From April 12-14, Mead High School’s theater department performed Curtains, a comedy musical with an element of mystery.

Curtains follows the cast of a musical performed in Boston, hoping to get to broadway. With endless conflicts between members of the cast and crew, the tension is clear from the beginning. And when the star of the show, Jessica Crenshaw (played by Sofia Vihelmsson) is murdered, everyone involved in the production is a suspect.

Things only get wackier when the detective inspecting the case, Lieutenant Frank Cioffi (played by Micheal Reeder) declares that no one can leave the theater until the murderer is found. However throughout the play, it becomes clear that murder comes second to show business, and even Lieutenant Cioffi is more concerned with the show than uncovering the murderer.

As the investigation continues, Lieutenant Cioffi becomes one with the cast and crew, even developing a romance with Crenshaw’s understudy… However, that isn’t the only relationship we see. Lyricist gone leading lady and her former partner rekindle their relationship, despite the strange circumstance they find themselves in.

High school productions can be so hard to get right, but this cast and crew could not have done better. This musical genuinely made me laugh out loud, something that is not always easily achieved in high school musicals.

Curtains was the perfect choice for this year’s musical. It’s clear that the director knew the students they’d be working with and understood their strengths. The writing is playfully self aware, which again, plays to the strength of this cast. The casting of students like Micheal Reeder (’24) as the detective, Kensington Fairley (’24) as the producer, and Zachary Barrett (’23) as the director were so perfect, especially knowing some of these students personally.

The amount of variety that the show provided was also impressive. There was acting, singing, dancing, wonderful costume design, funny moments, sad moments, and everything in between. The musical has this classic broadway musical kind of feeling, with bouncy melodies, jazz hands, and an abundance of drama.

Overall what made this musical such an enjoyable watch was the fact that the audience could just feel how much fun the performers were having. Every cast member looked like they belonged on stage, and it was clear how strong the bond was between every performer. The actors having a fun time on stage only made the show better. Their enjoyment seeped into the play itself, making it arguably one of the best musicals Mead High has put on to date.