Central sets the stage for laughter, suspense

Natalia Vignieri, left, who plays the femme fatale Mona Livingston, leans her head on the shoulder of bumbling gumshoe Charlie Nickels, played by Danny Persino. They star in Westosha Central High School’s comic noir play, “Kill Me, Deadly,” which runs Friday, April 22 through Sunday, April 24. Tickets cost $8 for the show, which is recommended for audiences over 13 (Nicholas Ravnikar/The Report).
Natalia Vignieri, left, who plays the femme fatale Mona Livingston, leans her head on the shoulder of bumbling gumshoe Charlie Nickels, played by Danny Persino. They star in Westosha Central High School’s comic noir play, “Kill Me, Deadly,” which runs Friday, April 22 through Sunday, April 24. Tickets cost $8 for the show, which is recommended for audiences over 13 (Nicholas Ravnikar/The Report).

 

 

 

 

By Nicholas Ravnikar
Correspondent

Students at Westosha Central High School didn’t get exactly the murder mystery dinner theater fundraiser that they wanted.

But the drama club is still puzzling over lines and stage directions, cuing up lights and sound, and constructing a new set that presents challenges to deliver the final crowd-pleasing performance of the academic year.

“Kill Me, Deadly,” a noir comedy by Bill Robens set in the hardscrabble back alleys of L.A., will run on the Westosha Central High School stage April 22-24.

Tracking down clues and grilling suspects about a murder and diamond heist that appear connected, private eye Charlie Nickels and his secretary, Ida, take center stage in the play, as does the sultry lounge singer and love-interest, Mona.

Murder by request
A murder mystery had been a request from students, said Michael Klimzak, who works as circulation desk aid at the school and is serving in his fourth year as Drama Club advisor and director.

The drama club, which receives funding from the school board, also hosts a number of fundraisers in addition to selling ad space in its playbills to fill out the budget for its after-school endeavors.

At a meeting earlier in the school year, one of the current play’s two assistant directors, Zach Smith, attended a murder mystery dinner and suggested the idea to Klimzak and the drama club.

They took the bait.

It turned out that the students and Klimzak weren’t able to pull together the dinner theater idea.

“Mr. Klimzak asked what we wanted to do if we couldn’t do the dinner theater show,” said senior Hannah Kunce, who plays a lead role.

Robens’ “Kill Me, Deadly,” which premiered in 2009, offered just the right sort of edgy humor Klimzak thought that could hold the attention of students and audiences alike.

“We got everything we wanted with this show,” Kunce said.

“Kill Me, Deadly” provides an opportunity for more students to get involved in a production that lacks the usual song-and-dance of bigger shows.

The show has a cast of 18 students, with almost twice that many working backstage.

“This is a fairly large show for a non-musical,” Klimzak said.

“It is something very different from anything we have produced in the past,” Klimzak said. “Because it is a send up of 1940s film noir detective movies, it has a particular style and characters. There is also a lot of stage combat, which we have not done in awhile.”

In addition to the laughs, there are at least two other reasons those associated with the cast say it’s a big show for them.

The play coincides with a national launch of a film version of the script starring Joe Montegna as Bugsy Siegel that’s being released this month in select theaters, according to the Internet Movie Database.

But closer to home, the mystery marks the first time that a few of the cast and crew will take to the stage, while for others it serves as a lighthearted send-off to college.

A first in the lead
The play marks a debut high school performance from sophomore Danny Persino, who takes the lead as a bumbling Charlie Nickels.

While Persino had experience acting in grade school productions at Bristol that included “Alice in Wonderland” and staged versions of Hans Christian Andersen tales, he said he didn’t initially take to theater in high school.

“As a freshman, I was inside my box, trying to figure out this thing called high school,” Persino said.

But, his friends encouraged him, and despite initial resistance, he relented and auditioned.

“I’m happy they convinced me,” he said. “When they posted the cast list, I was amazed. I was just happy to get a part, but getting the lead? It’s, it’s really amazing.”

Persino appreciates the way that his character helps make the play seriously funny.

“Charlie really thinks he’s cooler than he actually is,” he said. “He really does about zero percent of the actual work. He falls in love easily, and he’s very naive. He’s a dumb character in an important position.”

Persino is sure that audiences will enjoy watching him fumble his way toward the truth as Charlie, and he made sure to emphasize that the mystery element of the play takes a backseat to the comedy.

“I don’t think the audience is going to be surprised by the end,” Persino said. “But it’s funny to watch a bumbling PI try to figure out what happened when you know what happened. So I know you’ll certainly have fun.”

If you go…

What: “Kill Me Deadly” a noir comedy by Bill Robens

When: Friday, April 22 & Saturday, April 23 (7 p.m.) and April 24 (2 p.m.)

Where: Westosha Central High School theater

Who: Recommended for audiences ages 13+

Cost: $8

The full story appears in the April 15 edition of the Westosha Report


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