RVArt Review

Featured

ZERO HOUR

VaRep-JCC Partnership

A Theater Review

Produced By: Virginia Rep in partnership with the Weinstein JCC Jewish Family Theatre

At: Theatre Gym, in the November Theatre complex, 114 W. Broad St., RVA 23220

Performances: March 15-April 7, 2024

Ticket Prices: $40

Info: (804) 390-3390; http://www.virginiarep.org

This is a rare (for me) re-review. I first saw this production of Zero Hour at the Weinstein Jewish Community Center nearly a year ago (“Jason Marks is Zero Mostel,” RVArt Review, April 6, 2023, https://jdldancesrva.com/2023/04/06/jason-marks-is-zero-mostel/). But, humor me. Don’t read or re-read that review until after you read this one, and I’ll do the same. I won’t go back and re-read that first review until I finish writing this one.

With this VaRep partnership, while the location is different, Debra Clinton is still the director, and Jason Marks is still Zero Mostel. This time, the story and the script were familiar, but the production was just as fresh and vital as it had been the first time. This did not feel like a re-run; Mostel was such a complex and dynamic person that there was still much to learn that I had missed the first time, or that I saw with new eyes after the passage of time – and world events.

Jason Marks dives so deeply into the character that it is easy to forget he is an actor – we are spending an evening with Zero Mostel. Samuel Joel “Zero” Mostel was born February 28, 1915 (my birthday, but 4 decades before me) in Brooklyn, NY (as was I).

As a comedian, Mostel rose in stature to become a headliner at New York’s Café Society, a popular night spot and as an actor, Mostel specialized in comic roles: he was, perhaps, best known for his portrayal of Tevya in Fiddler on the Roof on Broadway.

Somewhere along the way, during the presidency of Harry S. Truman, the USA became embroiled in blacklisting activities. After World War II, the USA and Russia became involved in a “Cold War,” and People – particularly actors and other creatives – who were suspected of being members of or sympathizing with the Communist Party – were brought before the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC) where they were questioned and expected to name names. Many citizens were tried, and many actors were blacklisted or prevented from working in film, television, or on stage. Mostel (or maybe I should say the playwright, Jim Brochu) mentions a few well-known names who were caught up in this wide-ranging net, including the renowned choreographer Jerome Robbins and the comedian and actress Lucille Ball, TV star Phil Silvers, screen writer Ring Lardner, Jr., and screen writer Martin Berkeley who is described in Zero Hour as “the Babe Ruth of stool pigeons.”

Other victims of the Red Scare: Orson Wells, Burgess Meredith (credited, in the script, with the line, “hold onto your tits, it’s Zero Hour!”), Arthur Miller, Charlie Chaplin, Lena Horne, Langston Hughes, Pete Seeger, Gypsy Rose Lee, Artie Shaw, Dashiell Hammett, and the list goes on and on and on…

There are many memorable moments in Zero Hour, both dramatic and historic. The one-hander paints a vivid picture of Mostel’s journey “from blacklist to White House in 10 years.” We learn of Mostel’s tumultuous love affair with his second wife, Kate. A former Radio City Music Hall Rockette, Mostel’s Orthodox Jewish parents did not accept Kate because she wasn’t Jewish, and his parents never met Kate or their two grandchildren.

Then there’s the horrible bus accident in 1960 that nearly ended his life as well as his career, leaving him crippled and in pain. But he stubbornly avoided amputation, and went on to star in Waiting for Godot, Rhinoceros, and the Broadway musical, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum. Marks shares all of this and more with a wild and vivid mixture of humor, sarcasm, and melodrama while his character is being interviewed by an invisible rookie reporter. “Why do I call you putz?” Mostel asks the report early in the interview, “because I don’t know your name!”

Mostel warms up to his interview as we warm up to him. The interview takes place in Mostel’s West 28^th Street painter’s loft. In addition to being a prolific and popular performer, Mostel was also a visual artist whose abstract paintings have been sold at auction and displayed in galleries and museums. My notes from the show list 5,000 paintings, 15 Broadway shows, and 25 movies.

Zero Hour is an engaging tour de force that is equally entertaining and educational. And now, I feel, is the time to go back and read what I said about Zero Hour the first time I saw it:

“Zero Hour is one of the funniest shows I’ve ever seen and it appears to have been a perfect vehicle for Jason Marks.” – Yes, I still hold this opinion!

“Zero Hour is a skillful balance of biography and entertainment. For those unfamiliar with Zero Mostel, it is informative, and for those who were already fans, it might reveal a few unknown nuggets.” – Again, I second that first impression.

“All of this, and more, is lovingly and capably captured by Marks under the director of Debra Clinton. Clinton, in the Director’s notes, paid homage to Mostel’s individuality – his commitment to standing up for what he believed even to the detriment of his career – “his honesty, passion, and empathy.” – ditto

And finally, I often find it weird to read things I’ve written previously, but this holds true. That’s my story and I’m sticking to it: Sometimes it was hard to tell where Marks ended and Mostel began. I am sure playwright Jim Brochu who originally starred in his own play, would approve of Marks’ interpretation.” There are a FEW opportunities remaining to see this production of Zero Hour. I suggest you go see it. You won’t be sorry.

———-

Julinda D. Lewis is a dancer, teacher, and writer who was born in Brooklyn, NY and now lives in Eastern Henrico County. When not writing about theater, she teaches dance history at VCU and low impact dance fitness classes to seasoned movers like herself, and occasionally performs.

———-

ZERO MOSTEL

Written by Jim Brochu

Directed by Debra Clinton

Cast List

Zero Mostel – Jason Marks

Direction & Design

Direction – Debra Clinton

Set & Lighting Design = Todd Schall-Vess

Wig Design = Kevin S. Foster II

Stage Management – Hayley Tsutsumi

Zero Hour runs March 15 – April 7, 2024

at the Theatre Gym at the November Theatre, 114 W. Broad Street, Richmond, VA 23220

Run Time

The play is presented in two 45-minute acts with one 15 minute intermission

Tickets

Box Office: (804) 282-2620

Information: http://www.virginiarep.org

Full Price Tickets: $40.00

Discounted Group Rates available

Show Photography by Jay Paul

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Featured

RICHMOND BALLET

2024 New Works Festival

A Dance Review

By: The Richmond Ballet

At: The Richmond Ballet Studio Theatre, 407 E Canal St, RVA 23219

Performances: March 19-24, 2024

Ticket Prices: $25 – $130, Student discounts available

Info: (804) 344-0906, etix.com, or richmondballet.com

THE PROGRAM

GHOST AT THE PARTY

Choreography by Emily Adams [Ballet West]

Original Score by Katy Jarzebowski

Score Mix by Peter Horner

Costume Design by Emily Morgan

Lighting Design by Nathan W. Scheuer

World Premiere: March 19, 2024, Richmond Ballet, Richmond Ballet Studio Theatre, Richmond, VA

LAST TOUCH

Choreography by Andrea Schermoly [Louisville Ballet]

Music by Gustav Mahler

Costume Design by Emily Morgan

Lighting Design by Nathan W. Scheuer

World Premiere: March 19, 2024, Richmond Ballet, Richmond Ballet Studio Theatre, Richmond, VA

ONE STEP CLOSER

Choreography by Ricardo Graziano

Music by Philip Glass

Costume Design by Emily Morgan

Lighting Design by Nathan W. Scheuer

World Premiere: March 19, 2024, Richmond Ballet, Richmond Ballet Studio Theatre, Richmond, VA

TRIPLE STEP

Choreography by Ira White

Music by Alex da Kid, Gil Scott-Heron, Jamie xx, Yussef Dayes, Venna, Charlie Stacey

Costume Design by Emily Morgan

Lighting Design by Nathan W. Scheuer

World Premiere: March 19, 2024, Richmond Ballet, Richmond Ballet Studio Theatre, Richmond, VA

The Background

The four choreographers selected for The New Works Festival are each given 25 hours to work with their cast. The result is a 10-minute original work, either a full ballet, an excerpt of a longer ballet, or a work-in-progress.

The New Works Festival was started in 2008 as a way for choreographers – both new and established – to introduce their creative ideas to the Richmond Ballet dancers and audiences.

This year, one of the choreographers was Ira White. The home-grown dancer and now rehearsal assistant and choreographer is an 11-year member of the company (three years with the apprentice company, RBII, now re-branded as the Studio Company, and eight years with the main company) and got his start as a member of the Richmond Ballet’s Minds In Motion Youth Program.

The Review

The program opened with the heart-thumping “restlessness of the soul” of Emily Adams “Ghost at the Party.” The ensemble was led by Jack Miller, Izabella Tokev, Aleksey Babayev, and Christian Renforth. The women’s corseted dresses with filmy skirts paired with the men’s bare chests lent an air of romanticism as well as mystery to this ballet by Emily Adams, a Principal with Battel West (Salt Lake City, UT).

From there, we ventured to Last Touch, by Andrea Schermoly,123 Resident Choreographer of the Louisville Ballet (KY). Set to the “Adagietto” movement of Gustav Mahler’s Fifth Symphony,” the ballet features a beautiful opening and a moving, organic duet.

