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.