Audience members will be treated to a delightful perspective on life when Hays High School presents the Pulitzer Prize winning play, “Harvey” at 7 p.m. on March 12-14 at 12th Street Auditorium.
Written by Mary Chase, the play revolves around Elwood P. Dowd and his favorite pal, Harvey, a six-foot-one-and-a-half inch invisible rabbit. When Dowd starts to introduce his imaginary friend to guests at a society party, his sister, Veta, has seen as much of his eccentric behavior as she can tolerate. She decides to have him committed to a sanitarium to spare her daughter, Myrtle Mae, and their family from future embarrassment.
Problems arise, however, when Veta herself is mistakenly assumed to be on the verge of lunacy when she explains to doctors that years of living with Elwood’s hallucination have caused her to see Harvey also. The doctors commit Veta instead of Elwood, but when the truth comes out, the search is on for Elwood and his invisible companion. When he shows up at the sanitarium looking for his lost friend, it seems that the mild-mannered Elwood’s delusion has had a strange influence on more than one of the doctors. Only at the end does Veta realize that maybe Harvey isn’t so bad after all.
“In Elwood, Chase has the stripped away all judgment, societal expectations, and personal demands with which we normally approach each other,” director Bill Gasper said. “What’s left is a wondrous, childlike anticipation in which every moment is new, full of promise, and seen exactly as it is presented – not as we hope or dread it will be. He carries no malice or grudges because every moment is full of promise and redemption.”
Harvey first appeared on Broadway in 1944 and ran for 1,775 performances. It was later transformed into a movie starring Jimmy Stewart and Josephine Hull, who won an Academy Award for her portrayal of Veta.
Taking on the role of Elwood is senior Conrad Hoffman, who is appearing in his fourth Spring Play. Senior Shelbie Berens is Veta, while sophomore Anniston Weber plays her high-strung daughter, Myrtle Mae. The sanitarium staff is played by senior Max Befort as Dr. Chumley, junior Jared Thom as Dr. Sanderson, sophomore Madison Crees as Nurse Kelly, and senior Jacob Balzer as Wilson. Other members of the cast are senior Rachael Arthur, Mrs. Ethel Chauvenet; Amiyah Gonzales, Maria; Sarah Rooney, Judge Gaffney; Sylina Zhang, Mrs. Chumley; and Trent Potter, E.J. Lofgren.
Several other students are involved as members of the production crew.
“We have a great cast and crew who have really brought this play to life,” Gasper said. “Although the play was written in 1944, it is still very funny and very relevant. The play has a lot to say about imagination, faith and the value of being able to step back from the chaos of life and not take things too seriously for a minute. In our overly plugged-in time, I think it’s a message we need to hear, and one that this play gets across in a simple charming, and funny way.”
Adult tickets are $5 advance and $6 at the door. Students are $3 advance and $4 at the door. Tickets are available at the Hays High office.