UHS Theatre Arts presented the highly-anticipated play “The Bold, The Young, and The Murdered” on Nov. 17, 18 and 19. Written by playwright Dan Zolidis, the play portrays a unique spin on the murder mystery genre by cleverly incorporating elements of soap operas and comedy.

The play follows the cast of the soap opera ‘The Bold and the Young’ as they struggle to produce an episode in one night. After the murders of key characters, the crew spins into chaos. The play is filled with individuals who react to these chilling events in drastically different ways, and the story is elevated by witty comedy and precise choreography, with the genre heavily depending on all the actors being in the right place at the right time.

The cast found the long, difficult production of the show to be memorable. Senior Kallen Lynskey, who played Tyler Tripodo and Dr. William Bradley, found comfort in the cast’s camaraderie. 

“The most memorable aspect of preparing to perform was the excitement,” Lynskey said. “All the boy actors also went around each night and gave a pep talk. The sense of community was amazing and the connection you feel onstage with the audience and other actors [was] something one can never forget.”

Senior Maddy Medvitz played Danielle Farris in the show and enjoyed witnessing the culmination of the countless hours of hard work put into the play.

“One of my favorite aspects of performing is getting to see all the different production values come together, both acting and technically, [to] create the beautiful visual story the audience gets to see,” Medvitz said.

The production was not without its challenges, however. Some actors and actresses had to balance their time between musical additions and rehearsing for the play.

“Play rehearsals disappeared for a week or two due to musical auditions and when we came back it was difficult to get back on track,” Lynskey said. 

Regardless of the obstacles, the crew produced a riveting show, with constant twists that the audience did not expect.

“At the end, when the [intern] . . . said, ‘thanks, dad for helping me with my murder,’ [that] caught me off guard,” sophomore Silas Whiteson said.

Behind the scenes, there were also numerous members of the crew working as designers, stage management, running crew, marketing and publicity, house crew and staff in order to bring the charm in elements such as the set, costumes and lighting.

The talented cast was able to bring a special performance to the stage with each of their characters, and all of the crew’s effort culminated in a memorable performance that excelled in making the audience laugh and guess who the murderer was at the same time.