by Pete Schulte
Editor in Chief
Following a mother’s death, two estranged half-sisters discover a book of rare stamps that may include the unicorn of every stamp collection. With one sister trying to cash in and sell the stamps to pay off debt and the other sister vying to keep the collection for sentimental value, three con men have their own plans to take the stamp collection in the comedy “Mauritius,” opening April 15 at the Bodker Black Box Theatre.
Written by Theresa Rebeck, “Mauritius” originally opened on Broadway in October 2007. The rendition at the college is being directed by Aubrey Urban, adjunct theater professor, and stars five students.
Urban is planning on showing the audience some Kansas City flair to make this cast and crew’s version of “Mauritius” their own. Costume and set design, as well as the score for the play, are all highlighted by local influences.
“We’re setting it in Kansas City, just for ease of purpose,” Urban said. “The stage directions were really vague, like ‘midwestern town,’ and I thought, ‘Why not Kansas City?’ It’s kind of playing in really well in terms of costume design. You’ll see a Boulevard t-shirt, the beer we drink will be Boulevard or Freestate.”
Our two opposing sisters are Jackie and Mary, respectively played by students Kelsey Helpley and Sarah Dickson. Jackie, who was home and cared for their mother before her death, wants to sell the stamp collection to pay off debt left behind. Mary, however, returns home following their mother’s death and claims the stamp collection as her own, as it was her grandfather who amassed the collection.
Helpley, who has been acting for three years, was elated to have landed the lead role as Jackie in only her third production with the college.
“I am so incredibly excited. This is my third production that I’ve been a part of at the school, but it’s the only lead I’ve ever gotten. And so it’s very exciting to get a character who has so many layers and is so fun to play,” Helpley said.
While Helpley acknowledges that Urban’s help throughout rehearsals has made her role feel challenging but natural, one thing she’s both excited and a little nervous about are the variety of fight scenes throughout the play.
“I’m also afraid that I’m going to hook Mary (Dickson) because I have to do a fake punch … and if I get it wrong, I smack her. Every other fight scene, I’m the one getting beaten up, so it’s okay, I don’t have to worry about much there,” Helpley laughed.
In efforts to value the collection, Jackie seeks the assistance of Phillip, Dennis and Sterling, respectively played by students Mason Morrill, Kyle Aaron Jones and Jackson Jerome Spencer, all who are out to get Jackie’s hugely valuable stamp collection for themselves.
“It’s interesting because when your first read through it, some people may not necessarily see it as a comedy at first,” Urban said. “It’s like ‘Whoa! This is intense!’ But I think the comedy comes through in the sense that, as a cast, we’re trying to really establish very real people who are taking themselves seriously, but that kind of allows the audience to open up and be able to laugh at them. It’s a lot of fun.”
Spencer, who plays the sociopath Sterling, has been acting since he was in grade school, and said it was something he wanted to do from the time he was six years old. He thinks the audience is in for a rollercoaster ride of emotions throughout the play.
“I hope they really do think it’s funny in its own right. At first glance, it does seem very serious, but after putting flesh and bones to it, there’s a lot of comedy, a black kind of comedy, a dark comedy. I hope the audience can go from laughing to feeling tension to feeling scared, but then also coming back to laughter.”
Spencer applied for the part of Sterling, and while he does admit he would’ve been open to the other two roles available as well, the role of the psychopath was most intriguing to him as an actor.
“I would’ve gone with any part, but Sterling was just the most interesting. To play a psychopath is to play someone you yourself would never play, or could never be rather. Unless I’m a psychopath,” Spencer laughed.
Urban said she’s looking forward to seeing the cast members grow as they prepare for the play, and can’t wait to enjoy the final product and all the hard work the cast and crew put into the entire process.
“The whole concept design of it is that in terms of stamps, the real treasure is within the errors. It’s the flaws that make them interesting. It’s true in terms of stamp collecting, but it’s also true in terms of the relationships that we see unfolding on the stage,” Urban said.
The play runs from April 15–17 and April 22–24, with Friday shows at 7:30 p.m., Saturday shows at 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. and Sunday shows at 2 p.m. in the Bodker Black Box Theatre. Admission is free and is on a first-come, first-seated basis. The play contains mature language. Recommended for ages 14 and up.