Ricardo Graziano, a Principal dancer with the Sarasota Ballet (FL) brought us One Step Closer, a surprisingly lyrical ballet set to two etudes by Philip Glass. Eri Nishihara and Christian Renforth led the ensemble in this satisfyingly pared down leotard ballet.

Richmond Ballet’s own Ira White earned a standing ovation with his jazzy Triple Step, set to selections by Alex da Kid Gil Scott-Heron, Jamie xx, Yussef Dayes, Venna, and Charlie Stacey. The upbeat, colorful, and flirtatious work visually borrowed from a 1950s sock hop and dynamically reminded me, nostalgically, of the phenomenal group works of Talley Beatty and Donald McKayle.

All costumes were designed by Emily Morgan, and lighting by Nathan W. Scheuer, both talented members of the Richmond Ballet team.

The Richmond Ballet’s annual New Works Festival did not disappoint, and it is highly likely that we will see more from one or more of the 2024 choreographers. For many of us, after all, the New Works Festival was our introduction to Ma Cong. He presented Ershter Vals for the 2009 New Works Festival and will become the company’s the Artistic Director when Stoner Winslett completes the transition to Founding Artistic Director on July 1.

The Author

Photos by Sarah Ferguson

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Featured

RADIANT VERMIN

What Would You Be Willing to Do for a Free Dream House?

Presented by 5^th Wall Theatre

A Theater Review by Julinda D. Lewis

At: The Basement, 300 East Broad St, RVA 23219

Performances: March 14-30, 2024

Ticket Prices: $22

Info: https://5thwalltheatre.ludus.com/index.php or https://www.5thwalltheatre.org/

Unaffordable housing. Gentrification. Homelessness. These are serious issues that Philip Ridley has addressed in a two-act dark comedy, a satire that crosses the line from morality to immorality again and again and again.

Jill and Ollie are expecting their first child, but they reside in a drug and crime ridden neighborhood – Red Ocean Terrace. One day they receive a miracle; a hand-delivered letter offers the too-good-to-be-true deal of a free house. The house is in need of renovation, and therein lies the thick of the plot. The young couple accidentally discovers an unorthodox method of renovating their house, room by room. This involves Ollie driving the streets in search of anonymous homeless “renovators” – the “vermin” of the title. (For an explanation of the “radiant” part, you’ll need to see the show to figure it out.)

5^th Wall’s Creative Producer, Kaitlin Paige Longoria, plays the role of Jill and Matt Mitchell is Ollie. Longoria wears a child-like dress with short socks and a bow in her hair, while Mitchell wears a button down shirt and – I think – khakis. Jill is a bit manipulative, and Matt somewhat of a push-over. They both look fresh, clean cut, and innocent, and speak clearly in standard English, all of which makes their nefarious renovation activities all the more creepy.

Miss Dee, their ersatz realtor/benefactor, who represents a government program for Social Regeneration Through the Creation of Dream Homes, knows entirely too much about them. Ollie seems to protest briefly, but then both he and Jill all too easily accept that Miss Dee seems to have psychic abilities. But it’s worse than that. Miss Dee’s red coat subtly or not-so-subtly reminds us of Satan, and at the end she addresses the audience with a stack of contracts and offers for us to accept.

Emily Adler, who plays the snide and omniscient Miss Dee, also briefly takes on the role of Kay, one of the homeless “renovators.” This scene brought me near tears, as Kay, after sharing the testimony of her traumatic childhood and life on the streets, gladly offers herself as a sacrifice, giving Jill a kiss on the cheek before heading off to meet her demise at the end of Ollie’s “magic wand.” Whew!

As disturbing as it was, I was able to follow the story and found a certain clarity and logic until the end, when Jill and Ollie held a garden party – “the birthday party from hell,” for their son’s first birthday. During the party, they enact the roles of all the guests – their nearby neighbors – using different body language and accents for each couple. This section was simultaneously hilarious and even more disturbing than the main storyline that led up to it. It was as if the characters morphed and time-travelled from a Get Out situation to a Monty Python platform, from a classic morality play to a really bad Saturday Night Live skit.

Radiant Vermin is performed with a minimalistic set designed by Daniel Allen. A simple white wall – wainscotting or molding, I think it’s called – and a trio of matching white boxes with hinged lids that hold the few simple props, such as some candle sticks and party hats. There is no other furniture and we depend on the actors to create the changes of scene.

Both Ollie and Jill frequently speak directly to the audience, as does Miss Dee at the end. Ollie and Jill share the task of narrating the story, starting after the birth of their first child, then going back in time in an extended flashback with breaks to inform the audience of the changes in time and location.

During the garden party, Ollie experiences a mental breakdown and when they are alone Jill begins to see and hear things, and is eventually overcome by a choking sensation that we can attribute to her conscience. Ollis is also briefly overcome by this choking, but neither of them is willing to give up their pursuit of more and more material things, even if it costs them everything.

Radiant Vermin leaves much to the audience’s imagination, and Longoria and Mitchell prove to be pretty effective story tellers. Director Morrie Piersol successfully lures us in so that we barely realize when we begin to support the atrocities committed by this oh-so-ordinary couple and we feel uncomfortable – and rightly so – when this is brought to our attention. I could hardly believe two hours had passed at the end of the show. If you have a strong moral compass, this show may not be for you. But if you are intrigued by the weird or enjoy psychological thrillers, or – like me – have a penchant for reading about mass murderers, this might just be your cup of tea.

———-

Julinda D. Lewis is a dancer, teacher, and writer who was born in Brooklyn, NY and now lives in Eastern Henrico County. When not writing about theater, she teaches dance history at VCU and low impact dance fitness classes to seasoned movers like herself, and occasionally performs.

———-

RADIANT VERMIN

Written by Philip Ridley

Directed by Morrie Piersol

CAST

Jill ………. Kaitlin Paige Longoria

Ollie ………. Matt Mitchell

Miss Dee & Kay ………. Emily Adler

PRODUCTION TEAM

Directed by ………. Morrie Piersol

Produced by ………. Tom Kazas

Scenic Design by ………. Daniel Allen

Lighting Design by ………. Michael Jarett

Sound Design by ………. Roger Price

Costume Design by ………. Kayli Warner

Vocal Coach ………. Amanda Durst

Technical Director ………. William Luther

Stage Management by …. Jamie Wilson

Asst Stage Management by Constance Moreau

Front of House Manager … D.J Cummings

Photos by ………. Tom Topinka

Performance Schedule:

● Opening Night – March 14, 2024 at 7:30 PM

● Running Thursday – Friday – Saturday at 7:30 PM through March 30, 2024

● Running Sundays at 2:00 PM through March 23, 2024

Tickets:

$22

Run Time: about 2 hours with one intermission

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Featured

INTO THE WOODS

Once Upon a Time, Later – or – What Happens After “Happily Ever After?”

A Musical Theater Review by Julinda D. Lewis

Presented By: Richmond Shakespeare

At: Cramer Center for the Arts, The Steward School, 11600 Gayton Rd., RVA 23238

Performances: March 7-24, 2024

Ticket Prices: $22-$47 [Adults $47; Seniors 65+ with ID $42; Military with ID $22; Students $22]

Info: (804) 340-0115 or http://www.richmondshakespeare.org

What happens after “happily ever after?”

Sondheim and Lapine’s extravagant musical, Into the Woods (1987), has a lot going on. For one thing, there is a large cast of characters drawn from various Grimm’s fairy tales, from Little Red Riding Hood to Jack (of the magic beans and giant fame). There are princesses in towers (Rapunzel) and elsewhere (Cinderella) and princes who do not live up to expectations for “happily ever after” – Cinderella’s prince and Rapunzel’s prince, who are brothers with lustful, wandering eyes for the purpose of this plot. There are peasants and royalty, a wicked witch, a wolf with pedophilic tendencies, and a little girl with an implied eating disorder. There is a narrator that the other characters, in a rare show of solidarity, throw under the bus – and that’s just for starters. And just in case you were wondering – as you should have been – despite the Disney inspired costumes and light-hearted, guffaw-inducing moments that pepper Act 1, this is not a family-friendly show. Half the lead characters meet untimely deaths in Act 2. The bloody demise of those who are smushed by the giant’s foot is indicated by a red wash on the background, and sometimes accompanying sound effects.

Be careful what you wish for.

At the center of the main plot we find The Baker and The Baker’s Wife (Durron Marquis Tyre-Gholson and Maggie Marlin-Hess). The childless couple wish more than anything for a baby, but soon discover that their barrenness is the result of a witch’s curse that goes back a generation when The Baker’s father helped himself to the witch’s garden. Tyre-Gholson (who, much to my surprise, is making his Richmond Shakespeare debut) deftly establishes himself as a reluctant hero. He tries on the cloak of an alpha male, but it doesn’t fit him well, yet we find ourselves cheering for him and his persistence in the face of probable defeat as he sets off on a life changing scavenger hunt in the woods. Marlin-Hess, similarly, achieves a delicate balance. She is, at once, the supportive wife of the baker, a woman with an independent mind and a resolute disposition (think, by any whatever means necessary), who holds an emergent passion that finds unforeseen fulfillment in the woods.

