Student written plays adapt well

by Laura Cosgrove

Disney happily-ever-afters, the comical warmth of Pixar, and Salinger’s signature anthem of disenchanted youth: each graced the Milpitas High stage this March. The plays Diary of a Princess, Before They Went Up, and Phonies comprised Adaptation, a two-week festival of student-written and student-directed productions.

Diary of a Princess, written by Senior Emma Cozens and directed by Junior Kendra Nielsen, adapted the stories of the three Disney princesses Snow White, Pocahontas, and Belle. The princesses, renamed Bianca (Junior Dorothy Van), Naomi (Senior Heather Boyd), and Izzy (Junior Rosemary Barrass), told their stories in interspersed, half-hour soliloquies. Overall, the play was cute, included a bit of comic relief amidst the drama, and was bolstered by the actresses’ admirable performances. It was very Disney, in optimism as well as depth; heartwarming and worth watching, its only issue was that it offered only Disney naivety to those hoping for a more realistic, modern adaptation.

Before They Went Up, written by Junior Atorina Samuel and directed by Senior Bryan La, was adapted from Disney-Pixar’s Up as an account of Carl and Ellie’s high school relationship. It shared Princess’ heartwarming traits, but combined them with a more lighthearted approach that did well for the play’s enjoyableness and comedic value. Enthusiastic and believable performances gave life to the simple story of high school pressures and misjudgments. It is a victory for the good guy, a happy, optimistic story of two likeable teenagers ultimately reunited as is their fate as soulmates.

Phonies, written by Senior Heather Boyd and Senior Mark Madrid and directed by Senior Lena Parodi, digressed far from the other plays’ optimism to venture into Holden Caulfield’s turbulent, timeless story. The play was a near-complete retelling of J.D. Salinger’s The Catcher in the Rye; it adapted the stream-of-consciousness writing well to the stage. It was a pleasure for both those familiar and unfamiliar with Salinger’s novel to hear Holden Caulfield’s (Freshman Jared Pati) famous witticisms and insights. Pati’s humor and charisma gave a spark to the production, which, overall, did justice to Salinger’s work.