By Rachel Vigil

With likable characters and a heartwarmingly hilarious script, it’s no wonder that the play Harvey received a Pulitzer Prize for drama.

Wheat Ridge High School produced it as their fall play with its premiere on Nov. 7  You can see it  playing on the fourteenth and fifteenth of this week as well.

Friday’s showing of “Harvey” was well performed all around. There were line slip ups for most of the actors, but those who made them quickly recovered. Some of the cast were nervous in their first few minutes on stage, but it was understandable since it was opening night.

The main characters of the play, Elwood P.  Dowd (Senior David McKinney) and Veta Simmons (Senior Lyndsay Krausa), are siblings who have lived in their childhood home together since their mother’s death. Veta and her daughter Myrtle Mae (Junior Maddie Gonzales) have no “social life” because El

wood claims to be best friends with a six-foot-tall rabbit

named Harvey. After Elwood introduces Harvey to one of Veta’s guest, his sister decides to put him into a sanitorium.

McKinney’s portrayal of Elwood is one of the highlights of the play. I was endeared to the character by the end of his first appearance on the stage. Both he and Krausa felt the most natural in their roles out of the whole cast.

Gonzales and  and  Freshman Peter Krausa as Duane Wilson were hilarious in their roles and acted very well together.

They made the whole audience laugh several times.

Of course, Harvey was visually spectacular as well. The sets were beautiful and the lighting was great. The costumes and makeup added a new dimension to the whole experience. It was clear that a lot of work was put into the play as a whole.

There may have been a few actors who were quiet at first or a bit hard to understand, but overall the play was very good. All those involved seemed committed and I would recommend seeing it this coming weekend. Also, those in it  looked like they were having fun while doing it.

Tickets are available online at wrhstheater.org and at the show. You can get more information about it at the booth that the theater group has set up during both lunches.  Tickets cost  $6.00 for students and seniors and $8.00 for adults.