Hilarity ensues as the Clarkston High School Drama Club takes the stage in Ken Ludwig’s ‘Leading Ladies? on May 1 and 2.
Austin Hauptstueck, as Leo Clark, and Mitchell Biggs, as Jack Gable, are actors trying to make ends meet and then discover a millionaire is dying and wants to give two million dollars of her estate to her sister’s children, Max and Steve.
The catch is Max and Steve are really Maxine and Stephanie but it doesn’t stop Hauptstueck and Biggs from stepping into their shoes and masquerading as women.
‘My character is really manipulative,? Hauptstueck said about Leo. ‘He has to have everything under his control. He is kind of self-absorbed a little but then falling in love changes that.?
He added he grew up on this kind of comedy, which is a little slapstick, a lot of sarcasm, and some stupidity mixed in.
‘It makes me lot it more because that’s the humor I’ve grown up with and the humor I have always known,? Hauptstueck. ‘Of course everybody we are working with are amazing and wonderful.?
Biggs plays Leo’s best friend, Jack, and goes along with the plan.
‘He looks up to Leo in many ways,? he added. ‘Leo is like a mentor. When Leo wants to do something he can easily manipulate Jack. Jack is a fairly bad actor and it shows when he fakes trying to be a woman in this household because it is very obvious he isn’t deaf and dumb nor a woman. He gets away with it somehow.?
Em Lohmeier plays Florence Snider, the millionaire about to die and looking for family to leave some of her estate to.
‘She is very cranky,? she said. ‘She’s really old. She is almost dead but not quite yet. She is holding on. She doesn’t like a lot of people except for her family. She’s really fun. She is frail but I can very funny and very witty at the same time.?
Playing Florence’s niece, Meg, is Emily Moreno, which is the storyline connecting everyone together.
‘She lives in this small town, but she doesn’t fit in there because she has these big dreams and aspirations,? Moreno said. ‘It ties in with Leo and Jack. She saw them do a show once and feel in love with acting, the theatre, traveling and the glamorous life so she is feeling kind of stuck where she is. When Maxine and Stephanie come in they bring her back to life.?
Jacob Wright plays Duncan, Meg’s fiance and a reverend and is the first to suspect Maxine and Stephanie aren’t women.
‘The way he works is he is very articulated, well-versed, well-spoken, very full of himself and he is in the right and doing what’s best for Meg,? Wright explained. ‘A lot of his humor comes off as very dry. He finds it humorous and it’s not.?
Rounding off the cast is Zach Flewelling as Doctor Myers, who takes care of Florence and has his eyes on Stephanie; Alyssa Harbaugh as Audrey, a loving girl in her 20s who falls in love with Jack; and Nicholas Strubbe as Butch, who also in his 20s and an ex-football player who is madly in love in Audrey.
‘It’s hilarious,? Moreno added about the play and the characters. ‘This is truly one of the funniest shows I have read or seen. It has the comic part and also is a touching story. All the characters works themselves out at the end after the hilarity. We worked so hard and have gotten close.?
‘It’s a comedy like you wouldn’t expect comedies to be,? Harbaugh said. ‘It relies on many different types of humor.
‘Leading Ladies? is rated PG-13 and has performances on May 1 and 2 at 7 p.m. Presale tickets are $7 and tickets at the door are $9. They can be purchased online at www.centerstageticketing.com/sites/clarkstonhigh or by calling 248-623-4024.