The prettier the flower, the farther from the path.

Into the Woods is very much an ensemble show, with strong leads and strong voices singing what I would characterize as challenging music, but some characters nevertheless stand out. My hands-down favorite is Little Red Riding Hood (Gracie Berneche) who wrings every last drop of humor and drama from each line she speaks. Now, normally, it is bad manners to mention an actor’s size, but in this case, Berneche’s stature is key to her role. Constantly referred to as a “little girl,” this Riding Hood makes a running joke of scarfing down the goodies she’s supposed to be taking to Grandma’s house. She deliberately talks with her mouth full, and creates one of the show’s funniest physical comedy moments as she and The Baker’s Wife juggle sweets and cakes as Riding Hood tries to fill her basket – a basket, by the way, that she commandeered from The Baker’s Wife. Berneche’s childlike allure makes it all more creepy when The Wolf (Terence Sullivan) peppers her with sexual innuendo, while diverting her from the path to her grandmother’s house in the woods. The dual role of The Wolf/Cinderella’s Prince emphasizes the lustful, narcissistic nature of both characters as they seduce, respectively, Little Red Riding Hood and The Baker’s Wife, in the woods. Sullivan’s dual roles are masterfully delicious and shiver-inducing – perhaps playing on the appeal of the bad boy. But also, the wolf’s ears, tail, and leather jacket are one of the best, most fun costumes, as well.

“You’re so nice. You’re not good, you’re not bad, You’re just nice. I’m not good, I’m not nice, I’m just right. I’m the witch.

Going back to the idea that this is an ensemble, it seems both appropriate and anathema that The Witch (Susan Sanford) had the star’s turn during the closing bows. The Witch, after all, is the only character that has the ability to fill in any of the backstory. At the same time, she does not have the most lines or greatest stage time. But Sanford’s rich vocals and The Witch’s makeover from old hag to bewitching diva, are worthy of recognition. Speaking of which, The Witch’s Act 2 costume and the costumes and wigs of Cinderella’s Stepmother (Hannah Zold Story) and Stepsisters Florinda (Katherine S. Wright) and Lucinda (Kylee Márquez-Downie) reminded me of drag queens – but without the expected sassiness. The Witch loses her powers and Florinda and Lucinda have their eyes pecked out. These characters’ journey into the woods do not bring about the desired results.

Slotted spoons don’t hold much soup.

In my humble opinion, Jack’s Mother (Lauren Leinhaas-Cook) was decidedly more evil than The Witch. She certainly wouldn’t win any awards for mother of the year. She berates and belittles Jack, then defends him when it’s time for him to face the consequences of his actions. These are the actions of an enabler. This role gives Leinhaas-Cook an opportunity to enjoy being nasty, and we don’t feel any great loss at her accidental demise. Let’s face it, Jack (Lukas D’Errico) would never be able to grow up under her nagging eye. In the end, he’s left looking for someone to take care of him, because his mother never taught him how to be an adult. She just sent him off on fruitless and self-serving quests into the woods. The Witch, who had whisked away Rapunzel (Sara Dabney Tisdale) from her parents at birth was no model mother, either. Locked away in a tower in the woods, Rapunzel ended up the single mother of twins, lost her Prince, her mind, and eventually her life as well. Apparently, one does not develop good life coping skills living in isolation in the woods.

Careful the things you say…children will listen.

While Act 1 is a quest to find fulfillment of all the characters’ wishes, Act 2 shows us what happens after “happily ever after.” With Act 1 running approximately 90 minutes, it almost seems as if the show is over at the end of Act 1. But wait, there’s more. Act 2 shows us the consequences of getting what you wished for. There is a fantastic scene in which the surviving characters – after much of the slaughter and bloodshed – all point the finger of blame at each other: The Baker, The Baker’s Wife, The Witch, Jack, Jack’s Mother, Little Red Riding Hood (who is never at a loss for snarky comments, with accompanying facial expressions and body language). It’s a comedy. It’s a parody. It’s a satire. It’s a musical. It’s a morality play. It’s a metaphor for Life. Into the Woods is where life happens. Some emerge triumphant, some do not emerge at all. As 2010 Internet sensation Antoine Dodson once said, “Hide yo’ kids, hide yo’ hide yo’ husbands ‘cause they’re rapin’ everybody out here.” Go see Into the Woods, but leave your kids at home.

—–

INTO THE WOODS

Book by James Lapine

Music and Lyrics by Stephen Sondheim

Directed by Jase Smith Sullivan

Musical Direction by Kim Fox

Cast

Narrator/Mysterious Man …………… J.C. Bussard

Cinderella …………… Grey Garrett

Jack …………… Lukas D’Errico

Jack’s Mother …………… Lauren Leinhaas-Cook

Milky White …………… Katherine Malanoski

The Baker …………… Durron Marquis Tyre-Gholson

The Baker’s Wife …………… Maggie Marlin-Hess

Cinderella’s Stepmother …………… Hannah Zold Story

Florinda …………… Katherine S. Wright

Lucinda/US Cinderella …………… Kylee Márquez-Downie

Little Red Riding Hood …………… Gracie Berneche

The Witch …………… Susan Sanford

Cinderella’s Father/The Steward ……….. Eddie Webster

Cinderella’s Mother/Granny/The Giant … Heidi Johnson Taylor

The Wolf/Cinderella’s Prince …………… Terence Sullivan

Rapunzel …………… Sara Dabney Tisdale

Rapunzel’s Prince …………… Field Oldham

Ensemble/US The Wolf/Princes ………… Thomas Kaupish

Ensemble/US Jack …………… Milo Jones

Ensemble/US Little Red Riding Hood ….. Belén Tarifa

Production Team

Artistic Director …………… James Ricks

Managing Director …………… Jase Smith Sullivan

Music Director …………… Kim Fox

Production Stage Manager ……… Shawanna Hall

Assistant State Manager/

Properties Design …………… Jordan Dively

Assistant State Manager/

Character Double …………… Diandra Chiaffino-Butts

Hair and Makeup Design …….…. Amanda Blake

Costume Design …………… Keith Walker

Lighting Design …………… Michael Jarrett

Puppet Design …………… Heidi Rugg

Scenic Design …………… Todd LaBelle

Scenic Design …………… Katherine Malanoski

Sound Design …………… Grace Brown LaBelle

Production Manager/

Sound Board Operator ……….. MariaElisa Costa

House Manager/

Production Assistant ………… Kiari Hicks

Costume Assistant …………… Susan Frye

Master Electrician …………… Emily Vial

Follow Spot Operator …………… Parker Beard

Follow Spot Operator …………… Wyatt Roberts

Box Office …………… Nata Moriconi

Musicians

Conductor/Keyboard 1…………… Kim Fox

Bass …………… Bea Kelly

Drums …………… Steve Raybould

Cello …………… Lauramarie Laskey

Clarinet …………… Marc Krauss

Flute …………… Stephanie Shumate

French Horn …………… Gretchen Georgas

Keyboard 2/Synthesizer ………… Ian Krauss

Trumpet …………… Steve Fenick

Violin …………… Marissa Resmini

Run Time: approximately 3 hours, with one 15-minute intermission

———-

Photo Credits: Photos from Richmond Shakespeare Facebook page

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Featured

FROM UP HERE

FROM UP HERE

Photos of Strangers

A Theater Review by Julinda D. Lewis

Presented by HATTheatre

At: HATTheatre, 1124 Westbriar Dr., Richmond, VA 23238

Performances: March 2-15, 2024

Ticket Prices: $30 General Admission. $25 Seniors/Students/Military. $20 Youth

Info: 804-343-6364 or https://hattheatre.org

Set on the Brooklyn Bridge where five strangers go to seek solitude and solace, FROM UP HERE (2012) is a uniquely moving and relatable one-act musical.

There’s Henry (Doug Schneider), an older man, a widower who comes to the bridge to reminisce about his beloved wife of forty years. They met on the bridge by accident – literally. Emily (Elise Cumbia) is a sensitive young woman struggling with the news of an unnamed but apparently life-threatening illness. Her illness – likely some form of cancer – makes her reconsider her commitment to her boyfriend. Emily’s long-term boyfriend Dan (Erik DeMario) is a photographer whose current project, taking impromptu photographs of strangers on the Brooklyn Bridge, is instrumental in creating intersections between these strangers.

Jill (Alanna Wilson) is a kind young woman who discovers she is pregnant after a rare one-night stand with a man who subsequently ghosted her. And finally, there is Alan (Aaron Hoffman) is a harried businessman who seems always on the brink of calamity, leaving him little time for human interaction.

Since it’s Sunday, I’ll take a page from my preaching friends and offer just three points about this play, and then you’ll be free to go see it for yourself.

First, each and every one of these characters is likeable. They are people we care about, and even though this one-act musical runs for under 90 minutes, we feel that we get to know the character of each of these people. It doesn’t matter what happened before we met them – or before they met each other. What matters is that now we know them, and we care about them.

