On Monday, the Lexington High School cast and crew of The Alibis, the fall play, had a run-through in preparation for opening night on November 20. The actors, clad in their casual school attire, spoke animatedly into microphones in front of the elaborate set behind them. A completely furnished interior of a home sits atop the stage in the auditorium, depicting the living room of a wealthy family. The room was decorated with careful attention to detail, with paintings of scenic views framed and hung on the patterned walls. Potted plants were placed strategically underneath the stairwell, and a couch with two actors seated atop it took center stage.
In one scene, two actors playing a married couple squabbled while preparing for their Star Wars-loving daughter’s birthday party. In the scene, their birthday plans slowly and hilariously unravelled, as their daughter’s birthday gift got ruined and a Chewbacca actor cancelled.
The army of deep red auditorium chairs was empty, except for the play’s director, who fervently took notes on each scene, likely to give actors feedback later. Each scene ran very smoothly, with virtually no mistakes, foreshadowing a successful opening night.
While each scene is lighthearted and comical, The Alibis is actually a murder mystery. The play opens with 6 suspects congregated in a room inside the mansion of Jay Leslie Arlington, the victim. A detective enters to inform the suspects why they have been apprehended: because they failed to procure an alibi, they were named suspects. The detective pulls each suspect aside and has them explain what they were doing the night the victim died, so he can correctly identify the murderer.
Each suspect’s explanation of their alibi is rendered into a sort of “mini-play,” said cast-member Arden Taylor, who plays one of the suspects. Notably, each mini-play is written by a different person. “It’s a really cool show where there’s not just one playwright, there’s actually multiple playwrights coming together,” Taylor said. There are 8 total playwrights, which is evident stylistically. “I think each of the plays has a slightly different tone to them and a slightly different way of writing.” Some mini-plays lean towards being more comedic, while others are dramatic.
“Because there are so many playwrights, it’s like a play that you’ve never seen,” added cast-member Aman Verna, who plays the detective’s assistant.
What is striking about the format of The Alibis is that the plot develops very quickly, making it highly engaging and more appealing for those with shorter attention spans. There’s also an interactive component, as the audience identifies the culprit along with the detective at the end.
In the past, LHS theater productions have often been much more serious and less accessible to a broader audience. “I think The Alibis is something that all ages can enjoy, especially because it’s not in Shakespearean English or anything. It’s very straightforward, and it’s very light and comedic. It’s a nice show for people to just come, unwind, and laugh along,” said cast-member Anaya Joshi, who plays a secret superfan of the victim.
The production of The Alibis has had numerous moving parts and relied heavily on the work done backstage by the crew. Assistant Head of the Costume Department, affectionately referred to as “Stumes,” Tess O’Brien, noted that “The Alibis is set in modern times, which makes it a bit easier to costume. It follows this very wealthy family. So, a lot of it is costuming how wealthy upper-class elites and their servants dress. There’s less sewing, it’s more so pulling from what we already have and ordering what we don’t online.”
This past week, the cast has also put in long hours in the auditorium and backstage, refining the show before performing in front of an audience. The cast and crew come to rehearse on the weekends, stay late after school each day, and have dinners together, all as part of tech week. “Tech week has been very stressful, but it’s also been very fun because I’m with the people I really like. It’s a very exciting time, because it’s when all the pieces come together. It’s when the magic starts happening,” suspect-playing cast-member Luke Denoncourt said. “It sounds crazy that we’re here for so long, but it really flies by.”At 7:30 PM, November 20 through 22, the culmination of months of LHS students’ hard work on and offstage will be on display. The Alibis is set up to be a fresh and amusing performance—it is one that you will not want to miss. “I think it would really be a crime for people not to come to the show,” said cast-member Lyael Ohavi.