MARANATHA BAPTIST UNIVERSITY

Freshman Mary Ann Lazzell, Lead Actor in the Fall Play, is the Busiest Student on Campus

Contributed by Hunter Weakley, MBU Freshman

Mary Ann Lazzell walked into practice excited, prepared, and with a smile. Yet as rehearsal commenced, she also felt a bit nervous. Though she was ready for this first practice, she wasn’t sure what Mr. Robertson, the director, would say. She took a deep breath and got into character.

Mary Ann Lazzell, the lead actor in this fall’s production of the world’s longest running play, The Mousetrap, has been busy preparing to transform herself into the wide-eyed, sensitive character Mollie Ralston, all while balancing her studies, work, music practice, and social life.  

The Production Itself

Under the direction of Stephen Robertson, the cast and crew for this fall’s production were hard at work for nearly a month. “The play really is on schedule,” Robertson says. “It is slower than I would like, but I also don’t remember a time when it wasn’t like that. It really is on schedule.”           

For Mary Ann, this schedule included three-hour practices four times a week, not including the memorization and outside work required to make practices efficient.

Months before the auditioning process began, Robertson worked tirelessly on the production. Then, when auditions rolled around, he encountered new challenges while choosing the cast. Robertson reports that many new students tried out, and therefore, he had to take risks. Robertson says, “I was confident that Mary Ann had the drive to memorize all the lines … I knew that she would do her best to pull off the character.” And becoming Mollie Ralston truly is a huge responsibility.

As the leading character, and with over 250 lines, Mary Ann’s character is a pivotal part of the twists and turns of the murder natural mystery. “Mollie gets to experience so many things,” Mary Ann says. “She is intelligent … doing whatever she can to pursue the truth.”

Mary Ann’s Hard Work

But the play is not all the encapsulates Mary Ann’s time. She also enjoys playing in the University band, taking oboe lessons, singing in the Chamber Singers and playing piano. And somehow, she does all these things while balancing her busy schedule with her homework and social life.

It is hard to maintain a balance with such a schedule. Yet Mary Ann claims, “I LOVE what I’m doing. And though I cannot really quantify how or when I am doing everything, I am just grateful to do them, because all I’m doing brings a lot of joy into my life.”

The Challenges

One of the challenges that Mary Ann believes she will have in playing Mollie is disassociating her personality with her character’s personality. “In playing a character that is similar to yourself, reacting the way your character would is one of the hardest things,” she admits. “Just because you are similar does not mean that you can be yourself. You must fully be your character … You must be intentional in portraying someone else.”

Mr. Robertson agrees. “The character is not Mary Ann,” he explains. “And, of course, whoever it is who takes the role, some of their personality bleeds into their character – and that’s natural and expected. But the amount of nuances Mary Ann must portray and the fact that she is so prominent means that I have to trust her to make every scene solid.”

Mary Ann’s Dedication

With this amount of trust from the director comes long practices. “Usually,” Mary Ann claims, I’m energized by practices. “If we are working at a good pace, the play is one suspenseful build toward a climax, and therefore, every part of the play is super energizing and exciting.”

Leah Philips, co-actress in The Mousetrap, her fifth mainstage production, admires Mary Ann’s hard work and dedication. “I remember on the first or second night of rehearsal,” she reports,” when we were just doing blocking, she was on the floor with markers and post-it notes working on her script. Long story short, she’s making sure she does her part well, and she pours everything into it.”

Why Should You Come to The Mousetrap?

The Mousetrap is a thriller, but not merely entertainment. “[The Mousetrap] has helped me rethink the depth of human nature,” Mary Ann says. “It is a good puzzle for your brain and is a remarkably accurate portrait of the different kinds of people we know in our lives.”

Director Stephen Robertson is an avid Agatha Christie fan. The Mousetrap is a staple on his list of options for productions he has directed. “The Mousetrap is a classic Agatha Christie that I trust will be done with high quality and with suspense and fun in the midst,” Robertson says. “The challenge is to see if you can figure the mystery out. With this thriller, you can suspect everyone, and you will still be surprised in the end.”

Co-actress Leah Philips believes that this production will top any other production in which she has acted. She is optimistic about the finished product, saying, “It is scary, fun, and really intense … Anyone who enjoys a well told story will love it.” And as for Mary Ann, after weeks of three-hour practices on top of homework and lack of sleep, when the last performance is done, she knows it will be worth it.

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Thursday and Friday’s performances of The Mousetrap are sold out, but a few tickets for Saturday are still available. Performances are in Maranatha Baptist University gymnasium at 7 p.m. on November 14-16, with a matinee at 2 p.m. on November 16.