Second, each and every one of these actors can sing, but I (who am NOT a singer or musician) was especially impressed by Erik DeMario and Elise Cumbia. DeMario, at times, reminded me of an opera singer. It comes as no surprise to find, in DeMario’s bio, that he has performed with the Virginia Opera, VCU Opera, and the Richmond Symphony, among other companies. Cumbia’s clear tone reflects her background in musical theatre and no doubt serves her well with her work with her church choir.

Several times all five share the stage, singing the show’s motif: “This isn’t the end. This is the beginning.” This isn’t the end of life – despite the implications that, at some point, each has considered jumping off the bridge. No, it isn’t the end of life, but the beginning of a new phase of life, and during the course of a year, they help each other through the trials and tribulations that have led them to this point.

And finally, because I promised three points, FROM UP HERE seems different from most musicals. For one thing, it’s just one-act. In my experience, musicals tend to run longer than non-musical productions. Also, as I mentioned earlier, FROM UP HERE reminded me somewhat of an opera. The songs were not catchy, sing-along tunes, but seemed designed with the intention of moving the narrative. And then, this musical is not high school bullies or rivalries or romance. It is about change and choices and consequences. Why did author Lambert – a Texas born actor and writer who, after living and working in New York, now lives and works in the UK – set this musical very specifically on the Brooklyn Bridge? Perhaps it was because the Brooklyn Bridge is a kind of suspension bridge, and each of these five characters is suspended between their past and their future.

The play is set against a backdrop of a painting that strongly suggests the Brooklyn Bridge. As one who, for many years, walked across the Brooklyn Bridge and back every Saturday morning for exercise (followed by pancakes), it would take a feat of engineering to produce an accurate rendering of the historic bridge.

Lambert’s script calls for four musicians or instruments (piano, reed such as flute, clarinet or saxophone, violin + glockenspiel, and cello) but notes that the music can be performed with only a piano. The artistic team for this production decided to use piano and violin, with musical director Leilani Fenick and violinist Kristen Presley seated upstage center. The music was wonderful, as the two not only accompanied the songs but also supplied the soundscape, such as telephone ringtones. Somehow, inexplicably, having the musicians so present made me feel less intrusive as an audience member, less voyeuristic, and more like a participant observer.

Frank Foster’s direction elicits an authenticity from each character that helps lure in the audience, and once there, we are fully committed. FROM UP HERE, which could allude to the nearly 120 feet the bridge soars above the East River or the nearby Brooklyn Heights neighborhood, is a surprisingly unexpected treat: a delightful, warm, and relatable musical that leaves a lingering impression.

———-

FROM UP HERE

Written by Aaron Lee Lambert

Developed by Perfect Pitch with Adam Day Howard, Benjamin Murray and Adrianne Salmon

Directed by Frank Foster

Musical Direction by Leilani Fenick

Cast

Doug Schneider as Henry

Elise Cumbia as Emily

Erik DeMario as Dan

Alanna Wilson as Jill

Aaron Hoffman as Alan

Creative Design Team

Written by Aaron Lee Lambert

Direction & Scenic Design by Frank Foster

Musical Direction by Leilani Fenick

Stage Management by Matthew Geniesse

Lighting Design by Weston Corey

Costumes by in:commonthreads

Set Painting by Amy Sullivan

Light Board Operation: Jordan Rypkema

Box Office/House Manager: Vickie L. Scallion

Piano: Leilani Fenick

Violin: Kristin Presley

Dates

March 2-15, 2024

Ticket Information

Ticket Prices: $30 General Admission. $25 Seniors/Students/Military. $20 Youth

Info: 804-343-6364 or https://hattheatre.org

Run Time

Approximately 70 minutes, with no intermission

Photo Credits: N/A

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Featured

SATCHMO AT THE WALDORF

“I Smile for the People ‘Cause I Like to See Them Smiling Back”

and I Think to Myself, What a Wonderful World*

A Theater Review by Julinda D. Lewis

By: Virginia Repertory Theatre (Virginia Rep)

At: The Sara Belle and Neil November Theatre | Marjorie Arenstein Stage

When: March 1 – April 7, 2024

Ticket Prices: $39-$59.

Info: (804) 282-2620 or www.virginiarep.org

I see trees of green
Red roses too
I see them bloom
For me and you
And I think to myself
What a wonderful world

American trumpeter, vocalist, and jazz innovator Louis Armstrong died in New York City, July 6, 1971 at age 69 of a heart attack. Terry Teachout’s one-man play, SATCHMO AT THE WALDORF (2012),is a work of historical fiction set in a comfortably appointed dressing room at the Waldorf Astoria’s Empire Room a few months before Armstrong’s death. The VaRep production features Jerold E. Solomon, who catches us off-guard in the first 30 seconds of the play by (a) stumbling into the dressing room and heading straight for an oxygen tank, (b) speaking in an amazingly accurate approximation of Armstrong’s gravelly voice, and (c) immediately announcing, “I shit my pants.”

Although it is a work of fiction, SATCHMO AT THE WALDORF has so much historical truth that it is an educational experience. We learn of Armstrong’s four wives and how he finally got it right with his fourth wife, Lucille – the first dark-skinned Black woman hired by Harlem’s Cotton Club. We share the outrage when he talks about traveling in the south during the era of Jim Crow segregation when even internationally known starts like Armstrong could not stay in a hotel or eat in a restaurant. We hear about Armstrong’s long-tern symbiotic relationship with his manager, Joe Glaser, and the heartache the followed when all Glaser left him on his death – his best friend and client/business partner – was a “tip.” There was a time spent working for the notorious crime boss Al Capone. He had beef with jazz trumpeter and bandleader Dizzie Gillespie and unpleasant rivalry with the influential jazz trumpeter and bandleader Miles Davis, who called him an Uncle Tom. We learn of Armstrong’s wide-ranging and eclectic interest in multiple music genres, including classical, opera, and country.

I see skies of blue
And clouds of white
The bright blessed day
The dark sacred night
And I think to myself
What a wonderful world

Solomon arrives onstage carrying a trumpet, which he immediately places in its case. He does not attempt to play or portray trumpet playing, nor does he sing, although he does toss off a little scatting. Solomon’s depiction of Armstrong’s voice is unwavering and I kept wondering if it was painful. But wait, that’s not all. When portraying Glaser, Solomon seamlessly shifts to a stereotypical New York Jewish accent without missing a beat. The portrayals of the outspoken Davis are less outstanding – although I think the reason lies less with Solomon than with the script. For someone known to be so outspoken and independent, Davis is written as a flat, uni-dimensional.

The colors of the rainbow
So pretty in the sky
Are also on the faces
Of people going by
I see friends shaking hands
Saying, “How do you do?”
They’re really saying
I love you

Mercedes Schaum’s set is sturdy and well appointed with a makeup area, a lounge area, two carpets, a wardrobe, an offstage bathroom and all the amenities one would expect from an exclusive venue located in a five-star hotel. Joe Doran’s lighting is mostly non-descript, but occasionally reaches for some noteworthy effects. I was surprised by the short audience on a Saturday night, the second night of the run. I’m not sure if this was due to a lack of interest in the subject matter or to the political activity occurring in the nearby downtown area, or to the 7PM curtain, or the fact that this play is a one-hander (rare for a VaRep mainstage production), or a combination of factors. Granted, Louis Armstrong may not be everyone’s cup of tea, and – as I found out shortly after the show – not everyone knows that Satchmo, a contraction of Satchel Mouth, was one Armstrong’s nicknames.

I hear babies cry
I watch them grow
They’ll learn much more
Than I’ll ever know
And I think to myself
What a wonderful world
Yes, I think to myself
What a wonderful world
Ooh, yes

I, for one, thoroughly enjoyed Solomon’s performance and the impromptu history lesson of Satchmo at the Waldorf – it appealed to my artsy side and my nerdy side. What a wonderful combination.

———-

Julinda D. Lewis is a dancer, teacher, and writer who recently had both knees replaced due to a manufacturer’s recall. Born in Brooklyn, NY, she now lives in Eastern Henrico County where she can be found kicking up her heels as best she can any day of the week.

———-

SATCHMO AT THE WALDORF

Written by Terry Teachout

Directed by Rick Hammerly

Cast

Louis Armstrong/Joe Glaser/Miles Davis ………. Jerold E. Solomon

u/s Louis Armstrong/Joe Glaser/Miles Davis ………. David Watkins

Direction & Design

Direction …………………………. Rick Hammerly

Scenic Design …………………… Mercedes Schaum

Costume Design ………………… Sue Griffin

Lighting Design …………..……… Joe Doran

Sound Design …………………….. Jonathan Pratt

Stage Management ………….….. Donna Warfield

Ticket Information

Box Office: (804) 282-2620

www.virginiarep.org

Tickets range from $39 – $59

Run Time

The play runs for approximately 95 minutes; there is no intermission.

Lyrics to “It’s a Wonderful World”

Source: LyricFind

Songwriters: George David Weiss & Robert Thiele

“What a Wonderful World” lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Concord Music Publishing LLC

Photo Credits: Aaron Sutten

Jerold E. Solomon. Photo by Aaron Sutten.

