On Thursday, Nov. 1, 2007, Monmouth College’s Crimson Masque theater troupe began its four-day run of the “The Baltimore Waltz,” a play written by Paula Vogel, in the WIT Theater. In this reviewer’s opinion, it was definitely an interesting production, and the actors brought out each character to deliver a great show.

The story begins when Anna, played by junior Missy Metz, finds that she has caught the acquired toilet disease. She and her brother Carl, played by freshman Brandon Landon, head to Europe for an experience of a lifetime. Although they go to Europe for adventure, Anna realizes, after her brother Carl dies, that her adventure was just a fantasy to keep her and her brother’s spirits high throughout their disease.

Metz and Landon had a definite chemistry on stage that was amazing to watch. The way they presented their lines with such feeling really amazed me.  Although this was considered a comedy, I believe Metz and Landon did their best work in the most dramatic moments of the play.

However, the act of bringing comedy to the stage was found in the interactions and the diverse portrayals of characters which freshmen Brittany Alston and Evan Green, sophomore Kate Drost and junior Ryan Burns provided. Every time this group came on stage, they brought humor to all they did, and exhibited facial expressions which were priceless. All throughout this show, the actors kept you thinking about the storyline and how it was going to play out. While watching this, one could really connect to the emotions of the characters.

Director Janeve West, professor of communication and theater arts, was thrilled with her actors and how the show went.  “I thought the performance was fantastic. The quality of the production strengthened with each evening as each student stepped up their game.” West also mentioned that each performance was fully supported by Monmouth College students.  “Our actors, stage managers, light assistants, prop manager, box office manager, house manager and costume designer did a fantastic job bringing this show to life,” West stated.

Overall, I believe everyone involved with this show did a great job.  I am looking forward to the next show, which will be Charles Dickens’s “A Christmas Carol,” running Nov. 29 through Dec. 1 in Wells Theater.

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