Darlington Lower School second graders took the stage in “The Cheese Stands Alone” Thursday, Sept. 30, in Tiger Hall.
Predictably, the plot started off as the refrain of the popular children’s song, “The Farmer in the Dell,” starring Max Berry as the Farmer, Savannah Gay as the Wife, Hannah Schriever as the Nurse, Ally Taylor as the Child, Griffin Watson as the Dog, Jessica Mauer as the Cat, Jack Tunnell as the Rat and Marcus Tayloe as Cheesy.
“But wait, the cheese doesn’t like the way the song ends, so he tries to change the sequel of events by getting the rat to become his friend again,” said Diane Lumpkin, assistant principal and director of the play. “Mr. Rat just had not had the fortitude to publicly stand up to the rest of the group and their preconceived ideas of an old-fashioned barnyard caste system, where a rat and a cheese could never be friends.”
The Rat is humiliated, the farmer and his wife are frustrated and there is only one character the blame – “It’s the Cheese.” The dancing mice, played by Meg Wiggins, Rachel Hudson, Bailey Smith and Cara Key, perform this vaudeville-style song and dance that blames Cheesy and all of the cheeses in general for most of the miseries of the world.
“Blaming Cheesy for the whole shebang amplifies the estrangement that he is already feeling,” said Lumpkin. “He just can’t understand why he and Mr. Rat cannot be friends. Cheesy then bemoans his loneliness in the country ballad, ‘Alone Again.’”
Just then, John Ehle delivers a telegram informing Cheesy that his relatives have heard of his unfortunate situation and are coming for a cheerful, cheesy visit. Enter the most colorful group of aged cheeses one has ever seen – Cheddar, played by Jessica Salmon; Gouda, played by Elizabeth Blackhall; Camembert, played by Claire Wilcox; Feta, played by Viki Pateritsas; Limburger, played by Katie Hutchins; Swiss, played by Katie Hurley; Fondue, played by Grace Welborn; Gorgonzola, played by Anne Marie McDurmon; Mozzarella, played by Asia Battey; and Velveeta, played by Rachel Rayburn.
The cheeses proudly introduce themselves and announce their determination to help Cheesy in the rap, “Hot Time in Cheese Town Tonight.”
“Then, in the song ‘Be Yourself,’ the entire cast encourages Cheesy that he is not the one who needs to change, that change needs to occur in the narrow views of those who cannot recognize the magnitude of embracing every offer of friendship available,” said Lumpkin. “Cheesy becomes bold enough to stand up for what he knows to be right and to use his own judgment to choose his friends … Mr. Rat’s admission of being lactose intolerant alleviates the situation and friendships are rekindled, peer pressure is overcome and Cheesy never has to stand alone again.”
Other farmers are played by Will Bishop, Abraham Johnson, Robert Muschamp, Nicholas Shealy, Jay Shadday, David Tillman and Stevenson Walker.
Each grade will present a play during the year. The fourth grade play, "It's a Jungle Out There" was performed Oct. 28. Look for coverage in the next issue of "Lakeside e-Lines."
The schedule of other productions is as follows: first grade, Nov. 17 (Tiger Hall, 1 p.m.); fifth grade, Dec. 14 (Tiger Hall, 1 p.m.) and Dec. 15 (Morris Chapel, 10:40 a.m.); third grade, Feb. 10 (Tiger Hall, 1 p.m.); kindergarten/pre-first, March 29 (Tiger Hall, 1 p.m.) and March 30 (Morris Chapel, 10:40 a.m.); and pre-kindergarten, April 26 (Tiger Hall, 10:40 a.m.)
