The Miracle Worker
at Calvary Christian Academy

Reviewed on October 10, 2018

Charlotte Bacharach
Cardinal Gibbons High School
Submitted for publication to Florida Theater On Stage

Is the life of the soul less important than that of the body? Calvary Christian Academy's "The Miracle Worker" delved into this introspective proposition of metaphysics, revealing the inspirational story of Helen Keller and her teacher Annie Sullivan.

Written by William Gibson in 1947 as a teleplay before debuting as a Broadway production in October of 1959, "The Miracle Worker" describes the true story of blind, deaf Helen Keller. In late nineteenth century Alabama, young Helen is shut out to the world due to her afflictions, unable to be tamed by her distraught family. Annie Sullivan defies all odds in becoming Helen's governess: she teaches the girl language through hand signals. The startling emotional evocation of Gibson's intricate play stirred audiences, earning it the 1960 Tony Award for Best Play. With numerous revivals and recreations since it's debut, CCA's "The Miracle Worker" impacted audiences as it did in 1959, putting on a show of such maturity and difficulty with zealous poise.

Jenna McCoy, portraying Helen Keller, embodied her ailments, upholding a breathtaking synthesis of internal emotive focus and lack of perceptive awareness. McCoy was actively present in her scenes as she personified Keller's sporadic physicality and fiery temperament. Remarkably adept in establishing an emotional range, she showed great depth and versatility as she divulged into both the infuriated, tantrum-throwing Helen as well as her inquisitive, cerebral disposition. Helen's development was prominent in scenes with Annie Sullivan, portrayed by Zoey Boyette. Boyette unerringly manifested the rigid instructor, bringing decisive tenacity to the stage, countering Helen's erratic nature. She maintained a consistent accent defined by organic inflection and acute diction, which inculcated endless effervescence into her scenes. Boyette and McCoy fostered an intriguing dynamic most memorably in their Act Two kitchen fight, their contrasting intentions yet analogous fervor creating a chillingly authentic performance.

A standout character was Helen's brother, James, played by Luke Di Liddo, who epitomized juvenile snark and timeless cynicism in his vocal quality, physical stature, and scene relations. Yielding humorous flippancy as well as imposing pragmatism, Di Liddo facilitated his unparalleled persona with flawless articulation and a debonair Southern timbre. Memorable featured roles include Young Annie (Madison Norman) and Young Jimmie (Maxim Rose), who catalyzed Annie's backstory through their impassioned presence among foreboding flashbacks.

The technicalities of "The Miracle Worker" complemented the laudable cast. Establishing the moods of each scene was the vivid lighting with timely cue calls by Stage Management under Nicole Wroth and Lauren Ferrer. The set by Samuel Hernandez was both prodigious and spatially efficient for the black box theatre. The white set representing the blankness of Helen's sight, in contrast to the vibrant props in the eyes of Annie, reflected a deep level of theatrical understanding.

Annie promised, "Two weeks for one miracle." At Calvary Christian Academy, one night created quite a miracle. Powerful actors and tireless technical teams created an atmosphere of love despite pain and hope despite hardship for a true phenomenon of a production. Taking on the heavy task of mature themes within a difficult script, CCA proved genuine and skilled in their exemplary production of "The Miracle Worker."

Nick Vela
JP Taravella High School
Submitted for publication to Florida Theater On Stage

"I don't think Helen's greatest handicap is deafness or blindness. I think it's your love and pity" (Annie Sullivan, The Miracle Worker.) With a riveting and heartfelt story, Calvary Christian Academy's production of "The Miracle Worker" amplified this message of perseverance and hope over all obstacles life creates.

Written by William Gibson, "The Miracle Worker" was adapted from his 1957 Playhouse 90 teleplay and based off of Helen Keller's autobiography, "The Story of My Life." It first premiered on Broadway at the Playhouse theatre on October 19,1959 and closed on July 1, 1961. The play's plot surrounds Helen Keller, a blind and deaf girl, and Annie Sullivan, her governess, on their journey to give Helen the gift of language and communication.

Jenna McCoy, portraying the role of Helen Keller, did a marvelous job with a very demanding role. McCoy handled Helen's particular physicality very realistically. She maintained her character throughout the whole piece and her emotions were clearly identified, though she could not speak. Annie Sullivan played by Zoey Boyette was incredible in all aspects of her role. Boyette's difficult Irish accent was executed exceptionally well and her characterization was extremely believable. McCoy and Boyette had amazing chemistry on stage, specifically during Helen's tantrums, and there was a definite arch in both characters in order to arrive at the climatic ending.

