By CATHERINE ELLERTON
Moapa Valley Progress
Before we begin there are certain rules that must be followed: keep an open mind, think of the possibilities and, most importantly, Anne is spelled with an E!
In her first local production, MV High School Drama Teacher Valerie Soltis decided to continue bringing the classics to the audience and to her students. This play was written by Anita Larsenis based on the 1908 bestselling novel by Canadian author, Lucy Maud Montgomery.
It is the story of a young orphaned girl mistakenly sent to Marilla and Matthew Cuthbert. This brother and sister had requested a boy to adopt as they needed help on their farm – Green Gables. The story continues to follow the transformations in the Cuthberts and the residents of the community whose lives Anne touches. Anne is a dreamer with an artistic imagination who is also changed by those she meets but her stubbornness and ambition helps to create a mature young lady.
This role shared by two young actresses (Carlie Evans and Olivia Heath) is played enthusiastically and believably.
One forgets that the actors, gophers and gaffers in this production are high school Thespians. Their maturity onstage and the remarkable set they have designed and built belie their age.
The serviceable set consists of a 3 room house with two doors that are used extensively. Lighting, curtain usage and multiple scenes acted at the same time bring continuity to the story. The young actors make their roles believable and their characterizations solid.
At first Marilla Cuthbert (played by Vada Ortiz) does not like Anne as she talks too much and has a temper. Anne befriends a house plant, which she names Bonnie, to fill in the emptiness of the lack of friends. Soon she meets a like soul – Diana (played by Rachel Lee).
They support each other through many adventures. Their friendship hits a snag when Diana becomes drunk at their Tea Party when she drank too much of a Raspberry Cordial that turned out to be Elderberry Wine. Diana’s mother forbids the friendship. But when Diana’s small sister gets sick, Anne saves her life and the friendship is allowed to blossom again.
Adventures in walking an arbor trellis, the Christmas night party recitation and nearly drowning are episodes that bring young Gilbert (played by Zach Waite) into Anne’s life.
There was a clever scene switch reading the many letters Anne wrote home. When she returns to discuss her continuing education, her life changes dramatically. Marilla’s eyes are failing and Matthew has an unexpected heart attack and dies. Marilla states that they will have to sell Green Gables, but Anne insists that she will stay home from college and help to take care of the beloved farm.
After all, this is ‘just a bend in the road that one must take and make the best of.’
