Welcome to the Monkey House a suitable quote for when freshmen first enter high school, was performed the weekend of Nov. 4 by our very own Goshen High School Drama Club.

The Monkey House was one large production featuring the Kurt Vonnegut stories “Harrison Bergeron,” “Who am I This Time,” “The Euphio Question,” and “The Kid Nobody Could Handle.” In this critic’s opinion, this year's production was a perfect balance of good acting, perfect direction, and insane confusion.

This year’s performance, to many, was extremely confusing, which was one of its very few downfalls. With the play having four stories instead of just one, at times it was hard to follow. But other than that, this year’s play was one of the best productions I’ve seen presented by the drama club since my freshman year.

Each of the four stories presented on stage was quite entertaining, almost too entertaining, at some points. The first story, “Harrison Bergeron,” was by far my favorite, with brilliant acting by Cody Hayden, who played George Bergeron, the main character in this Vonnegut story. Overall, the story was well represented and portrayed on stage.

The second story, “Who Am I This Time” was also portrayed extremely well. Actors Pat O’ Hern and Emily Lloyd pulled off stunning parts that entertained almost everyone in the audience. Overall, the first and second stories probably made the whole production worthwhile.



As the show moved on, it became far more complex, and harder to follow. “The Euphio Question,” did not have the same awe-inspiring acting or flow of the first two stories, but overall it was still good. With a confusing yet somewhat entertaining plot, “The Euphio Question” dipped into the realm of hallucinatory agents that caused some to think “are they allowed to show that?” At some points during the play, the audience was more confused than coherent. With the play centering on a euphonic noise that created artificial happiness, a “high”, many wondered what was happening at any given point.

The fourth and final story performed this year was "The Kid Nobody Could Handle.” This is the story that the play was supposed to culminate in. Through each of the separate stories, references to “The Kid” were made, sort of setting up the audience for a climactic ending; but in reality, the ending was anything but climactic.

As a reviewer, I found it difficult to follow the four short stories which revolved around a central plot. Yet although the production was confusing, the acting was extremely well done. “WTTMH” was the final Drama Club production for 20 seniors on the cast and crew who have been directed by Mr. Hugh Mackay, one of our English teachers, and Mrs. Lloyd, a vocal music teacher. Mr. Mackay and Mrs. Lloyd have been the dedicated co-directors of the GHS drama club for longer than some can remember.

On behalf of this critic, I would like to congratulate both the cast and crew of Welcome to the Monkey House on a job well done. I only hope that next year’s production meets and surpasses the awesomeness of this one.