KEEPING SECRETS:  SPEECH & DEBATE

F. J. Hartland

Three high school misfits are drawn together by two unrelated events.  One, the mayor of their town is embroiled in an on-line sex scandal involving underage boys.  Two, their high school is forming a speech and debate team.

This is the basis for Speech & Debate, the current offering at Bricolage Theatre.Each of the students is harboring dark secrets that draw them together into an uneasy bond.

There’s Diwata (Laura Melchiorre),the star-struck girl who can’t get cast in any role larger than walk-on; Howie (Paul Victor), an out-and-proud senior who is new to the school; and Solomon (Matt Henderson), the ultimate high school geek who dreams of becoming a journalist.  The one adult in the cast is Gayle Pazerski, who is saddled with playing two characters (a teacher and a journalist) whose only function is to make the plot happen.  But Pazerski does an admirable job creating two distinct characters.

Director Jeffrey Carpenter has assembled a wonderful cast of young performers.

Melchiorre is delightfully funny as Diwata.  She is loud, brash and really endears herself to the audience.  Victor plays Howie with loads of sass and attitude.  But it will be Henderson who breaks your heart as a teen caught up in a situation that overwhelms him.  Together the three create an ensemble that is sometimes humorous…sometimes charming…sometimes painfully honest. 

(From what I can tell, the emotions and problems of high school students haven’t changed much in the thirty—er, I mean, twenty—years since I was that age.  Only the technology has changed!)

Carpenter has kept the production moving at an excellent pace and has gotten top-notch performances from his youthful actors.

The script by Stephen Karam has an interesting and timely premise as well as fascinating framework, but it is about ten minutes too long.Jesse Connor’s set captures the feel of a school room—but quickly changes into over locales.  It seems that sometimes it’s the costumes changes—and not the set—that results in some extended black-outs between scenes.

But overall, it is an excellent production in keeping with Bricolage’s high standards.  Kudos to Carpenter and his bright, young cast!

For anyone who ever felt outcast in high school (and quite frankly, who didn’t?) see Speech & Debate.

Speech & Debate runs through May 8.