The Dream of the Burning Boy, performed this weekend at the Little Theater on campus, turned out to be an incredibly emotion and well put together performance.
The show, originally written by David West Read was directed by junior English major, Alexa Peyton and Assistant Directed by Justin Phillips.
The show had an impressive turnout, mostly consisting of fellow St. John’s students who were supporting their friends and peers. Although the cast was quite small, consisting of seven members and no ensemble, it kept the audience’s attention throughout the entire show. With elements of comedy, scandal and tragedy, the actors had the audience laughing at one minute and almost in tears at the next.
Larry, a high school English teacher, played by Travis Wells, favors one of his English students above all others because he is Larry’s son. The son, Dane, played by Mike Sardone, has no idea that his mother and English teacher slept together many years ago and he is their son. Dane’s girlfriend, Chelsea, played by Daria Coney has been cheating on him with Kyle, his best friend played by Kurt Cruz.
Dane’s sister Rachel, played by Jessica Hutchinson, knows of the affair and is trying to hold herself together while her mom, Andrea, played by Katie Morgan is on the verge of completely falling apart.
After school one day, Dane is speaking to his English teacher, and father, about a paper. Upon leaving their meeting, he collapses in the hallway and dies due to a brain aneurism. Although we do not see his actual death, it is clear that it hits everyone involved in the show; his girlfriend, mom, sister, best friend and guidance counselor, as well as of course, his dad.
The scandal and controversy comes from discovering the relationship between Dane’s girlfriend Chelsea and Kyle is much more intimate than what Dane ever knew about, yet his sister knew all along.
The inspirational scene comes from Kyle convincing Rachel that she is pretty and doesn’t need to hide behind her glasses and pajama pants. The tear jerking scene comes when Larry finally breaks down and admits that he wished he could have told his son that he was his father and wished that he could have built a relationship with him.
Overall, the play seemed to be a crowd pleaser since it dealt with real life controversy and situations. The cast received a standing ovation for their performance at play’s end.
