PSD_70

Cappies review #4 Austyn Johnson Spruce Grove Composite High School Love may not be tangible, nor is it understandable, but one thing will always be clear: it is by far the most powerful feeling imaginable. Though some may view love as another simple emotion, there are times that it has the ability to conquer the most evil of evils and transform the most helpless of the helpless, as it does with a toy rabbit in The Velveteen Rabbit. What began as a popular children's story first published in 1922, The Velveteen Rabbit was adapted for the stage in 1995 by Phil Grecian. Love is the driving force and power behind the events in the play and that feeling was beautifully re-enacted by Archbishop Jordan students. A young boy named Alex, with a rather large collection of toys, accidentally breaks his favourite, the china bulldog. Eventually, he replaces the old toy with a rabbit made of velveteen. After a while, he warms up to the new toy but falls ill with scarlet fever. Only his new velveteen rabbit, which has become real to him through the power of love, is able to help him. Quite a few actors highlighted the show and managed to play their characters wonderfully. Nana, played by Frances Girard, had incredible poise and energy. Even the way she carried herself made it clear that when she was on stage, there would be no telling that there was a high school student under that costume. Another amazing performance came from Lea Thwaites who played Bulka. Her energy was constantly raised high and her repeated falls were well received by the younger members of the audience. Chelsea Sheen and Veronica Laya, who played the two real rabbits, equally managed to add to the energy of the play. Quite possibly, the most outstanding performance came from the Scarlet Fear. Originally, the Scarlet Fear was only a red light, but the students found a way to turn it into a full-out character, and later, a group of characters. Although they did not have a single line, every moment th