| | Published March 13th, 2013
| Bentley School Seniors Write and Direct Original Musical
| | Submitted by Jenna Starkey |  | | Bentley students, from left: Alina Whatley, Francesca Boszormenyi, Mac Goldman, and Carter Fife. Photo Danusia Zaroda
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"Puzzled," an original musical premiering March 15 and 17 on the Lafayette campus of Bentley School, was conceived a few years ago by senior Francesca Boszormenyi while playing guitar for the school's production of "Little Shop of Horrors."
"I was fascinated by how music can advance the story line of a musical play," says Boszormenyi, "and since I had already been composing music for the piano and for jazz guitar, I thought it would be a really fun exercise to try to compose in a different context." The musical is part of Bentley School's senior-directed play series, and presents a unique take on love, relationships, identity, and perspective. The senior-directed plays program at Bentley affords seniors a special opportunity to produce and direct a work of their choice. Senior directors are in charge of all aspects of the production, from casting and rehearsals, to staging and design.
Realizing the extent of the project she was proposing, Boszormenyi's first step was to find a creative partner to write the book and help with lyrics. She reached out to Alina Whatley, a Bentley junior who has a long list of accolades singing in local choirs. Whatley jumped at the chance. "I had recently realized I was very interested in writing, and this was an opportunity to write in a safe environment with lots of support from Francesca, my drama teacher Molly, and Bentley." Writing started last spring, and "Puzzled" has been an almost year- long effort by the two women to create a musical that would interest high school students.
The musical explores issues confronting teens, and while Boszormenyi and Whatley feel their peers will relate to the characters, they also hope the characters are unique enough to keep any audience engaged. Boszormenyi notes that creating scenes that focused on individual characters allowed her to compose songs in very different genres, from fusion to pop to rock. "It was a lot of fun to experiment with portraying the characters through the music. I tried to express a character's personality not only through the genre of music attached to their scene, but also through the instrumentation, arrangement, and how the music is played."
Boszormenyi and Whatley laugh when asked about the challenges of writing an original musical. "At first it was difficult to know how to start, and then we spent a lot of time over the summer working on the play but ended up having to completely scrap one character because she just wasn't a person." They also agree that writing lyrics that move the plot forward is one of the most difficult parts of the project, as is juggling writing and composing with academics, extracurricular activities, and other responsibilities.
"Now is the fun part," says Whatley, "where we get to play around with casting, staging, and lighting." Both young women agree that seeing all the parts of the play come together and watching their fellow students give voice to the characters has been the most rewarding part of the project. "It is incredibly intellectually stimulating, challenging and exciting to see the play come to life."
"Puzzled" will be performed at 8 p.m. Friday, March 15 and at 2 p.m. Sunday, March 17 at the Bentley School Student Performing Arts Center in Lafayette. The musical is free and open to the public.
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Lamorinda Weekly, Moraga CA