Maine Maine West to present ‘Fairycakes’ Oct. 17-19

The Maine West High School Drama Department is excited to kick off their season with “Fairycakes,” a hilarious new work by renowned playwright Douglas Carter Beane. Performances run at 7 p.m. on Oct. 17, 18 and 19, in the Maine West Auditorium. Tickets may be purchased by visiting mainewesttheatre.seatyourself.biz or at the door. Admission is $7 for students and $12 for adults.

David Carter Beane reenvisions Shakespeare’s “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” in his refreshing new adaptation, “Fairycakes.” Drama Director David Harmon feels this is a great selection to open another exciting season. “Fairycakes is filled with witty wordplay and hilarious high jinx! It’s fast-moving, and just plain silly. The set and costumes are full of color, whimsy and a fun display of our students’ rich creativity and imagination.”

The story takes place in the Enchanted Forest of Fairytales, home to our most beloved characters and storylines: Cinderella, Pinocchio, Sleeping Beauty and Peter Pan. Here, Beane entertains a world in which these iconic characters share the same enchanted forest as those from Midsummer Night’s Dream; Cobweb also serves as the Fairy Godmother (“Cinderella”), Peaseblossom doubles as the Blue Fairy (“Pinocchio”), Mustardseed serves as Maleficent (the evil gairy godmother in “Sleeping Beauty”) and Moth doubles as Tinkerbelle (“Peter Pan”).

Trouble arises in the Enchanted Forest when Oberon and Titania (king and queen of the fairies) threaten to divorce, putting the lives of their children (Cobweb, Peaseblossom, Mustardseed and Moth) in danger. It’s discovered that, if Oberon and Titania fall out of love, their offspring will perish, jeopardizing the role each plays in their respective fairy tales. The fairy children have less than 24 hours to reunite Titinia and Oberon or their fate will be sealed. In an attempt to bring Oberon and Titinia back together, Puck (Oberon’s mischievous attendant) casts a sleeping spell in which all who fall victim will fall in love with the first person they see upon waking. Hilarity ensues as the fairy tale characters inadvertently fall in love with characters they aren’t supposed to, all while the fairies try desperately to reunite Oberon and Titania. Will they be successful? You’ll have to read (or see) the play to find out.

Senior Carter Roper (Pinocchio), said, “People should come … because it’s fun! It’s an interesting twist on classical fairy tales and Shakesphere. With plenty of fun meta-jokes, dynamic characters and lines that even still give the cast jump scares.”

Senior and student co-director, Abby Gomez Tello Urias, agreed, pointing to “a lot of funny moments and plot twists that will keep you wondering what comes next. There isn’t a moment where you will get bored.”

Sam Rubio, a junior who plays two characters (Oberon and the Captain Hook inspired character, Dirk Dead-Eye) considers this year’s fall play one of his favorites so far during his time at Maine West. “This show is hilarious … much more ambitious than plays of the past. Funny characters too, I [even] play more than one! Double the effort, but double the fun.”

Students have been working since late August and only had seven weeks to put the show together. Cast and crew have had an absolute blast so far. Roper (Pinocchio) said, “… working with everyone has been so enjoyable. We have a bunch of new people in the cast and it’s been so fun getting to know them and how they take on roles. Rehearsal-wise, [I] almost lose my glasses and script every time due to how chaotic my character is.”

Senior Jaiden Maisonet agreed, “I’ve enjoyed exploring our characters with everyone on cast. We put 110% into who we’re playing; seeing everyone put that much effort into making a character come to life is amazing. We have a lot of laughs along the way!”

Junior Sabeen Saleh (Cinderella), “loves how dramatic and over the top we get to be and how everyone is so loving and supportive of everyone else. There has never been a dull moment while working on the play.”

“It’s a larger-than-life story with an even bigger heart” Harmon said. “It’s bawdy and witty and updated for the times. And oh, did I mention, the entire thing rhymes! This show has something for everyone and is suitable for those who are young and young at heart.”