This was the most ambitious show that Garretson High School Drama has put on in many years. Normally favoring short half-hour or hour-long productions, “A Trip to the Moon” was a two hour show with an intermission, and a very large cast.
The play, broken into two acts, takes us back in time to 1969, with the events up to, including, and immediately after the Apollo moon landing. Each scene follows the experience of the everyday perspective of average Americans living and working during this time period.
Though the play was comedic, it is surrounded by serious issues such as war, civil rights and gender equality. Issues that haven’t gone anywhere in 55 years, and though we can say we’ve made discernable progress as a society, many of the issues and challenges we face as a nation remain the same. These serious issues, however, were handled well with wry humor and realistic, yet positive outlook.
The costuming was spot on, as were the historical references. Seeing our 21st Century born and raised youngsters wear the garb and use the lingo of yester-year was comedic and poignant. Something the cast really nailed well was the perspective of everyday people while history unfolded around them. Each scene had a song title and a transition song from the era, such as “Space Oddity,” "You Can't Always Get What You Want," “Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head,” "Bad Moon Rising," and "Fortunate Son." With recurrent characters throughout the show, from a family watching the moon landing to a marriage proposal and later wedding ceremony in the rain; we had a show that was effectively 16 scenes of sketch comedies and dramas that told a holistic picture of what it was like to live at that time and place, back in 1969. Through a good mix of comically human drama, the GHS cast delivered a fine show.
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