Fifth and sixth grade students entertained family and friends in the hilarious and action-packed play, Blather, Blarney, and Balderdash performed in the Louise Owens Theater on May 2.
Irish folk and fairy tales collided with raucous laughter when a trio of wild and crazy leprechauns named Blather (played by Kayla Dixon), Blarney (played by Ansleigh Brown), and Balderdash (played by Anna Bracher) tried to help tongue-tied shepherd Fin O’Grady (played by Zachary Justice).
Fin must learn the art of storytelling, the highest art form in the land, in order to win the confidence of Mother Flaherty (played Evana Darby) and marry her daughter, Pegeen Flaherty (played by Mary Charles Bounds). Her brother, Colm Flaherty (played by Logan Harris), is a typical younger brother who tries to thwart Fin’s efforts throughout the play.
The play spotlighted the wee folk of Ireland as the three leprechauns illustrated the art of storytelling by telling two stories of their own, The Hunchback of Knockgrafton and The Bird, the Mouse, and the Cricket.
In The Hunchback of Knockgrafton, Fin learns the difference between a protagonist and an antagonist in a story narrated by three leprechauns (played by Nyah Britt, Jessie Sutherland, and Paulina Bilotti) The leprechauns tell the story of two hunchbacks, Lusmore (played by Crawford Folk) and Madden (played by Aaron Turner). Magical Irish fairies (played by Ellie Richburg, Maddie King, Kimberly Kassis, Susan White, and Faith Jones) decide to remove Lusmore's hunchback because of his kind spirit and good heart. However, when the sly and cunning Madden tries to trick the fairies to remove his hump as well, they decide to punish him by giving him an additional hump on his back.
The Bird, Mouse and the Cricket is the second tale spun by the leprechauns to teach Fin the art of storytelling. Bridget, a courageous lass (played by Emma Dew), and three talented animals (played by Mary Charles Bounds, Faith Jones, and SV Ryan) try to help a queen (played by Beth Bowman) by making her very unhappy son laugh three times. The grumpy Prince Brian (played by Donovan Pearce) threatens to cut off their heads if they are unable to make him laugh, but through music, dancing, and some silly antics, Bridget and the animals succeed, helping the prince to regain his joy and laughter.
In addition to the characters mentioned above, Mady Kendrick, Susan White, Cha Cha Hamilton, Ellie Sutherland, Elyse Beachy, Barrett Bynum, Maddie King, and Ellie Richburg played Mother Doyle, a cow, a stranger, a wee woman, and a group of villagers, respectively.
As the leprechauns spun each entertaining tale, members of the fifth and sixth grade revealed their talents for acting with a dramatic flair, all while teaching elements of story, character lessons, and unwavering truths. By the end of the play, shy Fin discovers that a story is a treasure that increases the more you share it —no matter how good the plot, a story just isn’t a story unless you can tell it among friends.