Mason’s Production of the ‘Elephant Man’ Seeking Cappie

’s drama department’s production of “The Elephant Man,” is in the running for a Cappie. Voting for the award is Sunday.

In case you missed the production last week, here’s a review of the play:

Dirty cobblestones cover the streets and industrial smoke fills the air. The sounds of trains and street vendors overwhelm your ears, while passersby jostle by you on their way to work. At Mason, you'd believe you're in 19th century London with their production of The Elephant Man.

The Elephant Man is the true story of Joseph Merrick, who lived in 19th century England, and his struggle with a harrowing disease that caused tumors to grow all over his body. The story was adapted into a play in 1977 and won the Pulitzer Prize. The tragic story follows a good-hearted doctor, Frederick Treeves, who finds Merrick in a traveling freak show being advertised as 'The Elephant Man.' Treeves tries to help Merrick, but the cruel freak show owner, Ross, gets in his way. After Ross abandons Merrick in Belgium, Merrick makes his way to London where Treeves takes him into his care at a hospital. Here, Merrick lives safely and even makes friends, until dying at the age of 27 in his sleep.

Sean Driggers expertly brought the role of John Merrick to life. Driggers created an endearing and relatable character in Merrick, and successfully acted throughout the play with a believable speech impediment that in no way distracted from his haunting, emotional acting. The audience also enjoyed his well-executed quips and clever lines.

The doctor Frederick Treeves, played by Samuel Blagg, was engaging as he portrayed his torment and anger over Merrick's situation. The audience was frozen and silent as he fell down to his knees in the second act and cried out in agony about his guilty feelings concerning Merrick.

The actress and socialite Mrs. Kendall, played by Kiki Skotte, was a charming addition to the cast. Her many amusing conversations with Merrick had the audience laughing.

Smart directing and clever staging by students, Bryan Ward and Rebecca Thackrey, brought the show together. There were a few distracting directing choices, such as having the actors pantomime a door in every room, but it was overall excellent work for student directors. They clearly understood the important themes and mature emotions of the play.

The ensemble had good energy throughout the show. Some actors seemed stiff, but everyone had good annunciation and projection of lines.

The show was very tech heavy, with video backdrops and multimedia displays that showed, among other things, actual pictures of Merrick. Tech took on a lot of challenges, but some mistakes and inconsistencies with sound and lighting cues were distracting.  The multimedia was impressive and the set, likewise, was clean looking and appropriate to the time period. Costumes were beautiful, and a lot of work clearly went into them.

The Elephant Man was a chilling look into what it's like to be an outsider; a theme that everyone can relate to in some way. George Mason High School accurately brought this powerful theme to life in their production of The Elephant Man.

Written by Nellie Vinograd of Walt Whitman High School