A character eerily reminiscent of Disney’s animated Cruella De Ville set the scene in the first play of last Friday’s drama labs, “Nina in the Morning,” by Christopher Durang. Nina, a cold, aging and plastically enhanced character played by Hannah Weiss ’08 indifferently picked pins, which were holding her face in place until her plastic surgeon returned from vacation, out of her face. Narrator Paul Hsiao ’08 went on to lead the audience through a day of Nina’s luxuriant lifestyle and provide an insight into flaws not visible from the surface. Nina seems to have it all: plenty of money to allow her constant lamentation about plastic surgery, a big house and a manservant named Butler, played by Tudor Radoaca ’08, who waits on her hand and foot. As the play progresses, Nina’s life and her relationships with her children, all played by Sophie Fourteau ’10, simultaneously deteriorate. Fourteau played a mentally handicapped daughter who can only say “la, la” and two sons, both of whom Nina tries to seduce. In addition to the fact that she is trying to seduce her own children, one of Nina’s sons shoots her in attempted murder, to the shock of the audience. The play ends on a serious note: Nina contemplates her unhappiness all alone, not even caring if her son comes back to finish the murder he attempted. Director Amanda Shpigler ’09 said, “[The play] was like a lesson – that however much money you have, you still aren’t always one hundred percent happy.” They strove to contemplate a somewhat deeper overall meaning while still including comedy in the out-of-sorts situation in which Nina finds herself (i.e. pulling pins from her face). All the while, the play aimed to keep its cogency with the narrator being, according to himself, “the only voice of reason” throughout the play. Though there were a few minor instances where actors did not project their voice fully, it was clear from the audience’s reactions that the cast and director performed admirably. The audience often broke out in laughter over the exaggerated mauling between Radoaca and Weiss, the silly “la, la” of Fourteau or Nina’s warped sense of reality, which contrasted with Hsiao’s reasonable description of events. The actors did an excellent job exaggerating their characters’ roles in the play by being very deliberate in their actions and staging to give the audience a complete grasp of the chaotic setting. Audience member Victoria Sanchez ’09 said that the “actors were perfect for their roles.” Hannah Weiss ’08 said, “It was so much fun! But don’t judge me [by my character].” Adding an even deeper layer to the play was the moral that “money can’t buy happiness.” It was extraordinary how the Shpigler was able to manipulate the mood of the audience. In one of the exciting highlights of the show, when one of Nina’s sons shot her, the loud “CRACK!” of a pop gun firing from within the seating aisle caused the entire audience, who minutes before was laughing hysterically, to suddenly become silent as a blanket of severity set over the play. This past week’s drama lab was serious and shocking, but spotted with comedy, causing the audience to journey through a wide range of emotions. Judged by the applause it received, “Nina in the Morning” was extremely successful.