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Featured

CLEVER LITTLE LIES

Find the Happy in That!

A Comedy by Joe DiPietro

A Theater Review by Julinda D. Lewis

Presented by CAT – Chamberlayne Actor’s Theatre

At: Hanover Arts and Activities Center, 500 S Center St, Ashland, VA 23005

Performances: February 23 – March 9. 2024

Ticket Prices: $24.00 General Admission. $22.00 Seniors

Info: http://www.cattheatre.com

Clever Little Lies is the second offering in Chamberlayne Actor’s Theatre’s season of comedy. (The first was Steve Martin’s Meteor Shower that ran at Bright Point Community College’s Lynn Theatre last September, and the final show will be Keep on Laughing in June at HATTheatre.) With Clever Little Lies, CAT has moved from Martin’s zany unpredictability to Joe DiPietro’s sitcom structured shenanigans.

Clever Little Lies seems to be the sort of play that is as much fun for the actors to perform as it is for the audience to enjoy. As with a traditional (i.e., televised) sitcom, the opportunity for audience members to anticipate and complete the actors’ lines is part of the fun. For example, Alice, a book seller, rants about the intrusion of technology into literature: “If you had told Jane Austen that someday her epic masterpiece would be read by people on their telephone, she would’ve said, well…” That leaves an opening for an engaged audience to respond, “What’s a telephone?” The actual answer is the less crisp, “She wouldn’t have said anything, there were no telephones.”

CAT’s production featured a well-chosen, tight-knit ensemble with Scott Garka (yes, the president of Richmond CultureWorks, that Scott Garka), as Bill Sr, Amy Berlin as his wife, Alice, Austen Linder as their philandering son, Billy, and Michelle Lachapelle as Billy’s wife, Jane. DiPietro lets the audience in on the first big secret in the first scene, where we meet Bill Sr and his son in the locker room of the local tennis club after the father has uncharacteristically trounced his son on the court. Noticing Billy’s distraction, Bill Sr begins to pry until Billy confesses he is having an affair with his beautiful young personal trainer. Billy’s wife, home on maternity leave with their three-month-old daughter, is unaware.

The comedy comes into play when Billy’s mother, Alice, who has the discernment of a bloodhound, a detective, and a psychic all rolled into one, figures out what’s going on and decides to organize an intervention under cover of a family get together. At one point, Alice tells Bill Sr to play along, but this is where things get complicated, and not so funny anymore.

Alice launches into a story that may be an allegory to set Billy straight, or a confession of a long-ago indiscretion of her own. What’s true? What’s a lie? How do we know the difference? The play ends with a happy resolution that leaves the audience wondering what really happened. And Bill Sr? I think he’s still sitting in his chair, a glass of scotch close at hand, wondering what just happened. In the words of one of my favorite comedians, who are you gonna believe, me or your lying eyes?

There are some things Clever Little Lies, under the direction of Zachary Owen, does exceptionally well. Early on Berlin and Garka establish a warm, loving relationship between a mature couple. Garka’s pauses and facial expressions are priceless – exhibiting a satisfying command of the comedic moment.

It’s difficult to know what to say about Linder because he plays such a despicable character – so let’s say he did that convincingly. I didn’t feel a bit of sympathy for him. Lachapelle maintained a balanced, even keel that made me think her character knew more than she let on. Her surprise announcement to Billy was both anticipated and devastating. Time and again, I almost cared about these people.

Scott Bergman’s modular set was equal parts effective and distracting. The furniture was sturdy, but the background was not and we could see too much of the structure. The off-stage babbling of the young couple’s baby was not at all realistic, and the plastic doll used for play wasn’t even one of those eerily realistic baby dolls – providing another easy laugh. Overall, Clever Little Lies was a delightful divertissement, liberally sprinkled with easily won laughter – plus a whole lot of f-bombs and TMI about Billy’s sex life – and seasoned with a touch of nostalgia.

———-

CLEVER LITTLE LIES

Written by Joe DiPietro

Directed by Zachary Owen

Cast

Scott Gorka as Bill Sr

Austen Linder as Billy

Amy Berlin as Alice

Michelle Lachapelle as Jane

Creative Design Team

CAT Producer – Charles A Wax

Associate Producers – Kerrigan Sullivan and Jason Owens

HAAC Executive Director – Sara Wright-Holloway

Director – Zachary Owen

Rehearsal Stage Manager – Sue Howells

Production Stage Manager – Becki Jones

Lighting Design – Alan Armstrong

Scenic Design – Scott Bergman

Costume Design – Sheila Russ

Sound Design – Charles A Wax

Dates

February 23 – March 9, 2024

Ticket Information

www.cattheatre.com

Ticket prices: $24.00 General Admission, $22.00 Seniors.

Run Time

Approximately 90 minutes, with no intermission

Photo Credits: Daryll Morgan Studios

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Featured

TORCH SONG

Do Four Wrongs Make a Right? – OR – Is She Still Gonna Make Us Dinner?

A Theater Review by Julinda D. Lewis

At: Richmond Triangle Players at the Robert B. Moss Theatre | Carpenter Foundation Stage, 1300 Altamont Ave, RVA 23230

Performances: February 14 – March 2, 2024

Ticket Prices: $10 – $40

Info: (804) 346-8113 or rtriangle.org

———-

I came late to the TORCH SONG party because of other obligations, but I am SO glad I made it! TORCH SONG (2018) is apparently a shortened and revised version of Harvey Fierstein’s original 1982 (pre-AIDS pandemic) production, Torch Song Trilogy – the production that earned Fierstein his first two Tony awards (Best Play and Best Actor). This version consists of three scenes in two acts (“The International Stud, June 1974,” “Fugue in a Nursery, Summer 1975,” and ”Widows and Children First, June 1980”) and runs about 75 minutes with one intermission. Whatever the version or length of the TORCH SONG, the work remains one of the prolific* writer’s most enduring works.

Torch Song:

to carry a torch for someone

to keep aflame the light of an unrequited love

TORCH SONG was groundbreaking in presenting the intersectionality of Jewish and queer identities with authenticity, avoiding both stereotypes and dumbing down the difficult conversations. The former – avoiding stereotypes – was no small feat, considering that main character Arnold Beckoff (played by Richmond Triangle Players own Artistic Director Lucian Restivo) is a habitual complainer who does not hesitate to use guilt as a weapon of choice. (I would describe him as a kvetch, but don’t want to appear to be engaging in cultural appropriation, although I did grow up in Brooklyn and there were mezuzahs on the doorposts of my grandmother’s house.) In the first scene, we see Restivo as a smart-mouthed, fast-talking, somewhat jaded drag queen who despite all her words to the contrary is really looking for love – the same type of enduring love their mother experienced during thirty-five years of marriage.

The problem is that Arnold’s love interest, Ed (played by Axle Burtness) is bi-sexual and is torn between the safety of his girlfriend/fiancée/wife Laurel (Emily Berry) and Arnold. The tension is palpable, and comes to a head in a most amazing scene in which Laurel invites Arnold and his new young beau Alan (Zach Barnard) to spend a weekend with her and Ed in their country home. Wow. Each member of this queer quartet gets to spend one-on-one time with the other three, leading to any number of revelations, confessions, scandals, and ordinary little moments that both Arnold and Laurel refer to as, “this is so civilized.”

As amazing as that first act quartet may be, the real highlight of TORCH SONG occurs in Act 2 when Arnold’s mother pays a visit. Alan has died, and Arnold had adopted a teen son, David (Liam Storm) – but Arnold has not explained any of this to Mrs. Beckoff. Things really come to a head when the mother and son face off in a shouting match, to determine whose grief is more valid. It’s heart-wrenching to hear Mrs. Beckoff, who had appeared to accept her son’s homosexuality when he first came out to her at age 13, speak disparagingly of his life and tell him she’s too old to change.

On Thursday night, understudy Sara Heifetz stood in for Debra Clinton, and Heifetz wore the shoes – and the wig – well. It was a delicate balancing act not to cross over that line into the stereotypical Jewish mother – she was there, hoovering, waiting in the wings. To some extent, the humor of the stereotype was a necessary antidote to the harsh reality of the hopelessness of their relationship. Kudos to Restivo and Heifetz for establishing that balance.

For me, the highlight of Act 2 was Arnold’s newly adopted/about to be adopted son, David (played by Liam Storm in his RTP debut). Storm’s compact stature, unruly curls, and unrestrained demeanor were refreshing and brought humor and energy to the storyline and to the physical space.

Speaking of the space, there was a most amazing set change during the intermission. The minimalist backstage area, dominated by a brick wall, was transformed into a homey two-bedroom Manhattan apartment. The credit for this goes to scenic designer Daniel Allen – and the team who made this happen in fifteen minutes each night. I’m not one who always pays attention to the lighting and sound design, but the work of Michaeal Jarett and Nicholas Seaver, respectively, were subtle but effective collaborations that contributed to the overall magic of RTP’s TORCH SONG, under the able direction of Gary C. Hopper. My one complaint would be that – at least from my otherwise ideal seat in Row E, the second row from the back at RTP’s Robert B. Moss Theatre – there were far too many times when some of the actors’ words got swallowed up or were just unintelligible.

