Cougar Cafe Becomes Dinner Theater
April 20, 2018
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- Staff photo by Len Lathrop As the performance opens we learn that it is snowing outside Lah-Weeeeee!-Gi’s restaurant and Chef Jean Luc Francois, played by Zach Drouin, is explaining to Georgia, played by Demi Dionne, how a pot should be washed in a counter-clockwise rotation.
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- Staff photo by Len Lathrop Axel, portrayed by Jacob Butler, and Petunia (Caroline Ward) are greeted at the restaurant by Alex Jozitis portraying Teri, the restaurant manager.
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- Staff photo by Len Lathrop Conjoined twins Emma and Leigh, you see Emma say “mother had one name Emily” played by Madie Rossi and Brianna Carney explain their need for a gown to Paisley played by Regan Theberge, a fashion designer and sister to the college president.
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- Staff photo by Len Lathrop Madame Adelina, played by Cleo Schultz, is a fortune teller who helps solve the murder of the cheerleaders and Hobo Joe (Brandon Banker).
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- Staff photo by Len Lathrop The college’s cheerleading mascot, played by Avery Simonds, seems to be smitten with Logan the puppet master played by Noah Vaughan, or is it his very cute puppet portrayed by Connor Frank.
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- Staff photo by Len Lathrop Stunning in her own special way was Katrina Hubbard as The Lovely Lolicia, a woman playing a man playing a woman.
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- Staff photo by Len Lathrop With a disapproving look Paisley, Regan Theberge, Dr. Meriwether, the Knotting Community College president played by Sara Keane and Hobo Joe Brandon Banker.
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- Staff photo by Len Lathrop An angry Chef Jean Luc Francois with one of the great facial expressions of Zach Drouin.
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- Staff photo by Len Lathrop Connor Franck, Logan’s puppet, appears as a puppet should, being carried off by Noah Vaughan as Logan.
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- Staff photo by Len Lathrop Jacob Butler, who played Axel, shows his acting skills. He also was the mover and shaker who put this play together with Mr. Justin Ballou as his Campbell Senior Project which sold out for both performances, serving a meal to about 240 people.
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- Staff photo by Len Lathrop Chef Jean Luc Francois checks out The Lovely Lolicia’s hand to see if she is the murderer. Zack Drouin and Katrina Hubbard.
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- Staff photo by Len Lathrop Overcome with grief is Chef Jean Luc Francois (Zach Drouin) when Cheer Coach Candy is found dead from an allergic reaction to Ketchup. Candy was played by Brianna Perry.
by Len Lathrop
In a restaurant known as Lah-Weeeeee!-Gi’s a short distance from the Knotting Community College the play “An All You Can Murder Buffet” by 2018 Brooklyn Publishers LLC, written by Marissa DeYoung, Sabrina Salay, Hannah Singleton, Matt Steele and Mike Steele, came to life in the Campbell Cafeteria Saturday and Sunday to a sold-out and well-fed audience. Cougar senior Jacob Butler worked with Social Studies teacher Justin Ballou to make this his senior project. Speaking with Ballou before the second show, he had nothing but praise for Butler and thanks for all the folks that came together to build sets overnight on Friday after a sports practice in the cafeteria, to the Friends of Campbell Performing Art for supporting the performances and making the food happen, and to all those who donated.
The play is a drama about murder; it starts with a fundraiser by the Whales cheerleading team of the Knotting Community College, but it seems the event is plagued by a major snowstorm and road closures, then the murder of a cheer team and the questioning of those held up at the restaurant, and the hope of a mystery guest showing up to make the fundraiser a success - on Sunday the mystery guest was one Shawn McDonough. With a comical approach, the audience was kept laughing throughout with what must have been ad libs from the actors and comments that related to the high school and the town of Litchfield. The murderer was revealed at the end after extensive questions and interactions of the case.
Butler, in his last drama club performance at Campbell with several other senior members of the drama team, exchanged flowers after the play. Butler is headed to SNHU after graduation from Campbell to study graphic arts and his love of theater.
