As the seasons roll by, Scotts Valley High School’s Drama Department moves into its fall play zone with a show called “Leading Ladies,” which opens this weekend.
Set in the 1950s, “Leading Ladies” focuses on two English Shakespearean actors, Jack and Leo, who find their careers in a rut. They are currently performing “Scenes from Shakespeare” on the Moose Lodge circuit in the Amish country of Pennsylvania. When they hear that an old lady in York, Pa., is about to die and leave her fortune to her two long-lost English nephews, the actors resolve to pass themselves off as her beloved relatives and get the cash.
Hilarity ensues when it turns out the relatives are actually nieces and not nephews. Things get even more complicated when Leo falls madly in love with the old lady’s vivacious niece, Meg, who’s engaged to the local minister.
The light-hearted play is filled with mishaps, tension and comedy that’s appropriate for ages 10 and up. (Younger kids might not understand the material, but there is nothing offensive or untoward in the performance.) It premiered in 2004 as a co-production with two theaters in Cleveland and has been pegged as a Shakespeare-adjacent play.
Written by Ken Ludwig, whose writing is known for its cast of flamboyant characters and clever mischief (think “Lend Me a Tenor” and “Moon Over Buffalo” and a stage adaptation of Agatha Christie’s “Murder on the Orient Express”), the play features screwball comedic sequences and a very Shakespearean moral of the story: “To thine own self be true.”
V Nivelle, who is the student producer for “Leading Ladies” and plays leading man Leo Clark, is thrilled to bring this production to the stage.
“We read the script during our drama class, and everyone was laughing at all the jokes and funny situations. We decided then that ‘Leading Ladies’ was the right play for our fall performance,” Nivelle said.
Dani Dunn, who plays the ailing Aunt Florence, said the comedic timing of the play is profoundly entertaining. Nivelle added that the costume changes, especially near the end, are a sight to behold.
“I think kids will really enjoy the quick changes and humor in those final few scenes,” Nivelle said.
Kendra Kannegaard, SVHS’s drama teacher, wanted something light and comedic for the fall production after a devastating loss in the school’s drama community.
Following their highly acclaimed presentation of “The Addams Family Musical” in spring 2024, Kannegaard and her students were rocked by the surprising and untimely death of one of the production’s stars, 17-year-old Milo Anima, who passed away on May 12, just two weeks after the show closed. Anima played leading man Gomez Addams in the understudy cast and had been a regular in SVHS productions.
“We just kept thinking, ‘What would Milo want?’ We decided that this play was the best way to embrace the spirit of Milo and a way to include him in our production,” said Kannegaard, who noted the entire department misses him more than words can say.
On the set in the school’s student union space, a photo of Anima sits at the front of the stage, keeping his memory front and center for those who knew and loved him.
Show dates for “Leading Ladies” are Dec. 5, 6, 7, 12, 13 and 14 at 7pm (doors open at 6:30). Tickets are available at CUR8.com or at the door (cash only). The production will be held in the Scotts Valley High Student Union.
