The Unloved
at Mission Viejo

Reviewed on November 9, 2019

Mia Selvan
Dana Hills
Submitted for publication to OC Cappies

Love and Loss at Mission Viejo's "The Unloved"
written by Mia Selvan, a junior at Dana Hills High School

Stressing the complicated nature of passion and devotion, Mission Viejo's production of "The Unloved" conveys the trials and tribulations of loving and being loved.

Whitehands (Kayla Holliday), who acts as the narrator, is the picture of elegance and sophistication. Perfectly poised from head to toe, Holliday's movements are slow and calculating. Every flick of her wrist has intention, and she scans the room with her eyes with great intensity and laser focus. With pursed lips and her gaze tipped slightly forward, Holliday electrifies the stage whenever she speaks.

The ensemble, referred to as the Unloved, traipse around the stage and throughout the audience wandering aimlessly and passing out notes expressing their loneliness, staying completely in character. The Unloved are equally perplexing and captivating.

Jacob Beaver and Kaylia Pham demonstrate their incredible musicality through their choreography. Not only does the choreography in every dance piece convey emotion, but it also continues to tell a story through movement. Beaver and Pham incorporate a fusion of multiple dance styles and embraced the time period of the 1960s as inspiration. Their execution of these dance pieces is equally impressive, as Iseult (Kaylia Pham) and Tristan (Jacob Beaver) are able to express their emotions through actions rather than words. Pham's beautiful body placement and extensions are complemented by Beaver's agility and commanding stage presence.

The Heartbreakers Band is crucial in truly transforming the set to feel like a 1960s nightclub. The bass, drums, guitar, and voices of the singers all blend together to become the perfect soundtrack for Tristan and Iseult's romance. The band performs songs all correlated to love, loss, or heartbreak, staying true to the themes of the play.

The costumes are beautifully executed by Emily Collins and McKenna Dement. Each piece fits the style of the 1960s and there is beautiful incorporation of color symbolism. Iseult wears the same vintage dress three different times in three different colors and patterns. The dresses represent her priorities and emotions at that point in time. Whitehands is dressed in white head to toe with white gloves to match. Her sunglasses and off the shoulder dress are sleek and elegant much like the character herself.

Mission Viejo High School's "The Unloved" is a cohesive artistic experience. Expressive choreography and music combine with powerful acting to capture the extreme things people are willing to do in order to escape the status of being unloved.

Natalie Pearl
Dana Hills
Submitted for publication to OC Cappies Facebook

Love for "The Unloved" at MVHS
written by Natalie Pearl, a senior at Dana Hills High School

Set in the 1960s, "The Unloved" is a student adaptation of the classic tale of Tristan and Iseult. He, a knight, is sent to retrieve her, a princess, to be wed to the King of Cornwall. However, on their return to the island there is a mix up with a love potion, leaving the two irresistibly drawn to each other.

As narrator and leader of The Unloved ensemble, Kayla Holliday's Whitehands is ice cold and hardened by her heartbreak as she's married to a man in love with another. Her every step and movement is calculated as she maintains her composure, making her breakdown in the finale even more impactful.

Jacob Beaver (Tristan) and Kaylia Pham (Iseult) are the perfect star-crossed lovers. As the show's choreographers, they create beautiful moments of true love. In one particularly intriguing instance they are swinging from bungees attached to a makeshift mast and gently descend into Beaver sensually lowering Pham to the ground. McKenzie Norris's Branigan consistently maintains an impressive straight face as she attempts to keep the lovers away from each other as they sail to Iseult's wedding.

Logan Booth is a standout as the blood-hungry Morholt, entrapping the island of Cornwall with his soldiers. He intimidates Liam Shannon's King Mark, the two standing mere inches away from each other with an overwhelming tension as they spit each word with disdain. Sofia Migliaccio and Preston Veravanich are the Queen and King of Ireland, complete with a perfectly conducted Irish jig. Both shine in a dance at their daughter's wedding, pure joy on both faces.

The show features a live band that the students named "The Heartbreakers." Composed mainly of students, the band performed hit songs of the 1960s both before and during the play to set the tone of being in a nightclub. They stayed involved even when they were not playing music, eagerly watching the events take place.

Arielle Perez and Gabby Onasa added humor to the show by way of ingenious props integrated with headgear. To bring to life the celebration of the wedding, the ensemble sports balloon-laden headbands. In an effort to create a forest while incorporating the ensemble, each performer wears a hat decorated with plants.

Mission Viejo High School creates a show that demonstrates how worthwhile it is to love someone, even if you are not meant to be.

Diego Gonzalez
Godinez Fundamental
Submitted for publication to OC Cappies Facebook

The Unloved: Reimagining A Tragic Legend at MVHS
written by Diego Gonzalez, a senior at Godinez Fundamental High School

Mission Viejo High School's "The Unloved" gave an innovative view to a romantic story, The Legend of Tristan and Iseult.

The play, which was modified to take place in the late 1960s, follows the life of Tristan (Jacob Beaver) after he falls in love with Iseult (Kaylia Pham). Although Iseult is expected to marry King Mark (Liam Shannon), her love for Tristan cannot be overshadowed and she often meets with her true lover in secret. As expected, this does not end well.

Kaylia Pham offered a phenomenal performance as Iseult, demonstrating her personal growth as a shy, innocent girl to a confident woman over the course of the show. Meanwhile, Liam Shannon as King Mark showcased the king's hurting heart yet merciful soul. Kayla Holliday as Whitehands gave a powerful monologue near the end of the show as well, revealing her character's distress which contrasted her previously calm personality.

What made the show memorable was definitely the ensemble. Called "The Unloved", they looked ominously at the audience with their binoculars trying to find someone they could possibly befriend. They provided laughs when they disguised themselves as plants in a forest and when they handed out balloons to the audience during the show's wedding scene. Their contributions were engaging and made it seem like the audience members were in the club as well.

The choreography, led by Jacob Beaver and Kaylia Pham, was captivating and unique. The dance with the bungee cords showed the fast and growing love between Tristan and Iseult. The most exceptional dance was the wedding night dance, where the choreography symbolized the love affairs happening between King Mark and Brangian as well as Tristan and Iseult. It was nothing but clever and original.

The costuming, led by Emily Collins and McKenna Dement, offered great purpose as well. Members of the ensemble would give characters a black sweater once they felt unloved. The importance of the colors white and red was also marvelous. Having Iseult go from wearing a white dress to a red one symbolized her loss of innocence. Whitehands wearing white also showed her longing to be as desirable as Iseult, which gave the character even more depth.

"The Unloved" delivered in making a 12th century legend feel charming and fresh.