Silver Chips Online

The Montgomery Blair players presented William Shakespeare's "The Merry Wives of Windsor" onstage in the Blair auditorium Friday night. Ladies, knights, fairies and queens frolicked and fooled with each other for the delight of the audience.

The Blair stage will once again shine with Blazer talent as the Thespian Club takes the stage this Friday to perform Four Acts of Desperation, a series of one-acts that glow with twisted drama and unique personality. Directed by seniors Adam Carey and Andy Scott, the compelling variety of scenes depicts tales of rebellion, scandal, warped relationships, deep sentiments and unsolved mysteries that provide everything from comedy to tragedy.

The lights dim and curtains open to reveal a fantastical world full of over-sized books, colorful castles and magic genie lamps. Thirty-five teens weave in and out of the set, singing a childlike tune about seeking solace from external pressures through these creations - or "forts," as they call them. This introductory sequence of the 2009 City at Peace production "Living [in theory]," led the way to a show that captivated the audience with its honesty and relevance.

Leave it to the Montgomery Blair Players to make the dark and dismal Fleet Street radiant with intense depth of emotion and glimmering personality. As soon as the curtains of the Blair stage were pulled aside, the bleak atmosphere of downtown London overwhelmed the audience. The torn rags and dirtied faces on the stage protruded sullenly from the painted gray background, drearily oozing with fog.

Professional storyteller and Blair parent Noa Baum performed her show "A Land Twice Promised" in the auditorium during sixth period yesterday. Her performance centered on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, using dialogue and stories told from perspectives of her and her family and friends, both Palestinian and Israeli.

In a whirlwind of glitzy costumes, drama queens, a tricky teen and foolish men, the local Lumina Studio theater presented "Open Windows," packed with everything that could possibly fit in one show - lies, mischievousness, murder, clandestine romance and ridiculous humor.

The polished and ultra-stylish members of Blair's Fierce Mentality contoured the Blair stage into a catwalk Friday night for their first fashion show of the year, performing various scenes reflective of the pop king's success. Through cunning choreography, impressive lighting and staging and of course fabulous fad, the group illustrated that they are a force with which to be mentally and psychically reckoned.

In a flash of old English skirts, witty delivery and heart-warming romance, the Montgomery Blair players swept the stage with Jane Austen's timeless tale "Pride and Prejudice." Superb acting led the show, soaring on the wings of Austen's characteristic language - winding but beautiful. With convincing British accents and musical proficiency from the cast, the play embodied an unassuming quality that amplified its magnificence.

Ah, the boy band - that treasure of the 1990s, lost but not forgotten. We all knew them, we all loved them and virtually every '90s child has some sort of opinion on the 'NSYNC vs. Backstreet Boys debate. "Altar Boyz," an off-broadway musical now playing at Bethesda Theatre, takes a look at the boy band phenomenon through the confession window.

A musical interpretation of prejudice, sexism, identity struggle and adolescent conflict can truly blend together in a raw, poignant batch of emotion, as the performers of "City at Peace" show. The problems that plague the teens in the show could not be any more different, yet somehow these teens are able to relate to one another on multiple levels. This adaptation of authenticity clearly plays out on the stage, as the group's performance "Disguise the Limits" shows the remarkable ability of youth to organize and cooperate.