You don’t need a history lesson to get lost in the world of Chesapeake High School’s “Night at the Wax Museum”. If you’re looking for a production featuring high-quality acting and detailed technical components, or just a night of laughter and enjoyment, this is the show for you!

“Night at the Wax Museum” follows Heather Fairchild and her high school students, who are enrolled in summer school and must retake their history class. In an attempt to excite her students about history, Ms. Fairchild arranges for the students to assist her aunt Jolene with preparing a new exhibit at the Ravenscroft wax museum. The caretakers of the museum, Jolene, Ivy, and Ethel, eagerly await the students arrival. Meanwhile, Violet Sneed, the landlord of the museum, hopes to evict the museum for personal benefits. As both the show and wax museum come to life, the students meet a host of characters and learn the true value of what history has to offer.

This show brightly showcases the talent Chesapeake has to offer, and two actors who specifically stand out are Timothy Edwards as Rolf, and Laura Fisk as Ethel Lockhead. Edwards, playing the charming, humorous student, emotes his “ladies man” aesthetic with his spot-on line delivery and physical mannerisms. Highlights of the show include Edward’s interactions with various female characters, specifically the smart yet funny Emily Blake, played by Taylor Paul. Fisk as Ethel, equipped with walking cane, gray updo, and hilarious accent delivers a stellar performance. Fisk brings a young spirit to her elderly character, and her perfected comedic timing and vocal inflections earns copious laughter from the audience.

Other noteworthy performances include Ivy Sweet played by Hailey Booker and King Henry the 8th played by Bryan Sachs. With her stuffed behind and comedic monotone voice, Booker provides additional humor to the show and serves well as Ethel’s partner and friend. As a wax figure, Sachs succeeds in emoting character both when remaining perfectly still and throughout the show; he smartly delivers funny lines and stands out during the song “What a Night”, where he hilariously sings into a turkey leg.

Two technical aspects of “Night at the Wax Museum” which further elevate the quality of the show are the costumes and the set changes. The costumes, headed by Eleanor Dobry, are colorful, detailed, and distinct to the time period of each character. Whether it be the regal, shimmering dress worn by the stunning, seductive Cleopatra (Emmalie Burrall) or the dramatic, attention-grabbing gown worn by the fearsome Anne Boleyn (Alissa Weeks), each piece differentiates the many historical backgrounds combined in the show and are overall very impressive. The set changes prove equally impressive, as the tech crew, led by stage manager Dylan Webb, manages to change large sets in a swift amount of time, leaving the stage looking drastically different yet clean by the time the lights come up.

This show about friendship and discovery expertly combines the world of humor with the world of history, resulting in a hilariously exciting, action-packed, and educational production. After seeing Chesapeake High School’s “Night at the Wax Museum”, you’ll leave the theater exclaiming “What a night!”

by Orly Krupp of Beth Tfiloh