The spotlight shines on Adam Lawdan’s face as he looks out onto an audience full of staring eyes. Adam receives a rush of adrenaline as he prepares to sing. After getting through his first song, he feels a sense of relief overcome him; he successfully sang for the first time in his first musical.

The Musical “Curtains” is a “whodunit” murder mystery filled with comedic puns and enticing tunes. The unforgettable cast was full of surprises, as the male lead was performing in his first musical and underclassmen played two of the females leads.

The male lead, Lieutenant Frank Cioffi, was played by Adam Lawdan (12).  This was Lawdan’s first musical at the high school, despite his participation in multiple plays here. Lawdan never had a performance requiring both singing and acting.

“This is actually my first musical I’ve ever participated in, which was a very nerve-racking thing for me. The best part however was the insane amount of support I got from my friends and faculty throughout the process,¨ said Lawdan.

Those participating in the show believe he did a great job playing the leading male role.  

“I think Adam Lawdan’s performance has been fantastic,” commented Joey Acopiado (12).  “He delivers his lines with conviction, he’s fallen into a good rhythm in terms of cadence and posture, and he just makes me really buy into the Frank Cioffi character.  On top of that, he’s always been very good at building chemistry with whoever’s on stage with him.  He’s just a natural, and he’s done a fantastic job.”

Lieutenant Frank Cioffi investigates a murder inside of a Boston-based theater company during their production of “Robbin’ Hood.” Essentially, “Curtains” is a musical within a musical.

The composer of the fictional musical “Robbin’ Hood,” Aaron Fox, is played by Acopiado (12). He has been a part of multiple Backlight Theater productions, but this is his first time participating in the musical. He commented that this show is very different from others through the way the audience can relate and apply themselves to the show.

“All of the stories revolve around people, and even though theater has a natural melodramatic take on everything, the stories are really easy to buy into and relate to,” Acopiado said. “Everything, from the harsh personal fights, to the love triangles to the romantic numbers sprinkled throughout the show, plays on very real emotions.  And as absolutely fantastic as the other shows have been, that’s what has drawn me into this show, especially as someone who had never seen it before it was announced.”

The producer of the make-believe musical “Robbin’ Hood,” Carmen Bernstein, was played by Sari Gluck (10). Gluck was a part of the musical last year, and was excited to participate once again.

Gluck’s love for acting inspired her to participate in the musical for a second year.

“I love doing this and I have been doing it a lot over the years. It is just something fun I like to do and I love the people in it,” she commented.  

Another female lead, Georgia Hendricks, was played by Mackenzie Furlett (10).  Furlett commented that receiving a leading role was a total shock, and that she was excited to play such a large role.

Finally, there was also a new director this year. In the past, Mr. Phelan was the set designer, tech director, and lighting designer, so being in charge this year is a new, exciting change.

Mr. Phelan commented that they do not pick shows based on their talent, but fit the actors and actresses into the roles once they begin the audition process. Specifically, he said that he knew the underclassmen and Lawdan would portray their roles very well.

All in all, the production of “Curtains” turned out to be a new or different experience for many cast members.

“This show is pretty different than previous shows. All of us have this special bond and we all just work really well together and we work really hard to make it the best show possible,” commented Sari Gluck (10).