Exit the Body Review

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Ashlee Renteria

Jaegar Cohen (12), Randolph, pulls Amanda Rooker (11), Jenny, onto his lap as she wonders who the antagonist is in “Exit the Body.”

“Exit the Body,” a hilarious mystery about an author who rents a home in New England and soon ends up in the center of a search for diamonds, ran for 4 nights last week at San Juan Hills.

The play opened with the hilarious and seemingly naive Jenny (Amanda Rooker 11) and her gangster beau, Randolph (Jaegar Cohen 12), sneaking into a New England home in search of mysterious diamonds. Rooker and Zenk’s costumes allude to the play being set in a time in the earlier 1900s as Rooker dons a classic maid’s outfit and Zenk a classic mobster suit.

The play was directed by both Ms. Beilstein and Celina Gigliello (11) and, I have to say, the direction they took it was delightful. All the actors performed hilariously, if you did not see this play you truly missed out on a comical time.

Crane Hammond (Rachel Sandefur 12), the mystery writer who rents the home, discovers a body in the coat closet soon after arrival. Upon discovering the body, Hammond faints, and her cynical Secretary, Kate Bixley (Anna Moneymaker 10), happens upon her leading to many doubts and snarky comments. When the play begins to feel too chaotic, Bixley appears adding her disinterested and nonchalant humor.

Moneymaker added the perfect touch to Bixley with her expressive face, or lack thereof in this case. Both Sandefur and Moneymaker are excellent at the “big city accent”, bringing the play to life even more.

I, of course, have to praise the unexpected comic genius of the play Vernon Cookley, played by Braeden Schmitt (11). Vernon Cookley is Sheriff, dog catcher, justice of the peace, and Church Sexton. Schmitt did an amazing job turning himself into an old senile man with his slouch and shaky jaw. Vernon Cookley received many of the show’s grandest laughs with his impassive delivery

As the play progresses more and more characters are introduced through the set’s several entrances and another body is found in the closet that has two doors. It leads to all the characters meeting at 2am in Hammond’s rental home in which characters can be found wandering around in the dark, looking for diamonds/or one another.

Christian Waizinger(10), playing Lyle Rogers, has perfected the french accent in his role as both the husband of Lillian Seymour, played by Gabrielle Heckler(12), and Crane Hammond in a wacky turn of events. Heckler adds the perfect touch of pretentiousness with her upturned nose and her smug tone.

Not to be forgotten the star-struck real estate agent named Helen O’Toole (Bria DiCenzo 12), Crane’s actual husband Richard (Carson Verity 11), and an amnesiac perhaps named Phillip (Noah Salviati 10).

All is revealed in the end, including the identity of the unknown “Boss”. One would never guess who the many detectives are and the one “bad guy” in the play. “Exit the Body” was performed excellently, this cast was selected excellently. All the characters in this play have truly mastered comedy, mystery, and farce.