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CJHS Drama Dazzles Audience with Performance of 'The Bachelor King'

Graduating cast members to purse acting in high school.

The Channahon Jr. High Drama members wowed a large audience this weekend, as they portrayed their acting skills in Martin A. Follose’s The Bachelor King.

I have never been a fan of junior high plays. I’ve seen a few and thought they were lame, but gave the cast credit for trying. I was a stage crew member in mine. It was an odd play about traveling in a time machine. I helped construct and paint the time machine. Too bad it really didn’t take us back in time. The neat thing about mine was one of the performances we had a dinner theater (Hint).  

Enough about my experience. I do have to say that Channahon has some talented kids who pulled off a fantastic performance in very little time. I can see a few of their names already in Broadway lights.

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The drama club began in December with auditions and “on and off” practices until March. The last few weeks they worked hard to accomplish a fabulous show.

“I got involved in theater because after I was stricken with cancer, I couldn’t participate in sports,” said Ryan Sartori, 8th grader who was diagnosed with Leukemia at the age of 9. “I discovered there were other extracurricular activities. The first time I did a play I loved it and I plan to do it in high school too.”

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Paige Franzen, 8th grader, said it was a great performance and that she has been involved in the drama club all thorough junior high. She also plans to participate in theater next year at Minooka Community High School. In May, Franzen will be performing in the school choir’s musical in which she has written.

“It was so much fun,” Rachel Rahn, 8th grader said. “I did this last year and was actually embarrassed. But I got over it and did it again this year.”

Rahn hopes to continue on stage in high school, although she has a love for the pom squad too.

Seventh grader Linnea Anderson said her mother encouraged her to try out for the play and she was glad she did.

“It was a lot of fun and I’m coming back next year,” Anderson said.

Kimberly Yonkers, the drama director thought the performance was fantastic and that the students had a great performance. This is the ninth play she has directed at CJHS.

“It was all student run,” Yonkers said. “I’m very proud of them.”

The setting of the play takes place in a kingdom, where King Evian,(Sartori), decides he has had enough of being the king. His son, Prince Daft, (Dakota O’Brien, 7th grader), is after the throne and plots several ways to “knock off” his father. But before King Evian falls to his death from a window, he proclaims that the person who catches his scepter will have the power to rule the country.

That person is Yokel, a town hillbilly with no experience of authority. Just experience of working on a farm with cows and pigs. Since he has no clue on running the country, everyone, including King Yokel, (8th grader Robert Babich) agrees that he needs a queen to assist him.

Not only is Yokel trying to find a wife, he has to deal with the sky rocketing prices of gasoline, villagers concerns and Frederick Pilfer draining the royal treasury. 

Resembling the t.v. reality show The Bachelor, King Yokel requests Pilfer (Andrew Engle, 7th grader) to find the eligible ladies of the kingdom. Unfortunately they are too old and Pilfer and Miss Knolls (Kelli Anderson, 7th grader) end up bringing eligible ladies from America to vie for the king’s hand in marriage.

Priscilla Tradewells-Ayers-Hollander-Morley, (Mishel Daletski, 8th grader), a four time married gold digger; Jane Claxton  (Franzen), a sweet country girl from Texas; Sally Valley (Micahela Lay, 7th grader), a ditzy cheerleader from L.A.;  Crushin’ Kanisha (Rahn), a gangster from New York City and Agatha Peabody (Ireland O’Connell, 7th grader), a high society, Ivy-League matron from Connecticut are tested on their singing abilities in true American Idol style.

Simon Towell (Sterling Wynn, 7th grader), Paula O’Toole (Veronica Easton, 8th grader) and Hazel, the Maid (Anderson) judged the panel of singers.

If your an American Idol fan, you would relate to the roughness and crudeness comments resembling Simon Cowell and the oddness of Paula Abdul. The maid character did not resemble Randy Jackson at all, but her snide comments were an asset to the script.

The judging results eliminate Claxton, Yokel’s favorite. Because there is still a four-way tie, a Survivor challenge for the first woman to find four matching puzzle pieces and bring them to Yokel will be crowned queen. 

During this challenge, Priscilla gains all the puzzle pieces and Knoll benefits by getting one of her flashy rings. Cast members even canvassed the audience for information on the missing puzzle pieces.

All along, Prince Daft and his sidekick, Mr. Conroy (Anthony Devier, 8th grader), a quirky assistant who loves to talk with very descriptive words and phrases, are trying several ways to kill King Yokel, but are unsuccessful. Conroy accidentally shoots the Prince and dumps him out the window. Conroy follows.

In the end, Pilfer and Knoll get arrested, and all the ladies become part of King Yokel’s staff. And because he is king, Yokel is able to change the rules and make Claxton his queen.

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