by Andy Ortiz

The Theater Company of St. John Bosco High School concluded performances of their Spring play, the silly and fun Attack! Of The Killer Man From The Sun!

This crazy comedy show was chosen and directed by the Director of Theater Production, Mr. Martin Lang. Attack! Of The Killer Man From The Sun! is a satire based on typical 1950’s sci-fi B-movies, like “The Thing” or “Attack of the Killer Tomatoes.” It’s an unserious and hilarious story that takes pride in overexplaining its chaotic story and characters, while making fun of traditional clichés in the genre of science fiction.

“[I chose this play] because it was a comedy. It’s silly. We all need to laugh, and because of the way the world is, we need some lightness,” said Mr. Lang.

The premise of Attack! is simple. It’s up to Lou Ion, played by Bosco senior Grant Hidalgo-Villanueva, his wife Anne Ion, played by St. Joseph’s sophomore Kaylee Freesmeier, their forgetful sister, some aliens, a few military privates and plenty of others to save the world from deadly solar flares. 

The marketing and promotion for this show might give people the idea that this was a “serious” and “dramatic” play with twists and turns. Well, one might not necessarily be wrong in those assumptions, but Attack! is better characterized as a fourth wall breaking hell of a time, a show that can’t even take itself seriously and doesn’t care to. Bosco’s rendition of this show especially makes use of its cast to include the audience and the community in the joke. 

“To perform comedy is difficult. If you try to act funny, you’re not,” said Mr. Lang. 

The actors did a spectacular job at performing the comedy the show demanded, making the audience laugh hard at their jokes. One actor that especially did a splendid job in their role was Bosco sophomore William Pearce. He played the role of The Announcer, a narrator that describes the scenes from the side. He is more than just a narrator, he’s an actual character that breaks the fourth wall and calls out the Master Electrician controlling the lights on what to do next. William nailed those sorts of meta, ironic jokes and had great interaction with the audience. 

Another great character audiences loved was Susan Smiths, played by St. Joseph’s junior Daniela Campos. Susan is meant to be the “forgetful” archetype, a sort of airheaded individual. Daniela aced this role, as she excellently portrayed an absent-minded character that fit the comical nature of the play.

One more great performer that had a shining moment near the end of the performance was Bosco senior Zion Perez-Tobar. He played as a tertiary scientist, whose main quirk was that he said absolutely nothing in the entirety of the time he was on stage, except when the characters are about to be annihilated by the Killer Man from the Sun. At that point, he makes this huge emotional speech, and it’s comic timing is perfect. Zion pulls off this kind of personality really well, and while he is well-suited for more loud and boisterous roles, he does an excellent job in a quieter one.

The stage design was relatively simple: painted on the walls was a really cool image of a flaming sun, made by Bosco art teacher Mr. Tommy Johnson and his Visual Arts students. Props were brought in and out between scenes.

But what brought the stage to life wasn’t the stationary objects on it, but the liveliness of the performers and their candid humor, making for a fun good time and a theater full of laughter.