The Keller family did a wonderful job in helping the play move forward and gave insight to Helen's origins. Portraying the role of Helen's father, Captain Arthur Keller, Michael Tralongo displayed fantastic characterization, allowing the believability of his mature character. Kate Keller, Helen's mother, played by Carolina Torres-Tello did an amazing job displaying the traits her role needed, radiating warmth and love. Helen's half-brother, James Keller, portrayed by Luke Di Liddo had superb comedic timing. As well as bringing comedy to story with his snarky remarks, he also had clear objectives and his actions to obtain them were greatly motivated. Although the family as a whole did have some inconsistencies in their Southern dialect, they did a commendable job overall.

The ensemble of the show did a lovely job assisting the story. They helped give a further understanding of Annie's background, specifically during the flashback scenes, and while doing so demonstrated energy and awareness. Even though they needed improvement in their projection and diction, they still added to the piece tremendously.

The various technical aspects for this production were magnificent. The set was beautifully designed with many levels and with an intriguing absence of color. The costumes were very pleasing to the eye and the concept of certain characters being dressed in more vibrant clothing added to the quality of the production. The sound and lighting was cleanly executed and set the environment of the piece. Not to the mention the insane number of props used in the play, that were most often very realistic.

Calvary Christian Academy's complex production of "The Miracle Worker" brought life to this stunning story of overcoming hardships through determination, faith, and love. Although having some areas of improvement, it was a "miraculous" performance creating a sophisticated level of theatre.

Kimberly Sessions
JP Taravella High School
Submitted for publication to Florida Theater On Stage

Who would have imagined a blind, deaf child could learn to communicate? It would take a Miracle Worker, a person capable of miraculous feats. That is exactly who Anne Sullivan embodied for Helen Keller. Through Calvary Christian Academy's fascinating production of The Miracle Worker, uncover the strength and determination it takes to truly create miracles.

Based on Helen Keller's autobiography "The Story of my Life," this play, written by William Gibson, first appeared as a broadcast in 1957, before being transferred to Broadway in 1959. It was later turned into a movie in 1962. It follows the story of Helen Keller, a deaf and blind child and her teacher Annie Sullivan, who teachers her how to communicate, by making connections between words and physical objects.

Leading the show was Zoey Boyette as Annie Sullivan and Jenna McCoy as Helen Keller. Boyette displayed an impressive sense of maturity in addition to her headstrong, brazen nature. For McCoy, It is extremely difficult to correctly portray an impairment that you have never experienced and she seemed to do it with ease. Between her violent, spontaneous outbreaks and varied reactions she created a strong-willed, character. Together they developed an engaging and believable relationship.

Kate Keller played by Carolina Torres-Tello, fully captured a motherly demeanor through her warm and caring persona. Her husband, Captain Keller, played by Michael Tralango displayed a dominating presence and tough disposition, which accurately presented him as the man of the house. James Keller, their son, portrayed by Luke Di Liddo added the perfect amount of comedic timing, through his witty, cheeky comments. Their chemistry aided in creating an authentic troubled family dynamic.

Overall the show flowed quickly, even with the multiple blackouts. Since the cast moved around the set so comfortably, it seemed that they truly were living there, enhancing the realism of the show. While the accents were not always consistent and seemed to differentiate between cast members, Annie's Irish accent was flawless. The cast did an excellent job with displaying their maturity through physicality but at moments some of their unvaried and "teenage-like" inflection, took away from the believability of the scene.

The technical concept of having the set seen through Helen's eyes, in a sepia color, and the props seen through Annie's eyes, in bright colors, was brilliant. The student designed and built set was stunning, and truly created an accurate representation of a house in the late 1800's. The sounds effects set the atmosphere and the music during blackouts quickened the pace. The costumes were all time period and looked beautiful, although it was a little confusing that the women continued to change clothes to show passage of time, but the men did not.


As Helen Keller once said "Alone we can do so little, together we can do so much," and Calvary Christian Academy's surely demonstrated this concept through their production of The Miracle Worker .

Sierra Nixon
South Plantation High School
Submitted for publication to Florida Theater On Stage

Disagreements, painful pasts, and a little laughter, a wonderful combination for a moving story in Calvary Christian Academy's production of "The Miracle Worker."

