Jane Bostian, Lorelei Hinrichs, Whitney Brown, and Maisie Jacobsen in Miss Nelson Is Missing!
There are three main villains from childhood fiction that still occasionally haunt my nightmares – my terror trifecta, if you will: the Child Catcher from Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, Barnaby from Babes in Toyland, and Miss Viola Swamp from Miss Nelson Is Missing! So naturally, I was both excited and terrified when I took my seat at the Playcrafters Barn Theatre on June 20 for the opening night of Miss Nelson Is Missing!, directed by Jennifer Hoeper. But fret not! This production is definitely filled with more humor than horror.
Adapted by Jeffrey Hatcher from the children’s book by Harry Allard, Miss Nelson Is Missing! follows the unruly students of Room 207 as they drive the titular Miss Nelson (Storm Marie Baca) to the brink – and straight out the door. In her place arrives the dreaded Miss Viola Swamp (Jane Bostian), a no-nonsense nightmare in black whose reign of terror intimidates the kids into – gasp! – actually learning. Desperate to get Miss Nelson back, the class enlists the bumbling Detective McSmogg (Kaden Schmidt) to join them in a hilariously hopeless search. Little do they know, Miss Nelson might not have gone as far as they think!
First, let me address the elephant in the room: This play is based on a children’s book and has a cast of mostly children. So if you’re sitting there thinking, “Do I, a sophisticated adult with serious taste, actually want to see this show?”, the answer is yes. Yes, you do.
The kids are absolutely the stars of this show. And I don’t mean that in an “Aw, they’re so cute, and they worked so hard” way; I mean it in a “These actors are talented and have great comedic timing” kind of way. There are eight students in the class, and judging by the age range, it’s safe to say they haven’t all been classmates in real life. But their camaraderie is so natural, you’d swear they’ve been teaming up to drive teachers crazy since preschool.
They set the tone from the very first scene. Lights up on Room 207, and chaos erupts. Baca stands helpless at the front of the class as the kids gleefully ignore her. They were shouting, laughing, climbing on desks, hurling paper wads and insults. It was pure, glorious mayhem. Within three minutes, the premise was clear: These kids are terrors, and their teacher is far too nice to effectively handle them.
All of Hoeper's young actors were great, but a couple of standouts were Lorelei Hinrichs and Maisie Jacobsen as Phoebe and Ray, respectively. These two arose as the small but mighty leaders in the search for Miss Nelson, and I was completely charmed by their onstage friendship. According to the program, this was Hinrichs’ “first show ever,” but with her natural talent, it surely won’t be her last. Jai Schnaufer also made a strong impression as Elvis. The name hints at the character’s flair, and Schnaufer brought just the right blend of comedy and charisma to the role, channeling the King’s – or, in this case, Queen’s – swagger and showing off a lovely singing voice during some playful musical banter.
The kids were the true highlight, but their adult supporting actors were certainly entertaining, as well. Schmidt’s McSmogg was notable for me. As the zany, hysterically incompetent detective, his frenetic energy blended perfectly with the kids'. He reminded me of Tim Curry leading a pirate crew of Muppets in Muppet Treasure Island. Baca’s flustered Miss Nelson was charmingly hapless, drawing laughs in all the right places, but the spell occasionally broke when she couldn't quite contain her own laughter. It's an understandable slip given the hilarity of the student ensemble, though Miss Nelson herself would surely be less amused.
Bostian’s Miss Swamp was definitely a bold character with a distinct look. I loved that Baca (also the show’s costumer) included Swamp’s trademark green striped tights. And while she brought plenty of volume and vigor to the role, her look leaned more toward zany than terrifying. In the book’s illustrations, Viola Swamp looks like the unholy love child of Cruella de Vil and the Wicked Witch of the West, if they both skipped their skincare routines and got dressed in a haunted closet. Bostian needed more exaggerated makeup, maybe even some light prosthetics, to fully embrace Swamp’s grotesque menace. One thing that makes Viola Swamp so unsettling in the book is the lingering question of who – or what – she really is. Casting two separate actresses as Miss Nelson and Miss Swamp potentially undercuts one of the book’s more intriguing mysteries. I don’t want to spoil anything further, so you should read the book to see what I mean.
Regarding the show's visuals, I have to commend set designer Jaina Gliva on the set's immersive look. The bright yellow classroom, with its orderly rows of desks, is one of the most effective uses of Playcrafters’ thrust stage I’ve seen to date, especially because it kept the action forward and closer to the audience. And the decision to cover the theatre walls with educational charts and posters was an especially clever touch.
Because the set was so detailed, the set changes were also a bit involved. Normally, a lengthy set change would make me roll my eyes with impatience, but Hoeper handled these so skillfully I wanted to shout, “Yes! This is how you do it!” During one of the longer transitions, the students, clad in trench coats, roamed throughout the audience, interrogating theatregoers about Miss Nelson’s whereabouts. This was a great directorial choice that not only kept the energy up, but also showcased the young actors’ sharp improvisational skills.
There’s so much more I could say about this production, but my essay has a strict word limit, and I don’t want to lose points. So you’ll just have to pull up a desk and see Miss Nelson Is Missing! for yourself. Don’t be late, or Miss Swamp will take away your recess!
Miss Nelson Is Missing! runs at the Playcrafters Barn Theatre (4950 35th Avenue, Moline IL) through June 28, and more information and tickets are available by calling (309)762-0330 and visiting Playcrafters.com.
