The Baker University Theater Department performed its final production of the year, “Last Summer at Bluefish Cove,” April 23-26. The play was written by Jane Chambers and premiered in 1980.

The story is about a woman named Eva, who recently left her husband of 12 years, and her relationship with a lesbian named Lil.

Senior Avery Vogts attended the Thursday viewing of the show and was surprised by how powerful the story was.

“The play was amazingly done,” Vogts said. “It was both hysterical and emotional. The girls in the play made a great connection with the audience and I don’t think it could have been any better – I loved it.”

The play starts as a fish-out-of-water comedy. Eva, a straight woman, unknowingly rents a cabin at a beach resort of only lesbians. Once there, Eva befriends all of the women at the resort, learns to become independent, and embraces her lesbian identity when she comes out to Lil. The story quickly switches to tragedy, howe.

Eva’s evolution from a doubting housewife to an independent woman was beautifully portrayed; however the show sometimes relied heavily on romance clichés and stereotypes. One of the characters in the play makes a reference to The Fault in Our Stars, and the similarities are noticeable in that they both follow the same tragic romance story arc.

The play’s side characters provided some of the best moments in the play. Among the more memorable characters were Kitty, a vain, self-obsessed feminist author, and Sue, a wealthy pseudo-socialite involved with a younger woman named Donna. These characters, as well as the rest of the side characters, humanized the play and counterbalanced the archetypical plot.

Junior Marissa Smith saw the play during its Friday night showing and enjoyed the character development.

“I loved the dynamic between Donna and Sue,” Smith said. “They were very funny and provided comedic relief in what was otherwise a very tragic storyline.”

Junior Chelsie Pyatt worked with the crew during the production, and even though she only saw the play from backstage, she said could feel the emotion.

“I really liked the scene where Lil is saying how she doesn’t want to leave all of these people,” Pyatt said. “That is the scene where it all just hits you. It’s my favorite scene because it is really touching and it makes me get goose bumps every time I hear it.”