“Life is a series of evictions …,” comments Gowan McGland (Adam Clark) in “Spofford,” a play about the oddities of Frank Spoffords’ life, caught in between the upper and lower classes. The story is set in Woodsmoke, Conn., and tells the account of Frank Spofford, who struggles to help his granddaughter fit into the higher class society, while owning his own chicken shop and dealing with his high ranking customers.
Sean Clark as Frank Spofford did a fantastic job of switching roles, transforming himself from narrator into an old flirt throughout the show. His voice and stature caught the attention of the audience while they listened attentively and cheered at times through the hardships that Spofford had to deal with. His interaction with Mrs. Punck (Kathy Norris) proved to be especially humorous, from his hatred toward her to her unsolicited advances. Norris’ voice and body language lent well to the character and allowed her to immediately transform herself into an older woman on the stage.
Jen Green as Geneva brought spunk, energy and the necessary naïveté to the show, trying to find herself while living through some awkward moments with her family. Green played her role well, her face becoming filled with emotion at all the right moments. Erik Magnusson-Odelstierna as Tad was a believable college boy who at times was clueless as to what was happening with his on again-off again relationship with Geneva. Erik’s accent never faltered from upper-class, and got better as he became British after having attended Oxford.
The costumes helped set the scene of being back in the '60s, and the accents especially brought out the point. Although they did not have microphones, the actors’ voices traveled well, and there was never a hearing problem. The sound effects such as the store door and the cars pulling up helped set the scene.
Playing spoiled, rich people can be difficult, but Flint Hill did it well, only sometimes overplaying the “country club” women. Throughout the show, the characters might have missed lines, but they did not let their acting falter.
All through the show, the actors kept the audience engaged in the performance with their acting. Flint Hill’s rendition of “Spofford” was filled with believable accents and fine acting.
Cappies is a high school critics and awards program involving 50 schools in the Virginia, Maryland and D.C. areas.