Newberg High School Theater's "The Curious Savage" plays at 7 p.m. on March 7, 8, 9, 15, and 16, as well as at 1 p.m. on March 16. The cost to attend is $8 for students or senior adults and $10 for other adults. Buy tickets. (Note: Bring a donation for Interact's Hygiene Drive in exchange for concessions.)
The lead actors in "The Curious Savage," Newberg High School Theater’s winter play, say there are three key reasons to catch the show that opens on March 7. It is surprisingly funny, it shares insights into love and sanity, and attending the school production shows support for the more than 40 students who helped create it.
Still Funny after 74 Years
Genuinely, “Savage” remains a timeless, relatable, quirky dramedy. While John Patrick’s “Savage” opened in 1950, the play’s relationship-driven plot and crisp dialogue make it unexpectedly humorous.
Plot: An old woman’s husband has just died and left her 10 million dollars. The widow, Mrs. Savage, pledges to donate the money to regular people who wish to pursue their dreams, much to the irritation of her three stepchildren. They scheme to commit her to an insane asylum for this “eccentric” generosity in a clear bid for the money. Only, the money is stored as bonds — which Mrs. Savage has hidden. Her stepchildren strive to pry the money’s location from her. Their greed makes them seem wretched in comparison to the eccentric yet caring inhabitants of the longtime mental health facility in which they place their stepmom, called The Cloisters.
Dialogue Samples:
- Mrs. Savage, who is a bit quirky, readily connects with the cohabitants of The Cloisters. One time, she shared an unsuccessful production of “Macbeth” that she backed: “We made history as the first play to close before the reviews were out.”
- A cheerful compulsive liar named Fairy May interjects: “Oh, I adore ‘Macbeth.’ All that blood. I sent a pint of my blood to the Red Cross once. They sent it back.”
Love and Sanity
The play makes it clear that life is pretty unclear: what is sane is not always what is decent and what is loving is not always clear.
Sanity: Those who live in The Cloisters demonstrate support and care for Mrs. Savage, while her supposedly upstanding stepchildren care only for her money. Senior River Frankamp, who plays Mrs. Savage in one of the two casts, sums up the play’s study of sanity: “We know who the sane people are, but it still poses the question of: Is this how we want sane people to be acting?”
Love: This unusual (or perhaps we should say “curious”) play manages to pry wry humor from our mental health and familial struggles. These more sorrowful themes become clearer set against the brighter theme of love.
“It’s a show about family and the way found family (v. your blood family) can be emotionally fulfilling,” Frankamp noted.
The play’s understanding of what love is feels original and might even inspire a tear from a weary eye. Junior Lila Foster, who plays Mrs. Savage in the other cast, offers one of the most often-quoted lines of the play as a prime example of finding love in strange places.
“There is a theme of unspoken love in it,” Foster explained, "how people say ‘I love you,’ without actually saying it: ‘Take an umbrella, it's raining,' or 'hurry back,' or even 'watch out, you'll break your neck.’”
Made By Students
One way to say ‘I love you’ to NHS might be to attend “The Curious Savage” because a large group of students at the school, more than 40, are working on it. There are two 11-person casts, the student director, and more than 20 crew members.
NHS Theater Director Michael McConaughey said he is proud of the work his students have done on this play, as well as the fall musical and winter Shakespearean play. He says his students will perform again in May, putting on another musical and competing in a tournament of one-act plays performed by different grade levels.
“They keep showing up because they understand the joy they have in putting on these pieces: They come and do their job, and they do it well,” he said.
Come by this month to support your fellow students and to breathe in this somehow still-fresh take on love and sanity that may even make you laugh and cry 74 years after it first hit the stage.