It’s ‘Curtains!’: Finding the humor in the Great Depression

Orli Kahn as Cher, left, and Tana Tompkins as Isabella, right, apply makeup to Eden Treadway as Charile/Frankenstein. Denise Barratta photo
April 25, 2023

Comedic show coming to Ashland High School Theatre in May

A seeming paradoxical play — a comedic performance set during the Great Depression — opens at the Ashland High School Theatre, 201 S. Mountain Ave., Ashland, in May, according to a news release.

Orli Kahn as Cher reacts to Eden Treadway as Charile/Frankenstein. Denise Barratta photo

“Curtains!” by Craig Sodaro and directed by Michael J. Hume, will have four 7:30 p.m. showings on Friday, May 12, Saturday, May 13, Thursday, May 18, and Friday, May 19. Three 2 p.m. matinees will also be offered on Sunday, May 14, Saturday, May 20, and Sunday, May 21. There will be no evening show on May 20 due to prom night.

The play takes place in 1933, and a cast of characters including small-time conmen, local mobsters, and performers all gather in abandoned — and possibly haunted — theater for an over-the-top story “filled with great ‘30s music, sumptuous costumes, and if you look closely, a few things to say about art and commerce, when hard times hit,” the release said.

The performance stars Eden Treadway, Orli Kahn, Secoya Joaquin, Tana Tompkins, Aidan Moriarty, Eden Thompson, Sofia DiMaggio, Celia Lang, Amelia Shaffer, Chiara O’Gorman, Cora Turner, Hannah Ivie, Aurora Graham, Ivo Westergaard Vos, Juniper London, Luke Hogan Laurenson, Jonas-Kai Green, and Lily Loos.

Director Michael Hume is assisted by technical director Kristen Samek; costume and set designer Nathan Ynancy; wig designer Heather Volkman; carpenter Sid Cohen; lighting designer Evan Carbone; sound designer Jonathan Pratt (assisted by Alexander Prestwich); stage manager Charlotte Rose; assistant stage manager Grey Bolin; assistant costume designer Arlo Tennyson; and Mirabella Jones, Enzo Balocca, and other students helping the tech crew.

Tickets, sold online at ashlandhs.booktix.com, cost $10 for attendees 65 and older and under 18, and $15 for adults. Some tickets will also be sold at the door. First come, first seated well. Call 541-840-6410 for information about group sales.

Secoya Joaquin as Tony, at left, receives tribute from Eden Treadway as Charile. Denise Barratta photo
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