Last weekend, a dark and mysterious super hero, in command of the power to read and confuse minds, arrived on Phillips Academy’s campus to save audiences in Steinbach Theater from certain death. The innovative fall term drama lab, The Shadow: The Silent Avenger, took the script of a 1940s radio show and brought it to life onstage. The legacy of the popular Shadow radio series, the source of a 325-issue pulp magazine and several films, was thus carried on by director Kendra Allenby ’05. A brief synopsis: after being sentenced to execution, murderer Joe Bricker, played by Nick Bowen ’06, vows that the judge, jury, and governor will die before he rests underground. He commissions his younger brother, Danny, played by Danny Silk ’07, a former sniper brain damaged by shell-shock, to enact his revenge. Enter the Shadow (alias Lamont Cranston), played by Steve Sherrill ’05, to save the day, with the aid of his beautiful sidekick, Margo Lane, played by Rosie duPont ’06. The most memorable aspect of the show was its creative production. The setting switched between the inside of the radio studio, with the actors reading their lines into old-fashioned microphones and an announcer, played by Caroline Claflin ’05, rattling off advertisements in between acts, to more traditional theatrical set up-scenes within the plot. This two-fold story added to the show’s 1940s feel and required the audience’s full attention to keep track of the plot. Light was integral to the development of the plot, as spotlights illuminated different, simultaneous scenes across the stage. The highlight of the show was its intense conclusion, when the Shadow confronted Danny Bricker on top of the scaffolding of an unfinished skyscraper. Sherrill and Silk sparred on the tech platforms hanging from the ceiling of Steinbach, forcing the audience to look up at their feet in the canopy of stage lights, wires and rigging. Indeed, Allenby used the theater creatively throughout the show, as when Silk shot his rifle from the light booth on the upper left wall of the theater. The costumes were superb and firmly set the play in the forties. The small details made all the difference-from Claflin’s blue polka-dot dress and pearls to duPont’s fur coat, to the way that the brim of Sherrill’s hat cast a shadow across his face. The cast impressively used voice, putting on many different accents to create distinct characters, which added to the show’s vintage flavor and paid tribute to its radio origins. Sherrill’s wise Shadow made deep observations about humanity, yet, characteristic of the superheroes of his era, kept a certain air of comedy about him. Sherrill handled this combination well, and without sacrificing the serious “silent avenger” trait of his character, amused the audience with his exaggerated laughter and tone. Claflin’s gestures, tone, and costume were perfect. As she reminded the audience of the play’s radio studio context, she truly seemed to have come out of a time machine from the past. Nick Bowen, with his New York accent, stood out. The force of his character’s vivid, heated personality, impressed the audience. Silk superbly portrayed the deranged Bricker. His blank stare, wandering actions and lost voice were powerfully convincing. Some audience members left the theater feeling confused by the storyline of the play. Many of the actors played more than one role, which contributed to this vagueness. Although they acted well, at certain points in the play, the various characters needed to be better distinguished. Another factor in the production’s confusion stemmed from ambiguous transitions. Although the announcer’s scenes served as satisfactory bridges between scenes, other aspects of the show seemed to not fit, and threw the audience off track. Some audience members found the creative multi-layered story production style to detract from the plot because it threw too many twists into the show. However, Paz Mendez Hodes ’07 argued, “Although some of the experimental techniques they used were confusing to the audience, at least it [the show] made an effort to distinguish itself. A lot of plays at this school are very amateur, but this one did a really good job of actually branching out and separating itself.” Allenby performed an impressive, innovative feat with her adaptation of The Shadow for the stage, creating a distinct, intriguing show. Without a shadow of a doubt, The Shadow stood out.