Even given that, the semi-autobiographical story of Harvey Fierstein’s TORCH SONG has you laughing, crying, and laughing to keep from crying. If it doesn’t reflect your own experience, it surely reflects the experiences of someone you know. It’s emotional, revelatory, cathartic, and honest.

*Fierstein is also author of Kinky Boots, La Cage aux Folles, and Newsies. He performed onstage in Torch Song Trilogy, Hairspray, and Fiddler on the Roof, and on film in Mrs. Doubtfire, and Independence Day, and on television in The Good Wife and Cheers to mention just a few of his accomplishments.

———-

TORCH SONG

Written by Harvey Fierstein

Director by Gary C. Hopper

CAST

Arnold ….. Lucien Restivo

Mrs. Beckoff ….. Debra Clinton**

Ed ….. Axle Burtness

David ….. Liam Storm

Laurel ….. Emily Berry

Alan ….. Zach Bernard

**Sara Heifetz played the roll of Mrs. Beckoff the night I attended

Understudies

u/s Arnold ….. Keegan Ferrell

u/s Mrs.Beckoff… Sara Heifetz

u/s David &Alan.. Billy Heckman

u/s Laurel ….. Theresa Mantiply

Torch Song Production Team

Playwright: Harvey Fierstein

Director: Gary C. Hopper

Scenic Designer: Daniel Allen

Lighting Designer: Michael Jarett

Costume Design: William Luther

Sound Design: Nicholas Seaver

Props Design: Tim Moehring

Hair & Makeup Design: Luke Newsome

Production Stage Manager: Lauren Langston

Assistant Stage Manager: Nora Ogunleye

Intimacy Coordinator: Hannah Sikora

Dialect Coach: Erica Hughes

Dramaturg: Kendall Walker

Gender Consultant: August Hundley

Technical Director: Chris Foote

Scenic Artist: Becke Russo

Mural Artist: Liz Lundberg

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Featured

DRACULA

Not Just a Ballet, But a Cultural Event

A Dance Review & Cultural Excursion

By: The Richmond Ballet with the Richmond Symphony

At: Dominion Energy Center’s Carpenter Theatre, 600 E. Grace St., RVA 23219

Performances: February 16-18, 2024

Ticket Prices: $25 – $130

Info: (804) 344-0906, etix.com, or richmondballet.com

THE PROGRAM

DRACULA

Choreography by Ben Stevenson, O.B.E.*

Music by Franz Liszt, arranged by John Lanchbery

Staging by Dominic Walsh

Scenery Design by Thoms Boyd

Costume Design by Judanna Lynn

Original Lighting Design by Timothy Hunter

Lighting Supervisor: Christina R . Gianelli

Guest Piano Soloist: Douglas-Jayd Burn

Flying by Foy

World Premiere: March 13, 1997, Houston Ballet, Worthan Center, Houston, TX

Richmond Ballet Premiere: February 16, 2024, Dominion Energy Center, Richmond, VA

Costumes and Scenery courtesy of Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre

*OBE = Officer of the Order of the British Empire: a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, among other fields

The Cultural Excursion

I’d been looking forward to seeing the Richmond Ballet’s premiere of DRACULA for months. (See my preview for Richmond Magazine: https://richmondmagazine.com/arts-entertainment/richmond-events/richmond-ballet-dracula/) But even though I had read the press release and had obtained a quote from Associate Artistic Director Ma Cong about the ballet’s high production values and dramatic choreography, I was not prepared for what I saw – both onstage and offstage – when I arrived at the Dominion Energy Center for the final performance of the three day run. I am so glad I got to witness this event with my own eyes and ears. Ben Stevenson’s choreography was every bit as dramatic as promised. The set resembled a towering gothic fairytale. The music lured you in, and there was even a red-colored, vampire themed drink available at the bar. But more on the actual ballet after this brief detour. [You may avoid the detour by skipping the next three paragraphs.]

First, the event started even before I got inside the theatre. While searching for parking, and then walking to the Dominion Energy Center, I noticed a number of people who were clearly headed to see Dracula. There was a veritable fashion show of goth gear, black lace, pale foundation and black eyeliner. The number of capes – in black and red – was astounding. A car parked across from mine in the parking deck even bore a license plate with some variation of the word “vampire.” All of this made me wonder, does Richmond have a vampire community? I know about the theatre community, the dance community, the spoken word community, even the drag community and the burlesque community – but a vampire community?

That brings us to the second point. Much to my surprise, a cursory online search turned up several articles on an urban legend known as The Richmond Vampire, also known as The Hollywood Vampire. (Am I the last to know?) There is a story, dating back to the 1920s, of a vampire entombed in Hollywood Cemetery, near Oregon Hill. The legend is linked to the very real and verified collapse of a railway tunnel in Church Hill, where the train engine, flatcars, and bodies of laborers remain to this day.

Another part of the legend identifies the Richmond Vampire as one W. W. Pool, whose tomb is located in Hollywood Cemetery, as a vampire who was run out of England in the 1800s. And then, my husband reminded me of someone we know who, a few years ago, was said to have been “studying” to become a vampire. While none of this is directly related to the ballet, it does explain some of the things I saw, and some of the cultural aspects that were attached to the theatrical experience. One final note before going on to my third and final point – a discussion of the actual ballet – vampires, or vampire allies, seem to be quite friendly.

The Review

Finally, there was the ballet itself – a three act production (The Crypt, The Village, The Bedroom) running approximately two and a half hours, including two intermissions. Make no mistake, Dracula is, indeed, a ballet in the traditional sense. There is plenty of classical technique, including pointe work, and partnering. The second act, set in an Eastern European village, includes the familiar characters (an innkeeper, a matriarch, a pair of innocent young lovers) and peasant costumes and folk dances that populate many story ballets.

Dracula is also quite different from most classic ballets. The women of the corps who dance the roles of Dracula’s brides may initially remind you of the Willis in Giselle. They have been tasked with dancing gracefully and on pointe while carrying their arms stiffly in front of them, affecting the posture of the ”undead.” To do this while maintaining flexibility and gracefulness throughout the rest of the body must have been a challenge. There are flying dancers in several scenes (Anne Sydney Heatherington and Valerie Tellman-Henning were credited in the program, but I thought there was a third as well) and some impressive pyrotechnics near the end when Dracula is finally hunted down and destroyed by Frederick, Svetlana’s innkeeper father (Gabor Szigeti), and the village Priest (Jack Miller) – and while these effects proved to be delightful for adults and children alike, there were many themes that dealt with morality and sexuality that were not recommended for children under the age of 8.

For instance, Dracula’s henchman, Renfield (danced by Zacchaeus Page for the final performance) procures young women for his master. Come to think of it, Renfield’s status is little more than that of an indentured servant or slave, so there’s that issue of oppression as well. Dracula’s dozen wives would constitute polygamy by today’s standards, but then there is also the issue of them aiding and abetting the procuring of “fresh blood” which can only be obtained by kidnapping more women. If this were a TV show, I’m sure Capt. Olivia Bensen would be called in because this sounds like a case for “Law & Order: SVU.”

Irish author Bram Stoker published the gothic horror novel Dracula in 1897. British-born choreographer Ben Stevenson (who spent 27 years as artistic director of the Houston Ballet) created the masterful Dracula,the ballet, to commemorate the 100^th anniversary of Stoker’s masterpiece. (Stoker and Stevenson even share the same initials.) Given the differences in media, the two vampire tales are quite distinct, yet recognizably related.

Richmond Ballet rehearsed two complete casts for Dracula. Sunday evening, the lascivious vampire was danced by Christian Renforth, his newest bride Flora by Izabella Tokev, his henchman Renfield by Zacchaeus Page, and Svetlana, the innocent young villager on whom Dracula has cast his eye as his next prize, by Eri Nishihara. Aleksey Babayev danced the role of Svetlana’s beloved Frederick and the two of them had a wonderful chance to shine in a celebratory dance scene. After drinking too much, rather than losing his composure, Frederick demonstrated a stunning virtuosity, and Svetlana temporarily lost her shyness – turning not on her toes but on her heels.

Dracula’s cape is both a fashion statement and a work of art in blood red and black with tapestry-like designs. The brides’ white dresses, pale makeup and pale locks set a new standard for “undead” beauty. The set for Acts I and III (The Crypt and The Bedroom) are majestic and spooky, in contrast to the once-upon-a-time innocence The Village set of Act II. Last but not least, I must mention the dreadful carriage that Renfield uses to procure Dracula’s new brides. Drawn by two horses (Tekhylon Armour and Darius Mealy), the dark and ragged carriage with a hint of smoke at the top shouts “stranger danger” but even Svetlana’s strongest kicks and screams are no match for the evil that lies within.

The Richmond Symphony, under the direction of Erin Freeman, with guest pianist Douglas-Jayd Burn played Franz Liszt’s haunting and dramatic score arranged by John Lanchbery specifically for Stevenson’s ballet. Dracula is truly a collaboration of elements: the choreography, the music, the story, the set, the costumes all work together to create theatre magic.

