When high school drama director Dean Calusdian was looking to do a spring production, he wanted something a little different to challenge students.
He found it in a comedy set around, of all things, the Black Plague.
The drama department is performing two more shows of Peter Barnes' dark comedy "Red Noses," Friday and Saturday night, at 7, at the James Savage Education Center.
"Red Noses" takes place in 1349, at the height of the Black Plague, when a monk receives a sign from God that his duty is to make the sick and dying laugh. The monk forms a troupe of clowns, the Red Noses, who take their show throughout plague-ridden France. The Red Nose troupe includes a blind juggler, a pair of one-legged dancers, a mute and an adventurous nun.
Calusdian said he performed the play in college and really enjoyed it, but it was comments from students that sealed his decision.
Chris Boyajian, who plays two characters, said he saw another school perform "Red Noses" during a competition a few years ago and enjoyed the performance.
"They had to do a 40-minute version because it was a competition, but they were really good," Boyajian said Wednesday night as the cast gathered for a mid-week rehearsal at the Savage Center.
John Fogarty, who plays one of the leads, said the play presents a unique set of challenges that cast members don't face when doing more traditional, "Romeo and Juliet"-type shows.
"The subject matter makes it a challenge because you've got the Black Plague and the Pope is involved and all these things going on," said Fogarty.
Calusdian said the eccentric, zany group provides the perfect stark contrast to the death and destruction of the Black Plague.
"They're sort of telling jokes as people are dying all over the place," said Calusdian, who said striking the right balance is the key to the show.
Calusdian said the cast overcame the challenge nicely.
"They really have a natural sense of comedy, so it's worked well," said Calusdian.
Cast members said they have enjoyed the show, but would have signed up regardless.
"For me, I just like to act, so I would have done it anyway," said Justine LaVoye.
Calusdian said that sentiment is precisely what keeps the program so strong year after year. Many of the 23 cast members have done all the school's productions starting with "Pippin" in the fall, through "It's a Wonderful Life" in the winter, and all with competitions sprinkled in between.
"A lot of them have really been going straight since last summer," said Calusdian. "They're a really dedicated group because these things take a lot of time. Sometimes I feel like I'm rehearsing them into the ground, but they do it. They really take their craft seriously."
Tickets are available at the door.
Daily News staff writer Brian Falla can be reached at 781-433-8339 or bfalla@cnc.com.
