This essay is a review on the play "The Why" by Victor Kaufold.

Essay by chrisgraham2003High School, 11th grade February 2005

download word file, 1 pages 3.0

The Why

The San Joaquin Memorial production of The Why, I thought was a great success. The cast, crew, and director all did an amazing job in bringing a story about teenage violence to life. I really liked the fact that the drama department had the courage to present such a controversial play to the school. I'm sure it really meant a lot to everyone who watched it as it did me.

The part about the play that I enjoyed was the way the scenes were sort of scattered. It wasn't just one continuous story from start to finish. There were news clips, and Robert & psychiatrist sessions, and reenactments. It was interesting to watch the way time progressed in the play. The way it happened was there would be a scene about the present and then there would be a flashback, and then there would be a newsbreak. The order sometimes varied but the overall idea I think was to present a boy's situation from all sides of the story.

His own, the media, the students, civilians, & professionals. It was almost like a court case with testimonies, and we the audience, were the jury. It was up to us to decide whether or not Robert should be forgiven.

Of the whole play, I would have to say my favorite scene was the one where Rachelle Sico played the role of The Why. It was a very touching part and her acting made it all the better. I saw Rachelle rehearse her monologue two times and both of those times I nearly jumped out of my seat. Her opening line is of her screaming at the toper of her lungs at the audience. I'm sure everyone was wide awake after that.

Overall, I would give the play two thumbs...