Cast members of the musical “Inspecting Carol” pose for photos Tuesday evening in Bruder Theatre during dress rehearsal. The show premiered last night and runs through Saturday.
Yohan Kim/The Bulletin
Emporia State Theater’s production of Daniel Sullivan’s “Inspecting Carol” premiered last night in the Carol in Karl C. Bruder Theatre in King Hall. The show runs through Dec. 1, and all performances begin at 7:30 p.m.
“Once I found out I was in the show, I was pretty excited,” said Andrew Walker, junior theater major who plays the role of Larry Vauxhall. “I had to play a character opposite my personality, so it’s been pretty interesting.”
ESU alumnus Larry Mitchell directed the show. Mitchell graduated with a bachelor’s degree in theater in 2006.
“They had already chosen the play, and one of the directors decided to direct the spring play instead, so they had an open position,” Mitchell said. “I wanted to keep in touch with the school and the faculty.”
“Inspecting Carol” takes place in the early nineties and makes references to a lot of pop culture from that era.
“‘Inspecting Carol’ is funny,” Mitchell said. “It has an edge, and it has some nice themes in it.”
Mitchell said that his involvement in the play was sudden and that he only got to see the actors briefly before rehearsal and production actually began. Mitchell also said that “it’s definitely a PG-13 Christmas show.”
“It’s not the normal Christmas show – it’s Christmas with a twist,” said Brandon Jensen, junior theater major who plays the role of Wayne Wellacre.
The show is based around a struggling theatre company and their misadventures while trying to put on a production.
“I like this play because there are specific characters,” said Michael Stauffer, senior theater major who plays the part of Phil Hewlitt. “Every character has their quirk, and it just works great together. The cast is really fun to work with.”
Despite the short time to get to know the director, the cast has bonded well, said Erin Mullane, senior theater major and stage manager.
“I laughed until I cried when I read (the script),” Mullane, who plays the part of M.J. McCann in addition to stage managing, said. “What I like about this play is that even the smallest character in the show can steal the scene. It’s more about the people and less about the lines.”
Mullane said she also appreciated all of the nineties nostalgia.
ESU alumnus AND former Bulletin staffer Larry Mitchell! Yeah, Larry!