The Love of Three Oranges
at San Juan Hills

Reviewed on November 2, 2017

Caroline Ullem
St. Margaret's Episcopal
Submitted for publication to Orange County Register

"Love of Three Oranges" is a juicy treat for San Juan Hills!
written by Caroline Ullem, a sophomore at St. Margaret's Episcopal School

Where royal oranges, evil witches, and ditsy duchesses take the stage, San Juan Hills brings newfound energy to the slapstick comedy, "Love of Three Oranges".

When the King of Hearts is worried about his son, sick with a bout of hypochondria, he plans a ball to get the Prince to laugh. At the ball, the evil witch Fata Morgana sets a curse on Prince Tartaglia, forcing him to pursue his passion for three oranges. He sets out on an adventurous quest with the court jester, Truffaldino.

Telling the story of the play is the narrator, played by Anna Moneymaker, uses an expressive tone of voice to keep the story moving along as she watches the plot unfold with the audience. Edward Kemp plays Prince Tartaglia and expresses his troubles through over the top body language, even revealing his heart-covered underwear to show the dramatic nature of his character. Noah Salviati, as King Silvio, created an energetic character by dramatically sprawling himself out across the stage at every setback.

Pantalone (Grant Halliburton) delivered endless puns with a deadpan facial expression, contrasting King Silvio's energy. Princess Clarisse (Calista Henson) embodies a dim-witted sidekick by mincing across the stage with tiny steps and often playing with her hair with a vacant facial expression. Lila Holley (Fata Morgana), walks smoothly across the stage to express her evil intent. The witch Creatona, played by Briana Diiorio, was committed to her character as she despaired over the loss of her precious oranges, raising her voice in frustration and agony.

The ensemble of clowns were expressive and created diverse characters through individual facial expressions and movements.

The costumes, created by Caitlen Armstrong and Noah Salviati, were personalized to each character. The lighting (Jaime Auer) consistently represents the mood of the play, and props made by Jessica Lee made the production more modern, such as a fidget spinner or Justin Bieber backpack. The sets (Jacqueline Brooks) are versatile and able to switch quickly from any given scene to the next, and had many beautiful details such as stained glass windows in the royal palace.

San Juan Hills' production of "Love of Three Oranges" is is full of juicy puns and zesty characters, unified under a timeless comedic production.

Rachel Golkin
Mission Viejo
Submitted for publication to OC Cappies Facebook

San Juan Hills ripens an old tale
written by Rachel Golkin, a junior at Mission Viejo High School

San Juan Hill High School's knee-slapper of a show, "The Love of Three Oranges" is a tribute to the perennial concept of entertainment for entertainment's sake.

The narrator, portrayed by Anna Moneymaker, is endearingly genuine as she encourages the crowd to give in to the jocose gags and gimmicks of this side-splitting farce as it follows the hyperbolic Prince Tartaglia (Eddie Kemp) and his not-so-trusty sidekick, the jester Truffaldino (Kaily Johnson), on a fruitful adventure.

Like father, like son- Kemp as Tartaglia and Noah Salviati as his father, Silvio, capture the essence of boisterous commedia dell'arte royalty. The entertaining absurdity of Tartaglia's dialogue is amplified by Kemp's exaggerated and melodramatic inflection, the lines bouncing effortlessly off his tongue. Silvio is a mirthful caricature, rapidly switching from moments of poised dignity and complete buffoonery. The role suits Salviati's versatile physicality well, he stands upright, still as a house of cards, then folds and tumbles to the ground, flailing around in one of his extravagant fits and playing to the show's slapstick style of physical humor.

Lila Holley kills as the diabolical Fata Morgana; her subtly commanding stage presence creates a refreshing contrast between the antagonists and protagonists, furthering the juxtaposition of exaggerated tropes and suave undertones of contemporary comedy. Holley possesses all the energy of a classic villain, and as other characters cower before her, she gives the audience a knowing smirk, sitting into her hips and flourishing her hands in acknowledgement of the fear she instills.

Perfectly tackling the concept of commedia dell'arte meets pop culture, Claire Sandefur's makeup designs mimic the trademark character masks of commedia. A black circle of paint outlines the faces, which are painted white with comically harsh eyebrows and cheekbones. To distinguish between the classic tropes of good and evil, the lips of the royal court are painted on as red hearts and the villain's as black spades. The faces of Clarice and Leondro are split down the middle, using red and black to showcase their two-faced antics.

Costume designer Noah Salviati modernizes the motley ensemble, accessorizing Silvio's sophisticated attire with a burger king crown and dressing the scheming Leondro in fashionable red joggers.

San Juan Hills conjures up a well-rounded concoction of comedy, equal parts commedia dell'arte, campy slapstick, and popular culture references to remind their audience that through the ages, come what may, laughter will persevere.

Hilary Lee
Northwood
Submitted for publication to OC Cappies Facebook

Comedy reigns in San Juan Hills's "The Love for Three Oranges"
written by Hilary Lee, a senior at Northwood High School

When it becomes a prince's undying quest to rescue fruit, things take a strange turn for everyone involved, royalty and witches alike.

With lots of laughter and a little nonesense, San Juan Hill's production of "The Love for Three Oranges" follows the ridiculous journey of Prince Tartaglia as he is cursed to pursue an obsession for three oranges.

Stomping around the castle is Edward Kemp as Prince Tartaglia. Lamenting his illness, Kemp executes the prince's melodramatic persona with comedic timing as he sulks in his room, cradling himself and lashing out at the smallest provocation. Kemp builds on the prince's immaturity as falls in love with Princess Linetta at first sight, swooning and kissing her hand repeatedly.

In a high and nasally voice, Noah Salviati as Silvio fusses over his son's future with extreme anxiety. Salviati's constant breakdowns are hilarious as he crumples to the floor, pulling himself up with the help of a chagrined guard.

Lila Holley as Fata Morgana plays the typical fairytale villain. She flaunts Morgana's haughty personality with a smirk as people freeze in terror upon hearing her name. Commanding attention, she struts about the room with confidence, revealing herself at the ball with a rap.

As mayhem descends on the ball, the clown troupe's dynamic brim with vitality as they explode in excitement over a game of Twister, chatting with one another and hurling encouraging remarks.

Costumes designed by Caitlin Armstrong and Noah Salviati embody the medieval atmosphere with gowns for the ladies and tunics with high knee socks for the men. The use of saturated reds and blacks for the royalty as opposed to the refreshing pastels of the three oranges emphasize their contrasting temperaments.

Hair and make-up by Claire Sandefer embodies their respective characters with incredible detail and insight. For the two-faced Leandro and Princess Clarice, the use of stark white face paint accented by half-crimson and half-black lips reflected to their duplicitous personalities.

Running Crew, led by Zachary Rothman, matches the ridiculous atmosphere with entertaining transitions, as crew members moved large set pieces with efficiency and fun, dancing and scurrying back and forth to the groove of upbeat music.

With a dedicated cast and a meticulous crew, San Juan Hill's "The Love for Three Oranges" is a testament that there will always be a place to laugh, no matter the circumstances.