This week I had the opportunity to see a dress rehearsal for the upcoming spring play Mutually Assured Destruction.

Two of my favorite things about the play were the costumes and the set. The characters’ outfits were always true to the era they were portraying. The set was a living room and a bedroom, but the decor changed in between each scene. I could tell what year they were in just by the costumes and backgrounds.

Facial expressions can really make or break a play. If the actor’s facial expressions don’t match what the character is going through, it can be tough to figure out what they’re really feeling. The actors did not struggle with this at all. Their expressions were always spot-on and helped me understand what was taking place.

My favorite example of this was Clare Ravizza. In her scene, she wanted her brother to take her to Star Wars, and she later finds out he locked his keys in his car. Clare’s face fell from super excited to shocked, and she did it perfectly. Another one of my favorite’s was in the first scene with Eric Weycker. When his sister threatens revenge, his expression falls from smug to worried–done perfectly. The actors thrived in their expressions, and it was extremely entertaining to watch.

Before the show started and during intermission, there were family photos on a slideshow on a projector. The family photos were all people in the actors’ families. Also, there was music playing before the show, between scenes and during intermission. The songs were all from the years that the scenes were portraying. The pictures and the music were an adorable touch that added to the family feel of the production.

The actors did an amazing job of playing siblings. I have an older brother and a younger sister, and I related to so much of what the characters were going through. I could remember instances where my siblings and I were acting the same way as the characters.

In the scene with Anabelle Xiong and Rebekah Boucher, the sisters had to share a room, and it caused the initial problem in the scene. I share a room with my little sister, so I immediately felt what their characters were going through.

A scene that made me think of my brother and me was the scene with Paul Gapinski and Theo Van Straten. Theo’s character Sam had auditioned for American Idol in a clown costume. Paul’s character Joe was quick to tell him that he couldn’t actually sing. There were so many things in this scene that I related to. When Sam was telling Joe about his audition, Joe wasn’t really paying attention, but he made it look like he was. I can’t count how many times my brother has done this to me, and I’ve done it to him. Joe also was brutally honest with Sam. It reminded me that you can always count on your siblings to tell you what no one else will.

Overall, I loved it. It was adorable and very relatable. It was very different from last year’s heavy drama Ashland Falls. It was nice to watch something where you could just enjoy it and not have to think too hard. If you are still deciding whether or not to go to the play, I highly recommend you go. You won’t regret it.