VSMT Produces “Curtains”

Alison Nieto Staff Writer

You can feel the excitement in the air as the pit band remixes Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” while audience members file into the bright red seats of St. Mary’s theater for the opening night of “Curtains”. 

Villanova Student Musical Theater’s fall production of “Curtains” opened on Thursday, Oct. 19, 2017. This musical parody of 1950’s “whodunnit” mystery theater follows Detective Frank Cioffi (Jack Evans 2019) as he tries to solve the series of murders that take place backstage of the production of “Robbin’ Hood”, forcing the cast and crew to stay locked inside the theater until the case is solved. Through the twists and turns of the mystery, the audience is taken through the backstage affairs of the musical, including the emerging love story between talented ingénue Niki Harris (Amanda Atkinson 2021) and the detective, the tension between divorced music-writing team Aaron Fox (Brian Jacko 2020) and Georgia Hendricks (Jessica Zimmerman 2020) and the contentious relationship between chorus girl Bambi Bernét (Ashley Mason 2020) and her mother, the brassy lead producer Carmen Bernstein (Ali Dunne 2018). 

The cast and crew of VSMT’s “Curtains” does nothing less than entertain for the show’s two hour and 45 minutes run time. The energy of the opening number “Kansasland” brings the audience right into the world of “Curtains” and the production of “Robbin’ Hood.” Ben Lubker’s (2021) comic timing as director Christopher Belling is impeccable and engaging from his first line and Austin Taylor’s (2020) portrayal of co-producer Sidney Bernstein leaves little room for breathing between laughs. The jokes are continuous and good times are had by all, as the audience is held in suspense and anticipation awaiting the reveal of the murderer. Although it is sometimes hard to hear dialogue over the pit band, the performance is incredibly entertaining and allows for the audience to step away from the worries and cares of everyday life and into the lively, exuberant world of “Curtains”. 

“Curtains” will run through Friday, Oct. 27 at 8 PM. Tickets are available online and in Connelly for $6 and are also available at the door for $7.