On Tuesday, April 18, 2023, Chamber Theater Productions (a professional performing arts theater in Boston, Massachusetts) visited our school, Durham Academy.

They performed multiple plays: including The Monkey’s Paw, The Necklace and The Tell-Tale Heart. 7th and 8th graders watch all three of these and 5th and 6th graders got to watch The Monkey’s Paw and The Necklace.

Below, I will give a summary for each of these plays except for The Tell-Tale Heart.

The Monkey’s Paw

The Monkey’s Paw was about a woman who went to India with her husband. 15 years later, the woman returns without her husband, he died in India. She returns with The Monkey’s Paw, which will grant however obtains it 3 wishes of their choice. She visits some of her friends who are greedy and interested in The Monkey’s Paw and the wishes. They will get their three wishes, but at what cost?

Review: 9/10. An outstanding performance filled with suspense and action. I felt like I was inside the performance, not watching it. It was very engaging.

The Necklace

The Necklace is about a woman and her husband. They’re invited to a fancy party and the woman wants a nice dress that she doesn’t have. So, the husband spends a lot of money buying her a nice dress. After this, the woman asks for a pretty necklace. So, she borrows one from a wealthy lady. The woman had lots of fun at the dance. Later in their lives, she and her husband are old and poor.

Moral of the story: If you always want more, you will never be satisfieed.

Review: 8/10. An interesting story featuring an important moral. Also, it was engaging.

Overall review: An exciting and engaging performance. Highly reccomend to anyone who would love some great theater.

An image taken during their performance of The Monkey’s Paw.