'Virtual Life' At Fairfax High School: A Review

Review by Ivy Ridenhour of Freedom High School

Power on your computer, find that link, and turn off your mic. Fairfax High School's "Virtual Life" is a show well worth seeing on the screen while the stage is off limits.

"Virtual Life" is an original play written by Tori Miller, Caroline Fines, Madeline Tyler, Mikhail Goldenberg, Stone Hernandez, Grace Howsare and Grace Lane. These Fairfax students worked together in and out of class to create this uniquely hilarious and innovative piece of theatre.

"Virtual Life" is a collection of four stories connected by their setting, a virtual call. The scenes, as performed on Friday, Nov. 6, show everything from "grieving" widows to a "zoomposal."

The show's writing was honest and hilarious, with virtually no flaws. The first scene "Wealthily Widowed" zoomed along at a terrific pace due to witty dialogue and plot twists that kept you on the edge of your seat. The widows, Margret and Jacquelyn, were played by Caroline Fines and Tori Miller.

As the story shifted so did the actors, from a mask of calm composition to shock, anger, or betrayal. Fines and Miller created characters that were dramatic and over the top in a way that meshed perfectly with the dramatic story.

"Breakup in the Breakout room" split from pompous comedy to something familiar to anyone in online school. It combined the hardships of group work, relationship drama, and more. Pulling off so many things at once is hard for any show, so seeing it done so well in this format was incredible.

While the characters weren't great at working together, their actors were. Ivy and Leena, played by Grace Roti and Madeline Tyler, were the perfect bickering couple. In the short amount of time they had, they rendered a realistic teen couple and conflict, as well as distinct personalities.

Sam was played by Sarah Zakreski, with her fake bangs and laid back attitude she was convincing and hilarious in every way — particularly when interacting with Emma Dulop who portrayed Tina, a goody-two-shoes you wouldn't think would get along with Sam. But they played off of each other spectacularly.

But it isn't all about the teens, adults live a Virtual Life too. The audience got to see this perspective from Gretchen Hoffman as Ms. Fallangee and Mikhail Goldenberg as Mr. Jay. Every well-timed sigh or moment awkwardly waited for the call to begin was a familiar sight. Mr. Jay's relatable nervousness was even better in contrast with Zack, played by Stone Hernandez, a kid who is distracted, with no cares about it.

The final scene showed what can go wrong when a promposal becomes a "Zoomposal." William Choi played Bryce, a pixel perfect portrayal of someone trying to ask out his best friend. John Jennings played Trey, an obnoxiously likable version of the classic jock. Grace Howsare played Lacy. Each of these actors were great in their own right, but what made the scene was their relationships. Lacy and Bryce had incredibly sweet chemistry, and Trey had a great dynamic of annoyance and persistence in the group.

This show wouldn't be the same without its editing, which made it feel real. In one impressive moment done by Tyler, the sound of an arguing couple muted, and the viewer's eyes were drawn to a text conversation happening on the other side of the screen. Another standout moment was made by Miller and Fines when a microphone was muted (with an accompanying icon) to make a n unique silent scene.

All in all "Virtual Life" by Fairfax High School connected with the audience in a way far stronger than any Wi-Fi connection, while still managing to make them smile.