On March 27, 28, and 29, eleven Ward Melville seniors took the stage with their performance of “The Philadelphia Story”. Under the direction of Ms. Favre and assistant directors, Leah Borrie and Lily Chimenti, the Ward Melville Players revitalized a classic romantic comedy from the early 1900s. The original Philadelphia Story play was produced in 1939, featuring actress Katharine Hepburn and actors Cary Grant and James Stewart.

The plot follows Tracy Lord (Alexa Sauro), a wealthy Philadelphian who has divorced C. K. Dexter Haven (Spencer Rosner) due to his alcohol addiction and abuse. She is now set to marry George Kittredge (Jack Press). Macaully Connor (James Cribbins), the reporter for Spy Magazine, and Elizabeth Imbrie (JuliaPaige Joseph), the photographer for the magazine, accept the responsibility to cover the upcoming wedding. Meanwhile, Tracy believes her father, Seth Lord (Ryan Weaver), is having an affair and tries to protect her family’s reputation when the news reporters come to her house. Ultimately, Tracy is pulled in three directions- between news reporter Macaully Connor, fiancé George Kittredge, and her ex-husband, C. K. Dexter Haven, before the ensuing wedding.  The exciting play eventually comes to a close with a surprising marriage in the end.

Cast member Spencer Rosner (C.K. Dexter Haven) remarks that, “The Philadelphia Story was an especially rewarding experience because the whole cast had to conquer a genre of theatre we’d never encountered before.” He believes that, “We succeeded in our conquest.” Advisor Ms. Favre reflects on her favorite experience of the play: “What I enjoy most about the play is the rehearsal, improving, and finally when I can give the show over to the cast.” She thought that, “The performances were a joy”. Ms. Favre was inspired by the original movie which she saw during her childhood. She was grateful the Players were able to showcase this performance because, “we had the perfect cast for it”. She enjoyed, “laughing at Anna Torzullo”, who played Dinah Lord, since, according to Ms. Favre, Anna is, “the funniest person I know”.

The performances of “The Philadelphia Story” were successful. The cast and crew of “The Philadelphia Story” greatly appreciate all of the efforts made by Mr. Rogers, Mr. Suesser and Mr. Owen, along with the members of the Players Board. After describing her personal experiences with acting, Ms. Favre happily remarks, “I don’t want to be anywhere but inside a theater-most of the time.” When describing the cast and crew, she believes they share similar sentiments: “That’s how they feel too.”