The Richmond Ballet offered this production of Dracula the weekend after Valentine’s Day. I have often complained that Romeo and Juliet was not my idea of a proper Valentine’s offering, since they both end up dead. Cinderella has been a happier alternative. Dracula has many of the elements – both pros and cons – of other romantic ballets, but the addition of a vampire somehow makes it sooooo much more satisfying…

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Featured

MEMORIES OF OVERDEVELOPMENT

The New Theatre at Firehouse on the Carol Piersol Stage Presents

A WORLD PREMIERE

A Theater Review by Julinda D. Lewis

At: The Firehouse 1609 West Broad St., Richmond, RVA 23220

Performances: February 7 – 25, 2024

Ticket Prices: $0-$35

Info: (804) 355-2001 or firehousetheatre.org.

I know I’ve said this before, but every now and again a new play comes along that is quite unlike anything I’ve ever seen before. Caridad Svich’s new play, Memories of Overdevelopment is one such play. It’s a play about a filmmaker interviewing people for a documentary. Or maybe its documentary play about a filmmaker and the people they are interviewing for a documentary. Or maybe it’s a film that plays out on a stage.

Let’s try this approach. Memories of Overdevelopment is a two-person play that can be performed by a cast of 2-8 people, and it runs from 60-90 minutes. It is also a stage play in which technology is virtually a character in its own right. Video and projections are so fully integrated into the production that the play would be unrecognizable without them.

Now, how do I tell you about the awesomeness of Memories of Overdevelopment without giving away too much? That might not be possible, so be forewarned.

As directed by New Theatre at Firehouse’s Artistic Director Nathaniel Shaw, Memories of Overdevelopment is a two-person play that runs 90 minutes without intermission. Keaton Hillman (who started as the show’s understudy and stepped in at the eleventh hour for Juliana Caycedo, due to health reasons) plays Actor 1. Katrinah Carol Lewis (who was publicly announced as the New Theatre at Firehouse’s new Associate Artistic Director just days before opening) plays Actor 2. But sometimes Lewis and Hillman switch roles. And sometimes they are “acting” as the people being interviewed for a documentary that follows the stories of people who grew up in dictatorships (underdeveloped countries?), escaped, and lived to tell the tale of how they survived.

There’s a former shop owner, a university student, a professor, a dancer, an artist, a former friend, and a fascist. Interspersed with the sometimes intense and edgy interviews are a series of “memory reels” and while the work is not interactive the audience is inevitably drawn into the mist of the proceedings by sometimes larger than life, real-time video projections of the actors – and the characters they portray – on a backdrop of panels in a workspace intended to replicate a recording studio.

Memories of Overdevelopment has a unique worldview on politics, society, tyranny, resistance, art, immigration, assimilation, fascism, globalization, and all things rebellious. Inspired by true stories, the author reveals uncanny insight and wisdom and challenges us to rethink, well, everything. “Becoming everything you believe in” may be a blessing and a curse and both things can be true at the same time.

Hillman opens the play with a brief overview, seemingly forgetting to introduce his documentarian, Lewis, who calmly sets up cameras and tests light intensities and does all the other things a filmmaker does to prepare – and the next thing you know they have switched roles. Things rapidly progress to a Level 10 out of 10 of intensity, and stays there for most of the next 85 minutes.

Nonetheless, a couple of scenes stand out. When Lewis interviews Hillman and the subject of fascism comes up, Lewis ramps up the intensity even further. What started out as a documentary interview becomes an interrogation. Hillman matches Lewis word for word, phrase for phrase. At one point Hillman blurts out, “We’re just sheep,” and offers a strident, “baaa, baaa.” And at the end, Lewis, returning to the role of the shopkeeper, exclaims, “Everyone just want to buy things,” and concludes with an eerily unhinged giggle that, more than her words, more than her expression, more than her posture, expresses who and what we have become.

There are many such poignant moments, duly captured in this dynamic collaboration between playwright, director, actor, and scenic/projection designer Tennessee Dixon. Dixon has truly outdone herself with the integration of projections and real-time video.

My first encounter with The New Theatre was with a reading of The Red Bike, also by Caridad Svich, a prolific playwright, and one that seems to have captured the heart of Shaw. After seeing Memories of Overdevelopment Svich may capture your attention as well.

———-

MEMORIES OF OVERDEVELOPMENT

A World Premiere by Caridad Svich

Directed by Nathaniel Shaw

February 7 – 25, 2024

CAST

ACTOR 1 ………. Keaton Hillman

ACTOR 2 ………. Katrinah Carol Lewis

PRODUCTION TEAM

Production ………. Nathaniel Shaw

Associate Direction ………. Sarbajeet Das

Scenic/Projection Design ………. Tennessee Dixon

Costume Design ………. Ruth Hedberg

Lighting Design ………. Andrew Boniwell

Sound Design/Original Music ….. Kate Statelman

Videography ………. Andrew Keeton

Stage Management ………. Grace LaBelle

Assistant Stage Management ..…. Isabel Stone

RUN TIME

90 minutes with no intermission

PERFORMANCE SCHEDULE

Previews Wednesday – Thursday, February 7 -8 at 7:30pm
Opening Night – Friday, February 9 at 7:30pm
Running Thursday – Sunday through February 25, 2024
Members Only Post-Show Mixer on Sunday, February 11 after 2:00pm show
Post-Show Talkback on Friday, February 16 after 7:30pm show
Pay-What-You-Will on Saturday, February 17 at 2:00pm
ASL Interpreted and Pay-What-You-Will Performance on Saturday, February 17 at 2:00pm
ASL Interpreted Show on Thursday, February 22 at 7:30pm
Post-Show Talkback on Friday, February 23 after 7:30pm show

TICKETS

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Featured

BKLYN THE MUSICAL

There’s a Little Fairy Tale in Every Reality

BKLYN THE MUSICAL

There’s a Bit of Truth in Every Fairy Tale…and Vice Versa

At: The Swift Creek Mill Theatre, 17401 U.S. Route One, Chesterfield, VA 23834

Performances: January 27 – February 17, 2024

Ticket Prices: $49. Discounts available for students, seniors, and veterans.

Info: (804) 748-5203 or https://www.swiftcreekmill.com

There’s been a lot of discussion recently about people who were outraged that a certain popular movie was a – gasp! – musical. I, personally, love a good musical. The first paycheck I ever earned was for working in a summer youth program that put on a production of West Side Story. (I played Anita.) I love a good musical, but one thing I love even more is a musical I never heard of that blows you away with phenomenal singing, and BKLYN THE MUSICAL almost brought me to tears with the first song, an ensemble piece called “Heart Behind These Hands” that comes even before the “Prologue.”

Thank you and kudos to Dorothy Dee-D Miller, Desirèe Dabney, Michael McMullen, Kamaron Carter, and Lindy Pokorny. This ensemble of five powerhouse vocalists remind us that the Richmond-area theatre community has no lack of talented professionals who are second to none. They played the leading roles of a magical Streetsinger, a local diva named Paradice, Taylor – a missing father, Faith – his long-lost love, and their daughter Brooklyn – the title character. These five are ably supported by the City Weeds, a band of homeless musicians, played by Garrett D. Reese, Larry “Akin” Smith, Nocole Pearson, and Anthony Hernandez. All the City Weeds except Hernandez, who is currently a Junior at Appomattox Regional Governor’s School, also serve as understudies for one of the leads.

Schonfeld and McPherson put together a nominal story-within-a-story or perhaps more accurately a play-within-a-play. Set in a homeless encampment under the Brooklyn Bridge, the actors are members of the City Weeds, who make music to support themselves. Never mind that the set doesn’t much resemble the Brooklyn Bridge I used to walk across most Saturday mornings for a large part of my young adulthood, or that you’re not likely to find a bodega (corner store) under the pillars of said bridge – the set designer and creative team exercised creative license to construct a world of chain link fences, discarded mattresses, and colorful graffiti that evokes the grittiness of the stereotypical inner city. The costume designer crafted a collection of shabby chic ensembles and a few masterful garbage-sack gowns for the divas who, the story would have us believe, engage in a singing dual at Madison Square Garden. The stakes are high: if Bklyn wins, she will use all the money to help the homeless, but if Paradice wins, she will keep all the money for herself.

On opening night there were a few times when the sound was uneven and sone parts of the dialogue got lost – especially when actors were on the opposite side of the stage from where I was sitting. I trust this will be ironed out shortly.

The important thing is that for 100 minutes, with no intermission, this 9-member ensemble blew away the audience with strong vocals, dynamic performances, enough of a story to keep us interested, enough humor to make us feel loved, and enough interaction to keep us on our toes – all under the masterful direction of Shanea N, Taylor and the musical direction of Leilani Fenick. You never knew what outrageous outfit Dabney would sport next – or what stereotypically offensive utterance she would pronounce in love. You never knew when to expect a homeless person to push a shopping cart down the aisle. You never knew when Pokorny, Miller, McMullen, or Dabney would open their mouth and emit an endlessly long, clear, and perfect note.

