Dylan Bennett is bad. He’s a true “schnickelfritz” (that’s Pennsylvania Dutch for “troublemaker”).
Alyson Cairns is ditzy. Really ditzy.
"Dylan" and "Alyson" celebrate their scheming plan.
Mary and Rebecca are anguished, to say the least.
And Katie…well, her determination steals my heart.
These are just a few of the characters in “The Confession: The Musical” who portrayed their roles so well, they had me believing they really WERE these people.
I attended the 2011 debut production of “The Confession,” and while other people in the Shipshewana area had told me about the musical, I hadn’t seen it for myself until recently.
"Fulton" the butler and "Rosie" the maid bring some laughs to the show.
I also spent time with the cast. They’re just as “real” out of character as they are in character. I found each person to be warm and charming, and they spoke of a heartfelt desire to make the show memorable for the audience.
Indeed, they do.
To meet James Odom who plays Dylan, click here.
To meet local gal Gloria Wallman who plays Rachel, click here.
To meet returning actor Jim France who plays the humorous butler Fulton Taylor, click here.
And to meet director and composer Wally Nason, click here.
Other characters play their role quite nicely, too. Emily Hubbard, who plays Katie’s best friend Mary Stoltzfus, narrates beautifully, filling in gaps about the Amish culture, and she speaks in that special tone unique to this specific community.
Chris Kelly, who plays Samuel Lapp, looks truly “Amish” with his beard, hairstyle, and way of talking; I had to read his biography to make sure he really wasn’t from that culture.
Not everything about the play depicts the reality of the Amish culture. Admittedly, you’ll likely not find an Amish person singing with vibrato in real life, nor will you see square dancing at a barn raising event; however, creative license is used with discretion so that the audience can be entertained, and “The Confession” does just that.
So when Mary and Rebecca sing together, with Katie eventually forming a trio, their voices blended so well that I think I stopped breathing for a moment.
Whenever Dylan sings in his sinister voice, I want to boo him for his deception!
Katie & Daniel enjoy a moment together.
And when Joe Callahan’s character Daniel Fisher expresses my favorite line in the play, I whisper a “yes” to a truth-telling moment about life. Daniel says something to the effect of: “Forgiveness: Isn’t that what we’re all looking for in one form or another?”
Yes, it is, Daniel.
For more information on “The Confession: The Musical,” click here.
