Tamara McConnell

Writer

The Marlow High School Advanced Drama team launched their first public showcasing of “I’ll Get My Man” on Friday, Oct. 11 for the student body and had them laughing hysterically as they sat glued to their seats.

Arthur Humphery, played by senior James Shirley, acts as an unmarried reverend who lives with his no-nonsense sister Harriette Humphery, played by senior Abby Johnson; however, one day, Arthur decides to post an advertisement in the Times Newspaper hoping to obtain a wife but mistakenly only mentions female companionship instead of marriage.

The chaos only broadens when their famous television star nephew Peter Graft, played by senior Joshua McMains, arrives completely disguised, looking for a place to hide from his popstar fangirl, Pixie “I’ll Get My Man” Potter, who claims to be engaged to Peter.

Peter also indulges in the affections of the Humphery’s maid, Mrs. Carter, who is played by junior Elena Holguin, despite her husband’s extreme threats against him.

Peter ends up meeting some of the townspeople while disguised as his Uncle Humphery, such as the widowed Winifred Barrington-Locke, played by junior Savanah Triplett, who is constantly looking for a new husband.

As a result, Harriette is at her wit’s end, further driven by the arrival of the consequences of Arthur’s advertisement.

Dozens of love-filled mail, who Harriette thought belonged to Peter, thousands of phone calls and the actual arrival of some willing girls, like Josephine de Brissac, played by junior Melissa Cooper, flock the household.

The Bishop, played by senior Caleb Warren, then arrives, demanding answers from Arthur about the advertisement, but seems to have an unexpected past with Winifred.

Problems escalate when a sneaky photographer, played by Kash Kern, snaps a picture of Peter and Mrs. Carter hugging, and the characters are left to deal with the mass arrival of Peter’s fans and his “fiancé” Pixie.

Freshman Kenzie Retherford elaborated on what she thought about the play overall.

“I feel like the storyline of the play was very good, and it was very interesting and comical,” Retherford said. “The play had lots of comical moments which made everyone giggle in their seats. Also, the play was interesting and kept you guessing what was coming next.”

Junior Aubrey Topping, a member of the Stage Craft team, also shared what she thought about the actors on stage and their performance.

“The actors this year- I literally couldn’t have picked a better cast,” Topping said. “The actors got along so nicely and really made the show amazing. I am beyond proud of my fellow classmates.”

Furthermore, sophomore Landry O’Neal took note of the drama team’s hard work.

“The actors did an amazing job. They are all extremely talented and hard workers,” O’Neal said. “They all brought their characters to life and did an excellent job.”

O’Neal also mentioned the actors’ and actresses’ patience and work ethic.

“The drama team had many after school rehearsals. The rehearsals lasted for multiple hours,” O’Neal said. “In order to practice for so long, they had to be patient and see that the little details matter.”

O’Neal wasn’t the only one to take notice of the performers and their show.

The play was put together by the drama team’s director Paula McConnell, and junior Rachel Retherford tells how eager McConnell is as a teacher.

“I think Ms. McConnell is an extraordinary teacher with an overwhelming amount of joy and passion for teaching and drama,” Retherford said. “The Marlow Outlaw Speech Team is such an amazing program. It has really gained a lot of respect at our school. It definitely should have all the respect it can get.”

Finally, senior Joshua McMains tells of his relationship with his drama members and how much he appreciates their work.

“I couldn’t have asked for a better group of people to work with. From the actors on stage to the property managers and student director, we all worked together like a well oiled machine,” McMains said.

McMains also expressed his gratitude for all the help he received and praised the people who worked behind the curtains.

“On stage, one gets to see all the work put in by the actors, but the real heroes are the ones working behind the scenes. We have an amazing student director who’s always keeping us on point in practice, we have amazing light and sound operators that never missed a cue, and we have our outstanding prop managers working backstage to make sure all costume and prop changes go smoothly,” McMains said. “This was an amazing production, and it couldn’t have been without the equally amazing people and their countless hours into it.”

The play was riddled with intricate details and strikingly put together by all of those involved.

The Advanced Drama team, along with the Stage Craft team and the directors, ended their play with a great round of applause for their work and dedication.