Herricks High School will put a distinctly British accent on its spring drama this weekend, presenting the classic mystery “And Then There Were None” by Agatha Christie.
For the student actors, a British drama requires an entirely different approach than the broader style of acting in musicals to which they’re accustomed.
“It’s a very different feel. In musicals, everything is big,” said Herricks junior Andrew Greiche. “Everything is down to earth.
Greiche played opposite senior Sarah Fernandez as the battling lovers in last fall’s “Kiss Me Kate.”
“Your reactions have to be natural. In a musical it’s different,” Fernandez said. “I mean people don’t just naturally burst into song.”
Greiche said playing a Christie drama requires the actors to really focus on listening and reacting to the other players on stage.
“And Then There Were None” is based on what was originally a novel Christie wrote in 1939 and later adapted to the stage. The 1945 film version, “Ten Little Indians,” follows the same plot of 10 characters invited as guests for various reasons to an estate on a remote island, where they are killed one by one.
The play gradually reveals that they’ve each brought skeletons from their closets to the island that are the motivation for their murders. The “Ten Little Indians” title referred to a nursery rhyme that figures into the plot.
Herricks High School teacher Leslie Latham said she chose the show because it contained a “nice big cast” and offered the opportunity for a departure “to do something period” set in the late 1940s.
She enlisted the help of Herricks multimedia teacher Luke DeLalio to coach the cast on the British accents they learned to play their parts.
Greiche said it’s a challenge in playing the mystery for the actors “to really be surprised” and not anticipate the imminent on-stage demise of the cast members who get knocked off.
“It’s a lot of things to balance,” said senior Sabrina Kalman, who said the acting requires a “much subtler” approach.
Latham cast Kalman and senior Sarah Robinson in parts traditionally played by male actors in the play and said she’s pleased with the results.
The actors said they’re also enjoying the experience, particularly because of Christie’s facility with language.
“I like being able to take a break from my school work to take part in this show that’s so well-written,” Robinson said.
Latham decided to use a student director to assist her on this production and said senior Mollie Teitelbaum has done an excellent job.
“It’s been a really wonderful experience watching people and helping people,” said Teitelbaum, who had never directed before.
Junior Sophia Boniello plays two roles in the production – her first role on stage as she holds things together backstage as the stage manager.
“It’s definitely hectic juggling two jobs at once,” Boniello said.
All the cast and crew members said they’ve enjoyed the camaraderie of this production.
“The best part about it is being in the show,” Fernandez said. “And everybody in the show is someone I’ve grown to love over the past four years.”
The curtain goes up on “And Then There Were None” on Friday, March 14 and Saturday, March 15 in the Herricks High School auditorium at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $10 for adults and $5 for students and seniors.
