Hagerty's Production A Joy To See

by Madison Bernstein, Lyman High School

Bright lights, opening night, an entire row of critics; this combination is a perfect recipe for a flock of butterflies to nest themselves in your stomach, but this did not seem so for the cast of Hagerty High’s production of “The Miracle Worker” by William Gibson, on October 19, 2006.

A play with almost a two-year run time on Broadway, along with such a strong message and story is bound to be a winner. The basis to “The Miracle Worker” is the story of Annie Sullivan’s development into a well educated, intelligent, and efficient teacher to the deaf, dumb, and blind. Annie met Helen and her family in 1887. Helen was a spoiled child, who Annie was determined to change, with awful manners and terrible temper tantrums.

Leah Goetzke, who played Annie Sullivan, convinced the entire audience she was Annie Sullivan by transforming from a young girl freshly out of school who didn’t know much about the world or how to teach, and blossoming into a history making miracle worker.

Helen and Annie are an unstoppable duo. The relationship they expressed to the audience was one of true compassion to help one another. Annie obviously gave Helen the tools to transform her into a contributing member of society. Just as Annie was molding Helen into the person she turned out to be, Helen styled Annie into a successful and knowledgeable teacher who will go down in history.

With such strong actors it’s easy for inexperienced actors to go unnoticed. On stage it is prudent to speak loudly and clearly or be drowned out.

The set for Hagerty’s production was simply delightful. The creation of the different level for Annie’s bedroom gave a more realistic feel to the Keller’s home. Besides the marvelous décor of the Keller’s household, the working water-pump was not only a shock to see, but intensely wonderful to see the commitment of dedicating to the major revelation of Helen’s life.

Hagerty’s production was a joy to see and a true attention grabber. From their choice of actors to the actual play they chose to perform, was a strong and good decision.

Originally published in The Backstage Noise, Fall, 2006