ital.
“Look me in the eyes. You know and I know, just because something ends, that don’t mean it wasn’t a great success.”
- from “Failure: A Love Story”
Actors in the upcoming Young Performers Theater play “Failure; a Love Story” may warn you upfront that the play involves death.
But they’ll also assure you that there’s plenty to laugh at.
“It’s very sad and full of grief, but it’s also very humorous,” said 13-year-old Ruby Gandel, who plays Gertie, the eldest of the Fail girls. “And there’s a lot of physical and lyrical comedy, while there’s still romance scattered through.”
The play, directed by Zeke Blackwell, will be staged 7 p.m. Friday, April 18, and 7 p.m. Saturday April 19 and 3 p.m. Sunday, April 20.
In the story, written by Phillip Dawkins, the audience is told that by the end of 1928, the Fail sisters will be “tragically dead,” expiring in reverse order, youngest to oldest, by blunt object, disappearance and consumption.
But Ruby and one of her acting colleagues, Ruby Bahna, said the play is also full of zaniness and humor, thanks to the presence of talking snakes and dogs, escape artist parakeets, singing gramophones and moody clocks.
“Sometimes we can sort of make dying a little bit funny,” said Rosie Bahna, who plays the girls’ mom, Marietta Fail, as well as a cuckoo clock, and a chorus member. “There’s one part where the clocks get smashed, and we do little screams here and there. We just have fun with it.”
Members of the chorus can lighten the mood, Rosie said, by changing the tones of their voices. “You can make it more comedic than just (what is written). But there are also parts in the show that are supposed to be sad.”
Blackwell said he’s known about the play for a few years, and thought it would be interesting to try with his troupe of 22 older actors. He also thought the kids would appreciate the absurd elements.
“It feels very theatrical and there’s a lot of opportunity to make creative choices and work with students to make creative choices,” said Blackwell, who’s run the program for 10 years and directed about 30 plays at SFAC. “It has a handful of main characters, but also has a Greek chorus that moves the story forward, allowing room to incorporate the cast into storytelling.”
The play is set in a clock shop, where the family lives. The girls said clocks are a big part of the story, and work to make the point for such things as making the most of one’s time and one’s time running out.
“The whole play revolves around time, clocks and time, and just how you should spend your time, and time goes by,” said Rosie, 14. “There’s this one line where, there’s just no more time. ... It’s like the theme of the show.”
Ruby has been enjoying her role and being in the play, and called it “amazing” when asked how she liked it.
“It’s really weird but it makes it really interesting.” she said. “There’s a lot of different moving parts and characters and there’s a full chorus that carries you through the show, narrating different parts.”
Rosie said she’s enjoying her role as a chorus member, since she is able to bring the story together. She likes the role of mother because she has scenes with her friends. “It’s nice to have that connection,” Rosie said. “And the cuckoo clock is very sassy, I guess, and that really suits me.”
Rosie’s sister, Angela, is a state champion drama, debate and forensics competitor for Sitka High, and Rosie said she’s looking forward to joining the team next year.
Kieran Wentzel, a Sitka High Student, is the assistant scenic designer, guided by technical director Rach Roach.
Tickets are $10 for general and $5 for students. Children under $5 are free. Tickets are available at fineartscamp.org and at the door.
