Photo Credit: Sandy Napel

Keith Burgess (Will Hanley, left) and Terry Randall (Claire Jungleib, right) discuss theater, love, and "artistic differences."

For this year’s fall play, M-A Drama followed last fall’s precedent of serious theater, tinged with a bit of wit, and a great deal of character (both scripted and portrayed). Stage Door, directed by junior Maddie Napel, is indeed a triumph.

From the name and synopsis, one expects a lighthearted, charming tale of actresses trying to make it big in New York City. However, Stage Door goes much deeper than that. While its story line adheres closely to the Broadway-Hollywood competition of the 1930s, in which the dreams of one character are pitted against another, Stage Door exhibits raw desperation and futile hope, making it one of the braver productions M-A’s thespians have undertaken.

The cast includes a healthy mix of theater veterans and newcomers. Chances are that every audience member will know at least one person on stage. If not, then they probably know one of the thirty-odd techies that made this show possible.

The female lead of Stage Door is played by senior Claire Jungleib, who is no stranger to theater. Her cast bio states that she “wants to play every kind of part she’s not suited for.” Quite frankly, one would never guess that Jungleib was not “suited” for the part of hopeful actress Terry Randall. Jungleib pulls of the character flawlessly with an impeccable sense of maturity and, when the scene calls for it, what appears to be genuine hysteria. Her interactions with the other players keep each one of her scenes believable and personal, as though she truly is a tenant of the Footlights Club with only one dream: to make a living on the stage. Her onstage relationship with Terry’s playwright love interest Keith Burgess—played by sophomore Will Hanely—deserves mention due to its masterful subtlety. It is not overplayed nor is it understated; it’s simply realistic and wins the support and at times repugnance (due to Keith’s occasional treatment of Terry as a codependent doormat) from the audience.

But the stage was not dominated by main characters. Even those in minor roles had their chance to shine. Each and every line stayed true to the ambiance of 1930s New York and the plot of the play moved forward as a cohesive unit with each player lending his or her role in support. The unity of M-A’s production of Stage Door can be attributed to the script itself, but it could not have been presented with its inherent personableness had it not been for the cast. All were charming, from the consistently amusing pairing of the Big and Little Mary’s (played by freshman Natalie Montoya and junior Sura Tewolde, respectively) to senior Zach Abt’s almost completely silent yet wholly and inexplicably hilarious portrayal of the handyman, Frank.

As with most of M-A’s productions, Stage Door had its share of absolute standouts, namely junior Hanna Berggren (Jean Maitland) and senior Alex Ballinger (Judith Canfield). Both actresses (the real ones, not the characters) pulled off their roles’ sassiness to perfection with just enough exaggeration before they became aggravating. The spitfire personalities of both Jean and Judith lit up the stage in every one of their scenes. However, both Berggren and Ballinger lent an undertone of compassion to their roles. Between bouts of vehement and volatile self-interest (Jean’s screaming match with Terry after her decision to go to Hollywood) and melodramatic, mocking rejections of male superiority (Judith’s immensely satisfying shutdown of Keith Burgess’s ego), Berggren and Ballinger keep reminding the audience that the human character is not wholly agreeable or wholly grating, but a combination of both, driven by the desire and need to hold onto friendships that make living worthwhile.

If you have not yet seen this production, there is still time to right your wrong. Stage Door opened last week on Nov. 3, and has two performances left: Thursday, Nov. 10 at 3:30 pm and Saturday, Nov. 12, at 7:30 pm in the PAC. You, too, will become “stage struck.”