The theater department opened the first performance of Because Their Hearts Were Pure to the public Oct. 29.

The play was a melodrama, meaning that the characters and actions were over the top. Actors made large gestures and direct deadpans to the audience to ask whether to do something. The beauty of a melodrama was that the audience was very much a part of the show.

The plot concerns two worthy widows whose livelihood depends on a coal mine that has been left to them. The lovely daughter of one widow is engaged to the son of the other, and when it develops that the villainous banker who holds a mortgage on the mine is going to foreclose, the girl seeks a precarious livelihood as a schoolteacher, and the young man is tricked into enslavement at sea as a sailor, and is soon given up as lost.

Meantime, the banker, seeking not only to get the mine (in which silver has been discovered) into his hands, but the heroine as well, has spun his wicked web so cleverly that he is on the point of success — but, just in time to save the widows and their children, amazing events take place which bring success and happiness to all who so richly deserve them.

At each performance, audience members received coupons for free popcorn and were encouraged to throw the snack food at the villain whenever they saw fit. Evil monologues would be interrupted by volleys of buttery, salty snacks.

Junior James Sullivan, who played the villainous banker Sebastian Hardacre, was of course ready for this. Sullivan would ad lib lines according to the audience’s booing. At a certain audience member’s “booo” Sullivan rapidly sarcastically replied, “Ohhhh, how original! Did you come up with that one yourself?” When pelted with popcorn, Sullivan replied, “Good, I love popcorn,” eating a piece all the while.

Sullivan’s performance was the highlight of the show, from his quick ad libbing to his intense … well … evilness.

“The whole process is really great,” Sullivan said. “I’ve never done a show where I get to be so bad and basically insult the audience. Besides, I get free popcorn every night. Feels and tastes good to be bad.”

Senior Nathan Painter acted across from Sullivan as the pure-hearted hero, Goodwin Dalrymple. True to the melodrama style, the audience cheered in glee whenever Painter entered the room, in his honest and humble manner.

“It is my first time being a lead in the play and it’s just fun to be able to do the crazy things that are allowed in a melodramatic play,” Painter said “I felt like I could let out my inner goofiness.”

Painter’s performance was humble and pure, bringing the audience to the height of their emotional journey.

The play overall was an amazing experience. Well performed by an all-star student cast. The energy of the audience paired with stellar, real performances created an atmosphere that caused the audience’s hearts to swoon and hands to clap.