Do you enjoy a good mystery? If so, you will want to join us in person for Curtains, the Upper School Musical, on March 4 and 5 at 7:00 PM or March 6 at 2:00 PM in the Richard Perry Theatre. We can’t wait for the standing ovations!

According to director Mariko Watt, in Curtains, “It’s the year 1959, and Boston’s Colonial Theatre is host to the opening night performance of the new musical, Robbin’ Hood. When the profoundly untalented leading lady mysteriously dies on stage, the entire cast and crew are suspects. Enter Lieutenant Frank Cioffi, who also happens to be a musical theater fan. He quarantines the cast and crew inside the theater while he searches for clues. The musical will open again in 24 hours with a new leading lady, so the clock is ticking to find the killer and save the show!”

Whodunnit? Meet the Cast of Curtains

Ezekiel Wise ’24 portrays Lieutenant Frank Cioffi, the detective who loves musical theater. “This role was definitely fun to play since he switches between trying to solve the murders and fix the show,” Wise said. “The music is super fun and very high energy most of the time. The dance conveys the story and character relationships.” This has been the most challenging role Wise has played at Poly. “It’s really been tough to learn all my lines,” he said, “but after this, I’m sure I won’t have any problems with lines.”

In her second Poly musical, Jasmine Donald ’24 plays Jessica Cranshaw in Curtains. “The most fun part about playing Jessica,” Donald said, “is that I am able to act silly and be overly dramatic and be overly expressive because that is what makes Jessica who she is.” Donald is also a featured dancer. “I love learning how to perform difficult dances in a short period of time, all while singing,” she said.

“Playing the role of Jessica Cranshaw helps me to experience a new way of acting and singing in a musical,” Donald said. “I have never played a role like Jessica before, so it was very interesting and entertaining to learn about her character and make her my own.”

Donald was asked how the music and dance help tell the story. “They bring out the energy that the characters are feeling,” she said,  “as well as entertain the audience with intricate dance moves and fantastic singing. The contrast between the songs in the musical versus the songs within the musical’s musical really shows how the story is progressing while the characters are still performing in their own musical.”

Katie Lopez ’23 describes her character, Olivia Shapiro, as “an eccentric and wealthy producer who’s always trying to make a buck.” She explains, “I think the hardest part about playing Olivia was figuring out in which direction I wanted to take her character; there were so many ways to go! However, after receiving my costume, which includes a striking gray wig and accessories in bright colors, I knew exactly how she would act!”

“I really haven’t been acting all that much in recent years,” Looez said, “so Curtains is a fun way to get back into it! Music has always been my favorite part of theater, so that’s always great, but the real challenge is dance. I’m something of an infamously bad dancer in the Poly theater department, but I always have fun learning and trying out choreography!”

Ryan Geisler ’25, part of the Ensemble,  says they are “in all of the big musical numbers and they do most of the singing and dancing in the show.” Geisler added, “While we have to learn a lot of material, it’s really fun to bond with the cast. The dance and music in Curtains is reflective of the setting and themes of the show, and a lot of the dance numbers have something to do with parts of the script. I’ve had to push myself to improve my dance and singing skills a lot to do this show.

“The role of the Ensemble in this specific show is to support the scenes,” explained Stavroula Gabriel ’25. “The most challenging part of being in the ensemble is making your own decisions about what you would like to do. We are dancing at some points and at other points we are standing throughout the stage and have to make decisions about what we want to do to add to the scene. For example, we could pretend to be talking to the people around us. This show has a musical within a musical so the ensemble plays the ensemble in two different shows.”

Families are asked to register to attend our Upper School Musical “Curtains” on March 4 and 5 at 7:00 PM or March 6 at 2:00 PM in the Richard Perry Theatre. Tickets are $5 for students and $15 for adults. Check out the program for more info!

Please note the following policy for in-person visits to our campuses:

• Parents/guardians who visit must show a digital Poly Pass to enter.
• Visitors experiencing any symptoms consistent with COVID-19, including mild symptoms such as congestion should stay home.
• Unvaccinated children may accompany their vaccinated parents.
  • As of 1/3/2022, individuals 5 years and older must be fully vaccinated in order to attend any Poly event (plays, concerts, sporting events).
  • Children over 5 who are not fully vaccinated will not be permitted on campus.
• Masks must be worn at all times indoors.
• Parents/guardians accompanied by unvaccinated children are responsible for ensuring that unvaccinated children maintain social distance (> 3 feet) from others while on campus.
• Visitors who are not Poly Prep parents/guardians must show a valid ID and a proof of vaccination. Proof of vaccination can be a NYS Excelsior Pass, a CDC vaccination card or NYC’s COVID SAFE app.