The Hazen High School Players are performing “Our Miss Brooks: A comedy in three acts,” starting this week in the school’s auditorium.
Set in the ‘50s, “Our Miss Brooks” is a nostalgic look back at a sarcastic English teacher, Connie Brooks, who’s in need of a husband and has her eyes set on the high school basketball coach, Hugo Longacre.
When the school play is thrust upon her, she finds herself at odds with Longacre, who she must compete with for use of the school’s gym. A “battle royal” develops and the basketball team’s star player, Ted, gives up the team to play the lead part.
Meanwhile, Jane, another student and daughter of the school board president, is determined to play opposite Ted, who she’s got a crush on. Miss Brooks gives the role to another girl, who reads her lines better than Jane and so the pot boils.
Brett Crueger, the school’s drama teacher, likes the classics and chose this particular play to go for something simpler than the school’s last production, which was a piece by Shakespeare.
“There’s some things that, oh, wouldn’t fly today because she’s a spinster English teacher looking for a husband,” he said. “You know, that’s not how we view things today, but it’s nice to be a little nostalgic about how things were.”
Crueger modified the script a bit to brush aside the conventions that wouldn’t work today, but he likes the overall source material. Senior Shelby Mathison plays Miss Brooks and said she likes the character because she has something in common with her.
“She has a very sarcastic nature, which I feel fits with my personal attitude,” said Mathison with a laugh. “So I think it was easy to see where she was coming from and see how she would react to different scenarios.”
Senior Dillon Englehart plays Coach Longacre and loved getting into his character.
“I used to play basketball, so it was really fun for me to play a basketball coach in the first place, plus I just love being a different person entirely,” Englehart said. “I love getting into my character and making them come to life.”
The play has a good mix of students from seniors to freshmen like Eden Allen, who plays Jane, a character she said is smart, but very shy.
“I love my character,” said Allen. “I don’t know, I’m not really a shy person, so it’s just kind of fun to experiment with the role.”
Her love interest, Ted, is played by Tristan Hamilton, a junior. Hamilton calls Ted, not a jock, but a stupid guy going out with the wrong girl.
“I like playing any character because I like being in plays,” said Hamilton. “This is just a really good way to meet people and just pass the time.”
This is Crueger’s “30-something-odd” play and he said he enjoyed the script and working with the kids.
The production opened Thursday night, but runs again at 7 p.m., Dec. 5, 6, 11, 12 and 13, at 1101 Hoquiam Ave. N.E., Renton. Tickets are $6 with ASB, for military, children under 12 and honored citizen and $8 without ASB and for adults. For more information, call 425-204-4200.
