love Story at Anaheim High School packs a poignant punch
Alexandra King is a junior at Corona del Mar High School in Newport Beach.
Anaheim High School's production of Failure: A Love Story is the perfect mix of over the top comedy, and melancholic moments. Centered around the Fail sisters and their deaths, the show faces uncomfortable truths about life, death, and love.
As Gertrude Fail, Alexia Rosa is a perfect contrast to the whimsical characters around her. Her motherly posture, no-nonsense tone, and bright facial expressions entrap you in the world of the play. Amongst all of the melodramatic goings-on, Rosa portrays a real person, and it makes the scene of her death even more heartbreaking.
Playing the middle Fail sister, Ashley Dourado dominates the stage. She commits completely to her character, and is not afraid to sprawl herself across the stage to get a laugh. Her facial expressions are reminiscent of a cartoon character, and contribute to the liveliness of the production. Even when she wasn't delivering lines, Dourado is fully engaged in the world of the play around her.
Lorenzo Belmontez plays Mortimer Mortimer, the man who loved every one of the Fail sisters, but married none of them. Belmontez creates a perfect character arc with his role. Through his body language and tone, his transformation from a carefree young man to a man who has lost it all is clear. At the end of the play, Belmontez portrays his character as an elderly man. His posture and voice changes distinctly, but he does not make these changes comedic. He simply ages with his character.
Led by Julia Mora and Rafael Barradas, the lighting of the show uses colors to convey moods, settings, and even the passing of time. Throughout the production, the lighting is mostly cool toned, but progressively gets bluer as the Fail sisters' deaths occur. Also, in the Fail household, different pools of light make the minimalistic set appear like a home with different rooms and alcoves.
Failure: A Love Story is a hilarious comedy that takes the audience on a journey of introspection about life and death. From beginning to end, the play is engaging and emotional to an extent that surpasses most high school productions.
Jake Rhode
La Habra
Submitted for publication to OC Cappies Facebook Page
"Failure: A Love Story" at Anaheim High is not dead serious
Jake Rhode is a junior at La Habra High School in La Habra
Anaheim High School brings the contemporary "Failure: A Love Story" to an intimate black box stage, creatively incorporating a steampunk theme into the timely piece.
A comedy and commentary on time and death, the plot follows three sisters (Nelly, Jenny June, and Gertrude Fail) in their deaths and last moments as each one falls in love with Mortimer Mortimer. The value of time, and the proper use of it, is illustrated through each of their tragic journeys.
Lorenzo Belmontez masterfully embodies Mortimer Mortimer with witty comedic timing and likeable reactions to the events he witnesses. He easily creates his character's distinct emotions and ages by hunching his back and groaning comically, or standing confidently and turning to the audience with a sly smirk. This relationship with the audience is established by the cast as a whole, creating personal moments throughout the story that the other characters do not witness.
Stephanie A. Chavez gracefully plays Nelly Fail with power and purpose. Chavez establishes this strength through her intentionality of tone and of posture, keeping her shoulders back and projecting her voice with intensity.
Jenny June Fail, skillfully played by Ashley Dourado, adds endless energy and fiery personality to the show. Her excitement is palpable and contagious, contributing to the humor of the production. In the face of death and loss, Dourado brings happiness to the stage through her animated character that intensifies the array of colorful cast members.
The Chorus of the show defines the environment for the characters while increasing the intensity and power of many moments. They creatively become the waves of the ocean, moving their arms in unison, and the clocks of the clock store, moving their arms mechanically and spouting "cuckoo" whenever they reach the hour.
The makeup design of the production, created by Alejandra Tafoya, Bianca Trujillo, Juan Munoz, and Julia Mora, assists in the establishment of death as a theme while defining certain characters. The Fail sisters all have gray faces to represent their approaching deaths, and the ensemble is accented with airbrushed gears and roman numerals, creating the image of clocks to represent the passage of time.
In Anaheim High School's "Failure: A Love Story", the diverse and committed cast proclaims that the significance of an individual is drawn from their life instead of their death.
Jake Rhode
La Habra
Submitted for publication to OC Cappies Facebook Page
"Failure: A Love Story" at Anaheim High is not dead serious
Jake Rhode is a junior at La Habra High School in La Habra
Anaheim High School brings the contemporary "Failure: A Love Story" to an intimate black box stage, creatively incorporating a steampunk theme into the timely piece.
A comedy and commentary on time and death, the plot follows three sisters (Nelly, Jenny June, and Gertrude Fail) in their deaths and last moments as each one falls in love with Mortimer Mortimer. The value of time, and the proper use of it, is illustrated through each of their tragic journeys.
Lorenzo Belmontez masterfully embodies Mortimer Mortimer with witty comedic timing and likeable reactions to the events he witnesses. He easily creates his character's distinct emotions and ages by hunching his back and groaning comically, or standing confidently and turning to the audience with a sly smirk. This relationship with the audience is established by the cast as a whole, creating personal moments throughout the story that the other characters do not witness.
Stephanie A. Chavez gracefully plays Nelly Fail with power and purpose. Chavez establishes this strength through her intentionality of tone and of posture, keeping her shoulders back and projecting her voice with intensity.
Jenny June Fail, skillfully played by Ashley Dourado, adds endless energy and fiery personality to the show. Her excitement is palpable and contagious, contributing to the humor of the production. In the face of death and loss, Dourado brings happiness to the stage through her animated character that intensifies the array of colorful cast members.
The Chorus of the show defines the environment for the characters while increasing the intensity and power of many moments. They creatively become the waves of the ocean, moving their arms in unison, and the clocks of the clock store, moving their arms mechanically and spouting "cuckoo" whenever they reach the hour.
The makeup design of the production, created by Alejandra Tafoya, Bianca Trujillo, Juan Munoz, and Julia Mora, assists in the establishment of death as a theme while defining certain characters. The Fail sisters all have gray faces to represent their approaching deaths, and the ensemble is accented with airbrushed gears and roman numerals, creating the image of clocks to represent the passage of time.
In Anaheim High School's "Failure: A Love Story", the diverse and committed cast proclaims that the significance of an individual is drawn from their life instead of their death.