The stage was quiet and calm as the opening music began. All of a sudden, the first act began. You could tell the actors were ready for the show to start since they had been working for the past months. The opening scene was what really captivated the audience members, giving you a “sneak peek into the fantastical world,” according to the playbill. Right away, you could really tell this was a play that was going to make you laugh.

The story talked about different princesses teaming up together to save Prince Charming from the wicked witch Hagragard. It’s all a race to see who can save the prince first and who Prince Charming would marry. The actors really got into their character, giving us a show we will never forget. It was a charming story with Hagragard’s minions, the princesses (and Goldilocks), a wonderful narrator, and the princess’s (and narrator’s) fairy godmother.

As an audience member, one of my favorite parts of the play was watching the actors enhance their fairytale-character roles. Take for example, seventh grader Elizabeth Fear, who played Cinderella. Her role was no other, you could say one of the audience favorite. She made everyone laugh with her insane shoe collection and of course the great valley girl side of her. Fear explained that “doing this play was so fun and I practiced my great valley accent, playing Cinderella was a blast.” Cinderella is a princess who didn’t have a hard time making friends and her shoe collection was “to die for.”

Being in a play production, you get to grow a tight net bond with your cast mates, which helps a lot on stage because you get use to the idea of working as a team. Seventh grader Garrett Lindsey who plays Hector, son of the wicked witch, says, “I grew a lot in acting and friendships. I made lots of bonds even with people who are way older than me. It was some of the best friendships I’ve had in a long time.”

One of my favorite parts of watching the show were the special little details. For example, when the not-so-scary pet dragon was coming to look for the princesses, some of them hid behind a few ottoman benches that when the cast mates would hold up the lids, saying “aww” and “oh, no,” to hide themselves. Each and every princess had her own special characteristic and that is what made the play so well.

One could say that sometimes the audience will only focus on what happens on stage but not always what’s happening in the wings. Stage manager Sophomore Joy Garrett said that the “the key thing [she] learned being stage manager was [how to be] a true leader.” As a stage manager, dedication, persistence, and great energy are required, which are all qualities Garrett has. All great stage managers have a special or important moment during the play. One for Garrett was “watching the actors grow as a team.” For Bethany Neel, first-time director at Horizon Honors, her  favorite part of the play was “how everyone grows differently and at different times… Sometimes the actors and crew don’t realize it, but it was fun to see how each student was constantly adapting to new situations and learning from previous experience.”

The cast of “Chasing Charming” was what really made the show so charming. Seventh grader Kate Cochrane, who played Sleeping Beauty, says that “[she] did grow a bond with [her] cast mates,” because she “ended up spending a lot of time with the cast” and “was able to become comfortable with them.” Being in a school production does open you up to new people and things, which was definitely something all actors agreed on. For seventh grader Kara Seelig, who played Belle, the best part of the play was “getting to know everyone in the cast.”

All-in-all, the play was amazing and the cast was as well. I would totally watch this play again  because of its humor and  great story told by all the cast on stage.