"The Miracle Worker," written by William Gibson opened on Broadway in 1959 and ran for a total of 719 performances. Since then, "The Miracle Worker" has been nominated for 5 Tony Awards and has won 4 out of the 5. The play follows the real events of Helen Keller's life. Keller was born deaf and blind with no means of communication. She was spoiled and had many behavioral issues. That is until her parents hired Annie Sullivan, a woman who was once blind herself, to teach her how to communicate. The story follows the struggle of the two to form a relationship as well as Sullivan's struggles to teach the wild Helen language and manners.

Zoey Boyette led the show with confidence and commitment to the outspoken character of Annie Sullivan. Her accent was always consistent and she kept her character genuine. Playing the role of her unruly student was Jenna McCoy. McCoy portrayed the role of Helen Keller excellently. Although McCoy was unable to use words, this did not impede on her ability to show exactly how she was feeling. Boyette and McCoy's chemistry on stage was commendable. This relationship developed as the plot progressed and ended with a beautiful moment where Helen finally understands that things have names.

The ensemble of this production had a clear dynamic. Each character had a different way of dealing with Helen and the variation of responses kept the story honest. Luke Di Liddo served as comedic relief within this production as the role of James Keller. Di Liddo's comedic timing was spot on. In the end when James finally stands up to his father, it was nice to see Di Liddo's shift in character.

The set of this production was entirely white with the exception of a few set pieces and props. This choice reflected the coldness that was often present in the Keller household. The costumes were all period appropriate and reflected the characters wearing them nicely. A stand out among the costumes was a gorgeous pink dress worn by the character of Kate Keller. This costume was constructed from the ground up and was executed wonderfully. While the costumes were nice and period appropriate, there were some inconsistencies in terms of costume changes. Some characters remained in the same outfit for the run of the show while others had multiple outfits. This inconsistency made it difficult to follow the progression of time within the play.

Overall, the cast and crew of Calvary Christian Academy produced a good show and did justice to Helen Keller's heart warming story.

Caroline Eaton
Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School
Submitted for publication to Florida Theater On Stage

Miracles happen every single day, at any time, and at any place. The story of Helen Keller is certainly no exception. Calvary Christian Academy's "The Miracle Worker" tells the heart-warming story of a deaf and blind girl learning how to speak with her hands.

Written by William Gibson, "The Miracle Worker" conveys the story of how one young woman changes the entirety of another's life using only but a miracle. Annie Sullivan is the so-called "Miracle Worker" who is able to teach Helen Keller to see and to talk, without Helen using her eyes or her mouth. Annie's ability to undo the teachings of only rewards and no punishments proves to be difficult but effective. As Helen begins to appear hopeless, a miracle happens, proving all the odds against her to be wrong.

The hard-headed Annie Sullivan was played by Zoey Boyette, who was the backbone of this "miraculous" production. Boyette continued to develop Annie's character through every emotional flashback, transformational courageous act, and each moment in between. Her harsh, Irish accent never wavered throughout even the toughest of scenes. Alongside Boyette, Jenna McCoy formulated her own version of Helen Keller with grace and intelligence. McCoy skillfully used the set to her advantage in which she used her hands to navigate around the house and to attempt to connect with her family. Boyette and McCoy had an organic chemistry that was necessary to carry out this intricate show.

Helen Keller's contrasting parents, Captain Arthur Keller and Kate Keller (Michael Tralongo and Carolina Torres-Tello, respectively), accented each other graciously. With Tralongo's powerful, fatherly moments, and Torres-Tello's loving and compassionate air, they skillfully combine their differentiating personalities. Adding to the Keller family, Luke Di Liddo played the comical yet down-to-earth half-brother to Helen Keller, James Keller, providing the show with seconds of laughter to break from the somber tone, though still contributing his worthy opinions to his father, specifically when standing up for the education of Helen.

Playing the younger version of Annie, Madison Norman believably conveyed Sullivan's horrific childhood memories. Every scream, shout, and call for help was brilliantly counteracted by the monotonous Crones (Nina Poulos, Hannah Sherrod, Annie Sudler, Kelsey Wells). During the intense moments when Annie was experiencing flashbacks of her youth, the talented ensemble assisted in creating these powerful instances.

The technical elements of the show were extremely complementary to the actors and their directorial directions. Samuel Hernandez constructed an undistracting yet intricate set that was designed flawlessly, but didn't take away from the pandemonium that Helen and Annie created. Each costume, produced by Kaitlyn Tully and Ana Polania, emphasized the exact time period and place with beautiful designs, especially the blue dress Annie wore in the first scene in which she appears.

Calvary Christian Academy's "The Miracle Worker" thoughtfully executed the story of Helen Keller and the teacher that single-handedly created a miracle.