Corona del Mar High School’s production of the dramatic and touching story of The Elephant Man was remarkable, as expected. Though throughout the play there were a few line mishaps and some awkward robotic movement, CDM’s drama team did a good job at portraying life and social issues of the late 1800’s.

One student in particular who shined bright on the stage way Rich Posert, a junior at Corona del Mar. His role as Fredrick Treves was captivating, and he was one of the few thespians on the stage who accurately produced a British accent. Nevertheless, Posert’s stage presence was evident being that all eyes went straight to him whenever the lights illuminated the Little Theatre.

Another dominant performance came from Ben Carlson, another junior at CDM. Carlson played John Merrick, a man with a troubled past and a deformed body who is judged by his appearance and not his character. Though it was surprising to see that no make-up was used in his role, the normality of his face helped the viewer focus more on his heart rather than his looks.

Carlson did an impeccable job as John Merrick. He gave the character the perfect amount of timidity, honesty, and placidness in his actions and tone. There could not have been a better John Merrick at Corona del Mar.

The performance overall by the entire crew was expected. Nothing short of amazing. Though there were those few little errors, I will give them credit, considering it was only the second night. Congratulations to the crew and to Mr. Martin for successfully putting on yet another phenomenal show.