Cappies Review: 'Lucy in the Sky Alone' At Westfield High School

By Leah Blum of South Lakes High School

The search for the truth is what drives every good journalist. The search for your true self is what drives everyone. In Westfield High School's "Lucy in the Sky Alone," the audience followed Lucy Reiner as she considered her identity and the relationships in her life. Writer Beverly D'Andrea, who also directed, edited, and starred in the film, truly brought Lucy's story to life in a beautiful, thoughtful, live-taped performance with undertones from the classic Beatles song "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds."

At the beginning of the show, Lucy (played by D'Andrea) struggled with the reality of graduating college in a week. Her boyfriend, John Lennon (played by Brian Purtell), had confidence in her future with her Russian literature major as well as his new internship at an investment firm. Seeking to impress his wealthy parents, portrayed by Dewa Alam and Matthew Krelovich, he asked her to a party. After meeting with her friend Elise (played by Payton Kuhlman) and speaking with journalism intern Philip (Krelovich) about a journalism contest at his work, Lucy became distracted at the party. Overhearing John's bosses talking, she uncovered the company's fraud, and that John was only hired because of his father's involvement. She immediately wrote an article for the contest, finding her calling as a journalist, but faced differing opinions about her future from John and Philip, building her internal conflict and forcing her to consider her future.

Every character in the show was well-played and in contrast with the others. Kuhlman's Elise was a cool-headed complement to Lucy, helping her to sort out her conflicted thoughts along the way. Purtell as John was easy to hate at first as he ignored Lucy's passion, but he added layers to the character as the audience was asked to consider the impact of the scandal on John's life. The bosses, Mrs. Rutledge and Mr. Johnson, were perfectly skeezy, portrayed well by Emily Miller and Giancarlo Torres to be the slightly evil center of the scandal. The Lennons added more conflict to the story, with the theme of perceptions. They were played by Alam and Krelovich well, demonstrating their care for their son, but displaying their morally questionable nature with every line. Krelovich took on a dual role in the show, also playing Philip, the thoughtful and genuine journalism intern who inspired Lucy to become more confident in her true calling as a journalist. Krelovich excelled in creating contrast between his two characters, perfectly capturing Philip's kind yet frank honesty with Lucy. In the center of the story and the most complex character, D'Andrea embodied Lucy fully, expressing range from her early optimism to her consideration for her future to her final confidence in herself at the end of the show.

The props used made it seem like the actors, who were performing live from their respective houses, were in one place. Katherine Funk and Matteo Coco contributed props such as flyers and magazines, as well as champagne flutes, which added extra dimension to the party scene. The costumes, managed by Emma Anderson, differentiated the characters and their personalities well, and quick changes effectively signified developments in time and setting. The script and direction by D'Andrea created a well-rounded show that played beautifully into the virtual format.

Overall, the film was a wonderful display of the conflict of truth and perception. The ending, left ambiguous, asked the audience to consider their own identity and calling in life, knowing that while those around us can help us along the way, only we can forge our paths and be our true selves.

The show may be viewed at: www.youtube.com/watch?v=5-aI9afO8F.