Auntie Mame, when announced before winter break, was my initial introduction to the story.  Before then I had never seen the 1958 comedy drama flick, or even gotten an inkling as to the premise of the story; I went to opening night for the show prepared and excited to see something I never had before.

Wednesday night’s cast, Cast A, starred Paige Holloway as Auntie Mame and Thursday’s cast, Cast B, starred Shayna Frink.

It should be mentioned that the theater did not fill up that night. There were quite a few empty seats but despite the smaller crowd, the room was filled with just as much laughter.

The story follows Auntie Mame, a progressive young woman from the roaring 20s who is left to look after her nephew Patrick, whose wealthy father unfortunately passed away. Patrick’s executor, Mr. Babcock, interferes out of dislike for Auntie Mame’s lifestyle and attempts to force her into making Patrick attend a prestigious prep school.

The two grow close despite Mr. Babcock’s attempts to keep them apart,

While, to an extent, there was an intensity to the plot, the comedic undertone of the show was a riot. I found myself leaning over in my seat from laughter at times. Everyone around me was clearly as amused as I was. Everything from the sets and costumes, to the quality of acting, was great.

There was one scene where a cast member backstage disappeared, leaving the theater stuck in an awkward silence, but it ended up being played off well considering how last-minute it had to be saved. Apart from that little slip up, the show was a success.

I loved being able to experience a new story and not the retelling of one I already knew by heart. It was emotional, funny, quirky and completely unexpected, which are all of the makings of an entertaining story.