This past weekend was the year’s final Jesuit Masque production. The students from both Academy and Jesuit took the stage to perform Neil Simon’s comedy, Rumors. The play was fast paced and hilarious, following along with the tale of a wealthy man found with a bullet hole in his ear the night of his anniversary party. Chaos ensued as the party guests scrambled trying to hide the situation from each other and figure out what is true, and what is simply rumors.

The entirety of the play is set in a single living room, with characters moving on and off stage. This layout, along with clever timing and sound cues, creates the illusion of a large house. The actors used this setup to their advantage, telling the story without all of its pieces. The most interesting thing about this play was its unclear conclusion. The audience is fed speculations and hypothetical scenarios as they try to find the reasoning behind the lack of staff, missing lady of the house and incapacitated, injured host. While the situation was grim, the characters kept the atmosphere lighthearted and ridiculous. The hardest part of putting on this complex play, according to Academy freshman Evelyn Martinez, was “staying serious while everyone (the audience) was laughing.” Rumors not only had its audience laughing throughout the show, but also prompted them to play detective even after the curtains had closed.

AHN senior Lexi Nieto and Jesuit senior Christian Peña answered a few questions about the last performance of their high school careers. Lexi admitted that “It’s sad, but at the same time I’m excited to move on and do bigger things.” She will be going on to study in the theater program at the University of Central Florida next year. When asked about how being a part of Jesuit Masque affected his high school experience, Christian revealed that “It’s given me a sense of belonging, you know a place where I can feel comfortable. I’ve really bonded with the people and it’s an outlet for me to do what I like to do, and that’s act and preform.”

Jesuit Masque says goodbye to its 2015 seniors, but they made sure that their last show would be as memorable as it was hilarious. Good luck next year everyone!