Seniors Maggie Hutton and Shanika Audige play spinster sisters in the winter production of Arsenic and Old Lace, along with Charlie Fraker as their nephew “Teddy Roosevelt.” Peter Frew ’75
Jury-rigged Jig
The Jigger Shop set up temporary quarters in February in a corner of the dining hall while the student union and snack bar in the Arts and Humanities Wing underwent much-needed renovations. Sandy and Marty, above, expect the Jig to be back in operation in its regular quarters by the start of summer school. Peter Frew ’75 10 Taft Bulletin Spring 2008
The Weird Sisters Taking full advantage of a wonderful cast of veteran actors, drama teacher Helena Fifer directed and produced a three-night run of the classic comedy Arsenic and Old Lace over February Parents’ Weekend. The play, written in 1939 by Joseph Kesselring, takes place in a boarding house run by Martha and Abby Brewster (Shanika Audige ’08 and Maggie Hutton ’08). In addition to looking after their nephew Teddy (Charlie Fraker ’08), who believes himself to be Theodore Roosevelt, they provide a final resting place for their lonely boarders. When the true nature of their hospitality is uncovered by their nephew Mortimer (Max Jacobs ’08), he becomes embroiled in an effort to protect his aunties and his fiancée, Elaine Harper (Madeline Bloch ’08). When his brother Jonathan (Brendan Maaghul ’08), a serial killer disguised as Boris Karloff, returns to the house to hide from the law, the conflict driving this dark comedy is fully exposed. From an elaborately designed set
that evokes a boarding house frozen in late-Victorian Brooklyn to a wildly popular ensemble cast, including the scraggly Mr. Gibbs (Matthew Ale ’08) and the aspiring playwright Officer Brophy (Samuel Fifer ’11), the production received numerous accolades from parents, students and faculty. Ms. Fifer enjoyed the challenges of putting on the production, noting the comedy’s darkness as a significant departure from the farcical comedies put on in years past. The actors also enjoyed the change. Maggie described her role as “really fun” and noted that “the entire cast really seemed to fit into their parts.” Charlie Fraker added, “I couldn’t have asked for a better group of kids to work with for my final Taft production.” Brendan explained that the production gave him his first experience in playing a major role onstage, noting that “you could see the results of the hard work you put in when people come to the show and enjoy themselves.”