On Nov. 22 and 23, the Scotch Plains-Fanwood High School repertory theatre department put on their production of “Game of Tiaras” for audiences in three shows: Fri. Nov. 22 at 7pm, Sat. Nov. 23 at 2pm and Sat. Nov. 23 at 7pm.
“Game of Tiaras” is loosely based on the Shakespearean tale of King Lear, in which King Lear, who is based on the mythological Leir of Britain, decides to divide his kingdom amongst his two daughters that flatter him, and banishes the third one, who loves him but fails to flourish him with compliments. After this, substantial battles and death ensues on all sides of the disagreement, and nearly everyone ends up dead. This same plot plays out in “Game of Tiaras,”except more modern, with Disney or modern princesses taking the place of Shakespeare’s characters, and with much more comedic lines than William Shakespeare likely included in his original tale.
The play followed The King (Paul Vlkovic) as he watches over his three daughters—Belle (Maggie Hayes), The Snow Queen/Ellie (Grace Bottomly) and Cinderella (Sofia Vanterpool)—after splitting his kingdom between Ellie and Cinderella. The majority of the play centers around the sisterly rivalries and the audience watches anxiously as battles ensue back-to-back and nearly everyone ends up dead.
The play was definitely catered towards a Gen Z audience—with songs such as “FEIN” by Travis Scott, “Apple” by Charli XCX (along with its’ popular TikTok dance) and references to “Pink Pony Club” by Chappell Roan in its dialogue. This allowed the play to enhance its connection with the students both in the audience and on the stage.
The production was humorous, although sometimes cringey, and it was clear that audiences enjoyed it through the palpable energy and laughter coursing through the room.
Seniors Mac Bastable and Josie Berthold did an excellent job at narrating the play, with just the right tone of voice, and excitement, or sarcasm, that was necessary for comedic timing and to keep viewers engaged and interested in the production.
The audience saw some actors who are familiar faces within the theatre program at SPFHS from other productions, and some first-time actors. Either way, everyone did amazing, and it didn’t feel like it was students up on the stage—they all really blended into their roles and really ‘went for it.’
The actors were also able to transform into their roles with the immaculate set design and the costuming. It was clear that there was meticulous focus and a strenuous effort into making these elements shine through in the production, and it only further highlighted just how much work the students, staff and volunteers put into the three shows.
Two of the actors performed with broken feet: junior Sofia Vanterpool (Cinderella) and senior Jaralin Truselo (Princess Leia). It was difficult to tell that anyone was even injured because the cast did such a great job in going with the flow and adjusting certain elements of the script, one even poking fun at Vanterpool’s injury.
“Game of Tiaras” was another fantastic production done by SPFHS students, arguably one of their best, and it would not have been possible without the fantastic cast, crew and directors as listed below:
Cast:
Narrator 1: Mac Bastable
Narrator 2: Josie Bethold
Cinderella: Sofia Vanterpool
Ellie (The Snow Queen): Grace Bottomly
Belle: Maggie Hayes
Snow White: Sophie Spencer
The King: Paul Vlkovic
Sméagol: Patrick Leone
Prince Charming: Phoebe Kother
The French Prince: Benjamin Sepinwall
Blood Packet Guy: Riley Boozer
The Little Mermaid: Bella Rocha
Pocahontas: Arielle Soloman
Princess Meg: Eboni Goodmen
Princess Peach: Adrianne Henry
Rapunzel: Arielle Henry
Sleeping Beauty: Abigail Richardson
Princess Tiana: Laila Smith
Princess Leia: Jaralin Truselo
Team Cinderella Guard 1: Chris Allen
Team Cinderella Guard 2: Joey Estevez
Team Cinderella Guard 3: Jade Reilert
Team Ellie Soldier 1: Emma Telpis
Team Ellie Soldier 2: Stan Lu
Team Ellie Soldier 3: Cooper Pomponio
Team Belle French Soldier 1/Lumiere: Daniel Murphy
Team Belle French Soldier 2: Connor Matulonis
Team Belle French Soldier 3: Brendan Campion
Executioner/Ensemble: Peyton Rose
Olaf/Mrs. Potts/Fish/Witch/Ensemble: Lexi van Blijdesteijn
Dwarf 1/Ensemble: Ari White
Dwarf 2/Ensemble: Cooper Blank
Herald/Ensemble: Samantha Hale
Peasant 1/Ensemble: Alexandra Martins
Peasant 2/Ensemble: Julianne Ho
Crowd Member 1/Ensemble: Samantha Lionetti
Crowd Member 2/Ensemble: Kayla Mathew
Ensemble: Lila Craven
Ensemble: Evelyn Lieberman
Ensemble: Rebecca Noriega
Crew:
Stage Manager: Ant Butters
Assistant Stage Manager: RB Lopez
Crew Chief: Francesca Benedicto
Master Electrician: Caleb Gruber
Sound Operators: Francesca Benedicto, Keira Hoey, Joseph Bryant
Audio 2: Morganne Taylor, Samantha Newman, Rebecca Greisman, Juliette Rose
Lighting Board Operator: Caleb Gruber
Spotlight Operators: Nathan Chen, Anthony Villafrade
Props: Hannah Fox, Ella Villafrade
Assistant Scenic Artist: Jeff Gui
Run Crew: Isabella Carissimo, Jeff Gui, Julia Marinaro, Artemis Martinez, Deegan Ventura
Stage Crew: Rebecca Debenham, Makayla Douglas, Sofiia Malinovski, Mia Powell, Mateo Ruiz, Ruth Sharlein
Costume Head: RJ Crisafulli
Costume Assistants: Julia Camargo, Sami Savarese
Costumes: Jade Franco, Liviana Guarino, Teresa Jackson, Alison Maldonado, Olivia Maver, Naima Pilgrim, Holly Rein, Kate Sefranka, Charlotte Sobo, Emma Telford
Production Staff:
Director: Morgan Knight
Co-Producer: Jan Allen
Co-Producer: Courtney Nemec
Technical Director: Evan Perrotta
Costume Designer: Joanne Sprague
Scenic Designer: Joseph Napolitano
Lighting Designer: Christian Confalone
Photographer: Michael Molfetto
Publicity: Morgan Knight, Kelly Robertson
Master Carpenter: Chris Cerino
The Fanscotian would like to congratulate all the cast on their stellar performance, the senior cast members on their last fall play and thank all of those who helped make “Game of Tiaras” possible. We look forward to seeing the spring musical “Freaky Friday,” which is being performed on March 13, 14, 15 and 16, 2025.
