The last thing anyone truly expects from window washing Finch is for him to swiftly rise the ranks of the World Wide Wicket Company, but with some charm, a little luck, and a lot of comedy, this is exactly what Finch does. In this charming comedy depicting the ’60s workplace, Finch meets and manipulates plenty of people and even falls in love along the way. The musical opened in 1961 and won seven Tony Awards, and Parkway Central’s rendition was also a great success.

While the entire cast delivered a strong performance, the leads in particular made the show shine. Aidan McCarter as J. Pierrepont Finch displayed his character’s charisma and ambition in a memorable performance. Onstage love interest, Greta Rosenstock as Rosemary Pilkington, also delivered a noteworthy performance as the hardworking yet dreaming secretary with a beautiful voice. Matthew Greenbaum, as head of the company, JB Biggley established his jocular character in a performance further establishing the comedic ’60s workplace. His onstage nephew Jake Blonstein as Bud Frump maintained a distinct and comical characterization with noteworthy enthusiasm.

The entire cast in fact, maintained a high energy level that kept the show running at a quick pace. Alexa McKenna as Smitty, sustained her believable character and strong voice throughout the performance. Lizzy Langa as Hedy LaRue established a particularly entertaining character with her steady New Jersey accent, believable tipsiness, and interaction with the other actors onstage. Kyle Pollack’s performance was both multi-faceted and impressive as he played Mr. Womper, Mr. Twimble, and a Feature Dancer, where for each of his characters he developed an entirely new stage presence with an excellent voice and unique flair.

The technical aspects of the show were diverse and well-maintained. Lighting was notable with its many cues, spotlights, and changing colors throughout the performance. Costumes were colorful, true to the time period, and covered a large and varied cast. Sound went smoothly for the production with only a few minor issues throughout.

There were few problems with the show. Scene changes seemed to be long at times, although the impressive orchestra playing between scenes usually kept it from becoming too noticeable. There seemed to be a few issues with the curtain and some set pieces, but the set itself was striking for its diversity and utility.

In all, How to Succeed in Business without Really Trying was a spectacular performance that truly succeeded in showing “The Company Way,” the business world of the 1960s, and most of all, the remarkable actors and tech crew of Parkway Central.

by Allie Hult of Holt High School

A play set in the 1930’s by Jim Leonard Jr., The Diviners is well-written piece of art and is, thankfully, performed by the talented Parkway Central High School.

Tim Whyman (Buddy Layman) brilliantly brings a genuine, natural flow to the show, and tastefully portrays animation in Buddy’s character. His likable character provides a sentimental touch to the plot. Whyman’s innocence molds well with Alex Tash’s character, C.C. Showers, the town’s new addition and hopefully, savior. The complex interactions between the two contrasting characters appear authentic. Tash conveys a fresh pace to the stage; he never speaks sluggishly, and every word he says has great emotion behind it. Dewey Maples (Jake Blonstein) and Melvin Wilder (Austin Sellinger) are a hilarious pair of farm hands who demonstrate incredible chemistry on stage, as if their characters see one another as brothers; the stage is never bland when the two interact. Norma Henshaw, played by the talented Samantha Zucker, is a sweet woman who owns the dry goods store in the small town; Zucker never overacts or overpowers any actors, yet she steals the stage with her strong character and comical one-liners. The actors are not only consistent with their characters, but with their accents as well. This is very well demonstrated and a perfect touch to the atmosphere.

The amount of details in Parkway Central’s production is incredible and worth the attention. Their use of real water is refreshing and much more believable, as it is spread in small puddles across the stage and on their umbrellas as well. Lighting and sound’s details were wonderful as well. The two elements flowed well together; lighting’s subtle clouds, warm hues on the cyclorama, and fluid colors on the stage floor to represent water all completely piece themselves together very well, and are designed by Nick Bible. The sound effects, presented by Andrew Matusofsky, are not overpowering and distracting, but help the story along flawlessly, especially in the scene where Buddy, unfortunately, drowns. Make-up and Costumes are pleasing to the eye thanks to Alex Tash and Jack Connolly. The itching patches on Buddy’s skin appear realistic from the audience, and the grease on his hands is a nice addition. The set, built from the ground up, is well designed and beautifully painted to represent a dry, cracked soil. The actual digging and water on the set are designed expertly, and it appears to be very stable.

While some chemistry between characters was lost and lines were a tad rushed, the show overall is a very enjoyable one, and is simply divine.

by Lily Fitzgibbon of Marquette High School

From the moment Otto Frank (Jake Blonstien) stepped onto the stage, wonderful accent and all, he brought tremendous energy. As he burst into tears the audience felt his pain. His powerful introduction led into a production which adequately portrayed the strong emotions of despair. The emotional complexities included those related to Anne Frank’s hormones, which were bottled up inside this young girl’s diary.

The set which was designed using various levels allowed for the cast to all appear on stage at once and accurately represent the Frank’s constrained living conditions. From the running water on stage, to the bathroom that could be noticed behind a slightly opened door, each detail of the set was well constructed. The props and costumes in the show were all fitting. Subtle lighting allowed for audiences to see well and a unique projection of Anne’s Diary covered scene and costume changes done by cast members, who like in the reality, didn’t have any privacy.

For a spunky thirteen year old, that lack of privacy made living in the annex even more challenging. Along with having to fear Nazi’s and concentration camps, young Anne (Jocelyn Finkelstein) had to battle with the grumpy adults living in tight quarters with her and try to live up to her perfect sister. Fortunately for Anne, after a year and a half of not seeing what was right before their noses Peter (Jacob Rosenstock) takes an interest in her. Both actors were able to mature their characters as the show progressed and developed believable chemistry as their friendship blossomed.

Parkway Central’s brilliant production of The Diary of Anne Frank did the young girl’s powerful story justice.

by Jennifer Boston of McCluer High School

Samantha Zucker and Jake Blonstein played an all too believable older couple, Marion and Walter Hollander, from New Jersey. Separately, these characters held their own, but together created a strong ensemble. They delivered lots of laughs, and even a heartwarming love scene.

While delivering clear lines and perfect projection, a couple of characters had difficulty cheating out toward the audience. A minor blemish on an otherwise beautiful show.

The technical work was smooth in transition and the set was created with great care to detail. Emily Walters’ mural backdrops paired with Christina Runk’s light design was a lovely accent, and kept the audience aware of the time changes during the progression of the play.

Costumes changes were also a key player in the time progression. These were executed efficiently, and the costumes fit the time period.

The Parkway Central High School production of Don’t Drink The Water possessed many things; comedic timing, attention to detail, and a smooth technical crew. Don’t Drink The Water was a hysterical hit!

by Jena Doering of Maplewood Richmond Heights