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By Laura Drinan
Hometown Weekly Reporter
Medfield High School Theatre Society prepared for an evening of hilarity and entertainment with the one-night-only performance of “Medfield After Dark.” The show, abbreviated to MAD, featured nine skits written by MHS seniors, comedy from emcee Mason Hajj, and music by Brigitte and the Boys.
The first skit of the evening, entitled “Mystery Student,” written and directed by Georgia Taylor and Kate Travis, showcased an insecure English teacher who disguised herself as a student to see what her students really think of her.
After joking about the wrath of Medfield High’s marching band director, Doug Olsen, Hajj introduced “Lewis and Clark,” written and directed by Matthew McGlone and John Kohler. The skit showcased the two expeditioners’ overprotective mothers, who unveiled the embarrassing secrets of two men while ensuring they were well prepared for their journey.
Students perform ‘A Pirate’s Life’ at Medfield High’s Medfield After Dark.
Macey Musto wrote and directed “Right Waze and Wrong Waze,” a skit about a new GPS program called Waze, which sought to sabotage a young man’s Tinder date.
After the skit, Hajj commented on Walt Disney’s history in Medfield. “It’s kind of funny,” Hajj started. “The dude builds the happiest place on earth, the biggest theme park in the world, and he goes [on vacation] to Medfield. I guess he really liked pizza… and banks.”
“Music Maybe,” written by D.M. Larson, and directed by Veronica Frazier and Kay Scott, brought laughs to the audience, as well, as four musicians attempted to form an all-percussion rock band and became unlikely friends.
Before intermission, “Jeopardy,” written by Abby Heidke and directed by herself and Jane Clifford, took the stage to tell the story of a Medfield-themed trivia show taking place during an intense storm.
One of Medfield After Dark’s skits featured the embarrassingly overprotective mothers of expeditioners Lewis and Clark.
With a performance from Brigitte and the Boys and refreshments for sale in the lobby, members of the audience met up to snack and chat about their favorite skits so far.
Jane Clifford and Angela Salisbury’s “The Possibilities are Endless” kicked off the second part of the show to depict a playwright and director’s attempt to capture her heartbreak on stage. Next, the audience enjoyed “The Package,” written by Cindy K. Mackey and directed by Jessica Coulombe, which gave a glimpse at the troubles one can face in the parcel delivery industry, like fulfilling the request to ship a dead body to a volcano.
With Jacq Shortsleeve’s “Alternate Endings,” a group of students were introduced to a microwave oven that had time-traveling capabilities. But after being visited by their future selves who warned them not to use the machine, the students were faced with a decision to risk the dangers of using it or suffer from a poor grade on a test.
Students performing in ‘Mystery Student’ at Medfield After Dark interrogate an English teacher disguised as a student.
For the last skit of MAD, Samira Hajj wrote and directed “A Pirate’s Life,” which featured two pirates-in-training, with one of them being clearly unfit for the job as a sea rover. However, in a strange twist of events, the jolly corsair-to-be saved the ship from being taken over by the Coast Guard.
With all nine skits excellently written, directed, and performed, the auditorium filled with hoots of laughter and applause. As all proceeds went to benefit the MHS Theatre Society and the David E. Medeiros Theatre Society Memorial Scholarship, family, friends, and alumni were proud to support the incredible students - and to enrich the community while they were at it.
