It’s a fairy tale come to life!
You’ve probably never heard of this year’s play, Never After Happily, but you’re in for a treat. This clever comedy takes the audience on a wild ride through fairy tales we all know and love — Cinderella, Jack and the Beanstalk, Sleeping Beauty — but with a twist. We’re not telling the stories before the ending; we’re only interested in what happens after a so-called “happily ever after.”
Written by playwright Cindy Marcus, Never After Happily takes magic and mayhem to a whole new level, exploring themes of love and identity, while descending into the utter hilarity of onstage chaos.
I interviewed some of those involved to provide a glimpse behind the scenes.
Mrs. Erin Calder, our costume designer, explained the process of creating each look:
“So the first thing we do is read the script. And then we look at how the script describes them. Then, we go through our brainstorming process. Mrs. Szczepanik says, ‘I see this person wearing that…’ I then go to our collection and see what we have that looks like that. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t. Then we order a couple of things; we don’t usually order a ton because we’re very lucky to have a very extensive collection of costumes. We do a lot of thrifting and…a lot of it’s just lucky finds.”
When asked why people should come watch the play, she said:
“It is so funny. It’s not cheesy. It’s quick. It’s got wit. The actors are absolutely on point. I can’t wait for it to come together with the costumes, and the sets, and the props. And I can only see it just getting better as we keep rehearsing.”
Mrs. Calder explained that as a history teacher, she likes thinking about alternative endings, so she thinks the play “really shows people that there’s still much more creativity, even after a fable or a fairy tale that could be told the same way a whole bunch of times–this gives you that perspective that is really fun to watch and think about.”
She is most excited for opening night, because “there is the excitement in the air, and everybody is a little bit nervous, but also excited. The energy is different at every show, so [she hopes] we have good audience members and they think it’s just as funny as we do.”
While getting ready for opening night is exciting, it also carries some anxiety with it. When asked what she is most nervous about for the play, Mrs. Calder recalled, “There are always things that rip, or things that need to be changed at the last minute, so doing this for a couple of years now, I kind of know what to encounter and what I can troubleshoot a little bit–it always adds to our toolkit for the next show.”
Calder said her favorite characters to costume have been Young Cindy because “we have all these wedding dresses that people donate and we never get to use them.” She added, Hank, “Declan’s character is so funny, and that one was really fun [to costume],” and “the witch character…came together perfectly.”
I asked cast members Audrena Diegelman, Enora Ninin, and Ashlyn Shurtliffe about their favorite lines.
Audrena, playing Stepsister Prunella and Goldilocks, said, “Oh. It’s probably… ‘Bite me’.”
Audrena is most excited for “putting it all on stage and getting to perform with everybody and seeing everyone in the audience.
‘According to her, the audience will have a great time at the play because “it’s really funny. Like really really really funny. If you’re bored, it’s a Friday night, come see a couple of high schoolers ’cause you’ll enjoy it, I promise.”
Enora Ninin plays the Judge and the Orderly, and her favorite line is: “You’re out of order! You’re out of order! YOU’RE ALL OUT OF ORDER! AND NONE OF YOU CAN HANDLE THE TRUTH!”
She is most excited to get out of her fabulous (and purposefully ridiculous) 1600’s-style judge’s wig, and she is most nervous about…you guessed it! People seeing her in her foot-tall curly blond wig.
Enora recommends people attend the play because it’s really funny, and “people are gonna laugh. They’re gonna love it.” She does acknowledge that a few scenes had to be cut down because they drone on a bit.
Ashlyn Shurtliffe plays Brittany and Little Red. Her favorite line is: “So your name is Bob Roberts, and you sell stuff?” When asked what she is most excited for, she replied, “probably getting to crash out on stage, and…doing so in a Brooklyn accent!”
She is most nervous about lines — “I just got off book yesterday!” she admitted.
Ashlyn loves Never After Happily because “it’s funny, it’s a new type of retelling of a bunch of old stories…and they’re so funny.” *laughter* “The Jack the Giant Killer one–my favorite, by far!”
With its sharp humor, eccentric costumes, and talented cast, Never After Happily promises to leave audiences giggling and reflecting long after the curtain falls. Don’t miss the performances on November 13-15: Thursday-Friday at 7:00 and Sunday at 2:00!
