Get Smart!
Jessica Albrecht
Thomas Jefferson High School Theatre Department gladly presents Get Smart as this years’ annual fall play. Get Smart is the hilarious retelling of the 1960s classic television show. Performances will be held in the Thomas Jefferson High School auditorium on Thursday, November 15th and Saturday, November 17th. Both shows will be at 7:30 p.m.
Presale tickets will be available on Monday, November 12th from 6 to 7 p.m. in the TJHS lobby. Tickets will also be sold in all lunch periods the week of the play. Student tickets are $4 and adult tickets are $8. All tickets are $8 on the night of the play.
Spirits run high both on stage and off the stage with this years’ cohesive cast. Senior, Carmen LoPresti, stars as Secret Agent Maxwell Smart, and boasts of the groups connection when he says “the friendships shine through on stage.” The cast has grown far more comfortable with each other this year than in years past. LoPresti has been in numerous performances outside of TJHS but says, “None have a connection like we do.”
Along with LoPresti is his trusty partner, senior Jamie Pasquinelli as, Agent 99. The final picture at the end, the constant twists and surprises along the way, in company with the harmony amongst the cast will make this year’s play a hit.
When asked how will the show appeal to the younger crowd, Julie Tipton, head of the drama department, said the play has “funny, goofy humor.” As for the older end of the spectrum, the cast explains that the play is very similar to 2 episodes of the original show in particular. The play will be “unique from the show, but share guidelines in regards to plot” says senior Shoueb Mamoor who will be costarring as evil Professor Donte. Shoueb, along with an abundance of other supporting rolls, play a big part in putting the entire play into action.
This troupe being primarily seniors has only a few younger cast mates. One character is Erin Lazar, sophomore, who will be playing the princess. “Meeting everyone” and “seeing them transform from their everyday self to their character” are among Erin’s favorite parts of being a part of this years’ production. The chemistry this cast has helps them feed off of each other so that “no one gets nervous.” Instead, they “test each other and have to show their character.” The cast had become familiar with the old television show in order to bring out the authenticity and charm of the original program. When asked just how long they’ve been preparing themselves, junior Chris Serrao mentioned that, “as soon as we got comfortable with school, we started practice.” Serrao will be playing Garth, the overly large and overly untrustworthy secret agent. Serrao claims his favorite scene to be the fight scene with Smart because “Smart’s a big baby.”
There are always surprises in this comical yet serious rendition on the original show. The cast and crew anticipate a large interest and lots of enthusiasm among the crowd. To show your enthusiasm, head to the Thomas Jefferson High School auditorium on November 15th or 17th to take a journey back in time and relive the beloved, classic TV show, Get Smart.