Sealed in Spit a Hit
By Anna Somers
The Theatre 1 and Theatre 2 classes at Glennallen High School presented “Sealed in Spit” last week. This romcom was performed on May 2, 3, and 6 in the Glennallen High School auditorium.
“Sealed in Spit” was written by Margaret Witt and directed by GHS teacher Misty Rude. The ambitious performance boasts the largest cast of the Glennallen theater program in working memory, with over thirty actors. Some students played multiple roles, and the cast was joined by several elementary school students who made their Glennallen stage debut during one of the scenes.
The storyline follows three sisters (played by Ambrosia Wood, Madison Cozzen, and Tierney Jones) who run a dating agency. The large cast includes their clients and prospective suitors, including a bearded hillbilly named Bubba with a comedic and memorable performance by Zayne Olson.
In true romcom style, the play presents multiple mismatched couples who ultimately find their happily ever afters (or at least their happily for nows).
Some of the most enjoyable highlights of opening night on May 2 were the great costumes, a cute scene with the elementary students, and several of the onstage gags, like when Bubba kept trying to cover up a painting to make baby Cupid appear more modest. Both acts ran quite smoothly, a huge feat considering the large cast and number of costume changes.
Although I love attending the Glennallen High School performances, I have to admit my own personal biases. First of all, two of my sons were involved in this play. Silas Somers played a football jock named Wes, and Nemo Somers was a deputy as well as the stage manager and assistant director. To say I’m a proud mother would be completely accurate. To say I’m biased to give a positive review would also be likely just as true.
However, speaking of biases, I’ve never been a fan of the enemies-to-lovers trope in romance, a trope which was relied on very heavily in this particular script. That being said, my personal preferences about the story itself in no way detracted from the acting, staging, or overall success of the show, and to gauge solely by the audience reaction, “Sealed in Spit” was just as fun and lively as you would expect from the GHS theater department. In fact, there were several twists in the storyline that made this one of the least predictable plays I’ve seen in my four years as a theater mom.
It is so satisfying to see so many teens finding their voice and their confidence on the stage. In addition to acting, students were responsible for costuming, hair and makeup, lighting, sound, and stage direction. It would be very difficult to exaggerate how much work these students put into this show and how proud they (as well as their teacher, their school, their families, and their community) should be.
It was especially enjoyable to see the high-school seniors honored on opening night, and the Copper River community would like to extend our congratulations to these graduating young adults and wish them best of luck in their future endeavors. It will be exciting to see what upcoming thespians join the GHS theater department, and I’m looking forward to watching whatever they perform next.