It’s not all roses and cliches. There is homelessness, suicide, war, the mystery of an unfinished lullaby, and the aftermath of drug-addicted veterans – and of course, the toll these events take on innocent children. Yet, as far as narratives go – as far as fairytales go – none of this can compare to the real-life backstory of the musical’s authors. Apparently Schoenfeld and McPherson worked together in the 1980s. McPherson sang in cabarets and Schoenfeld wrote music. When McPherson traded in the stage for suburban family life, she and Schoenfeld lost contact. Then, according to the real-life fairytale, on a trip to New York one day McPherson heard a familiar voice and found a now homeless Schoenfeld performing as a streetsinger for $40 a day. She then invited her old friend and business partner to come live with her family while he got himself back on his feet – and the result was BKLYN THE MUSICAL. Ta da! As I said, I love a good musical. The musical based on the authors’ story might be an even better one than the one they produced.

BKLYN THE MUSICAL is fun. It’s dynamic. Much of the music is foot-tapping good, and the singing is often excellent. It’s corny and sassy. It’s as innocent as Brooklyn (the character, not the place) and as in-your-face and confident as Paradice – and you’ve got to be confident if you parents named you after a pair of gambling cubes. It’s a well put together show that offers hope and a happy ending in spite of, well, reality.

———-

BKLYN THE MUSICAL (Stage premiere April 30, 2003, Dener, CO))

Book, Music, and Lyrics by Mark Schoenfeld and Barri McPherson

Directed by Shanea N. Taylor

CAST

Brooklyn ……………….. Lindy Pokorny

Streetsinger ……………….. Dorothy Dee-D Miller

Taylor ……………….. Michael McMullen

Faith ……………….. Kamaron Carter

Paradice ……………….. Desirèe Dabney

City Weed/Taylor U/S ………. Garrett D. Reese

City Weed/Streetsinger U/S …. Larry “Akin” Smith

City Weed/Paradice U/S …….. Nicole Pearson

City Weed ……………….. Anthony Hernandez

ORCHESTRA

Musical Director/Keyboard One ….. Leilani Fenick

Keyboard Two …………………….. Ian Krauss

Reeds ……………………………… Sheri Oyan

Guitar ……………………………… Ed Drake

Bass ……………………………….. Beatrice Kelly

Drums ……………………………… Bentley Cobb

CREATIVE TEAM

Directed by Shanea N. Taylor

Musical Direction by Leilani Fenick

Scenic Design by Dasia Gregg

Lighting Design by Joe Doran

Costume Design by Maura Lynch Cravey

Choreography by Suzi Redling

Technical Direction by Liz Allmon

Run Time:

About 100 minutes with no intermission

Tickets:

Regular $49. Discounts for Seniors, Military & Veterans

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Featured

BORN WITH TEETH

Words Matter

A Theater Review of an East Coast Premiere by Julinda D. Lewis

By: Richmond Shakespeare

At: Gottwald Playhouse at Dominion Energy Center, 600 E. Grace St., Richmond, VA 23219

Performances: January 25 – February 11, 2024

Ticket Prices: $20 – $45

Info: (804) 340-0115 or http://www.richmondshakespeare.org

Death and life are in the power of the tongue… – Proverbs 18:21

The time is the late 1590s. The place is a private room in a London tavern. The political climate is volatile – an authoritarian regime is in charge, freedom of speech does not exist, heretics and atheists – and apparently Catholics – are tortured and killed. A plague was ravaging society – the Black Death – a pandemic that killed thousands, causing the collapse of what little social structure remained after the political purge, leaving fields unplowed, and little to eat.

There are more spies than crimes to spy out. – BWT

This is where playwright Liz Duffy Adams saw fit to open up a voyeuristic window into the world of two writers – the well-established Christopher “Kit” Marlowe (Avery Michael Johnson) and the upstart William Shakespeare (James Murphy) – as they meet in the private back room of a pub to collaborate on a series of historic plays. But this collaboration is a contentious literary partnership, rife with jealousy, political unrest, and rumors of espionage, religious persecution, and sexual tension. This collaboration is Born With Teeth.

We are subjects, not citizens. – BWT

The flexible space of the Gottwald Theatre has been transformed for this occasion. A long (perhaps 12’?) table dominates the room, slashing diagonally through the space. It is placed on a sturdy parquet floor, and surrounded by 10 leather topped rectangular stools. The audience is seated on either side of the table, close enough for the first row to be showered by scattered sheets of paper during the two playwrights’ scuffles. This awesome set was designed and constructed by W. Reed West III.

You are so much stupider than you look; how is that possible? – BWT

William Shakespeare and Christopher Marlowe did indeed collaborate on the Henry VI trilogy, Parts I, II, and III, Marlow was stabbed to death in the summer of 1593. But much of the relationship between Shakespeare and Marlowe – both their authorship and personal – is a matter of speculation and mystery. So that raises the question, how much of Born With Teeth is historical clarification, and how much is pure fantasy? And given the truths expressed and exposed of human interaction – oppression, suppression, persecution, ego, love – does the former question matter?

Worse than nowhere is somewhere you don’t want to be. – BWT

Avery Michael Johnson and James Murphy literally burst onstage, and give us a solid 90 minutes of drama, melodrama, angst, bravado, fear, backstabbing, lust, equivocation, love, revelation, caution, optimism, conciliation, espionage, and more. Born With Teeth is loud, frightening, and funny – sometimes all at once. Marlowe denigrates the upstart Shakespeare, until he reads a page or two of the play they’re working on and realizes that Shakespeare can, indeed, write. But at a time when there is not such thing as freedom of speech or religion, words can cut more sharply that a sword, and speech can be the currency of life or death.

I don’t deny God, I just don’t like him very much. – BWT

Murphy plays the role of Shakespeare with a bit of caution, much more reserved than his more outgoing and outrageous counterpart who may, in turn, be overly confident in the sovereignty of his benefactor. Johnson’s Marlowe never walks but strides. He stomps about in his tall boots – there’s a knife strapped into the right one – he leaps from the floor to the top of the table and lands on the tabletop, the floor, or Shakespeare like a cross between a pouncing panther and a WWE wrestler. Sitting in the front row, I could see each bead of sweat on Johnson’s brow and distinctly hear the intake of breath when he rapaciously sniffed Murphy. Born With Teeth is a physically demanding play, fueled by quick dialogue that is alternately witty, cutting, and always demanding. It isn’t Shakespeare, but it is the essence of Shakespeare. It isn’t classical, but it is archetypal. It isn’t orthodox, but it does all the things you want live theatre to do.

—–

BORN WITH TEETH

by Liz Duffy Adams

Directed by Andrew Gall

Cast

Kit …………… Avery Michael Johnson

Will …………… James Murphy

Production & Design Team

Artistic Director ……. James Ricks

Managing Director ……. Jase Smith Sullivan

Playwright ……. Liz Duffy Adams

Director ……. Andrew Gall

Stage Manager ……. MariaElisa Costa

Assistant Stage Manager … Kiari Hicks

Costume Design ……. Anna Bialkowski

Intimacy Choreographer … Lucinda McDermott

Lighting Design ……. Tristan Ketcham

Set Design ……. W. Reed West III

Sound Design ……. James Ricks

Run Time: About 90 minutes; no intermission

Content Disclosure: This production contains mature themes, strong language, & sexual/suggestive content.

———-

Photo Credits: Promotional Video by Eric Hackler & Photos from Richmond Shakespeare Facebook

https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=1088997112419759

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Featured

In Rest and Sleep

A Resurrection of Feelings Through Movement

Starr Foster Dance Presents “In Rest and Sleep”

A Dance Review by Julinda D. Lewis

At: The Firehouse, 1609 West Broad St., Richmond, RVA 23220

Performances: November 30 – December 3, 2023

Ticket Prices: $25 General Admission; $35 Arts Supporter; $40 for two with date night discount

Info: (804) 304-1523 or starrfosterdance.org or firehousetheatre.org

Program & Casting:

Swallow (Premiere): Fran Beaumont, Shannon Comerford, Molly Huey, Maeve Dick. Music composed and performed by Elisabeth Shornik, Guy Shornik

Proof: Mosca Mavrophilipos-Flint, Madison Ernestes, Maeve Dick, Fran Beaumont (Sat/Sun), Shannon Comerford (Thu/Fri). Original music composed by Daniel Deckelman.

In Rest and Sleep: Fran Beaumont, Shannon Comerford, Molly Huey, Madison Ernestes. Music by Nils Frahm, Olafur Arnalds, Anna Müller.

A premiere, a renewal, and a curation. That’s how I would summarize the three works presented by Starr Foster Dance in their fall 2023 performance at the Firehouse Theatre. Three works, three words. Of course, one can’t stop there – that’s just a teaser.

Swallow, parts of which were performed in the 19^th Annual Mid-Atlantic Choreographers Showcase last July, was inspired by the phrase “swallow your pride” – or maybe not. Performed for the first time in its entirety, it is a work of enfolding and unfolding, connecting and reconnecting. The four dancers move in and out of linear formations, and honor the four corners, as the music – Elisabeth and Guy Skornik’s “Time Machine Suite” provides a source of urgency. At the same time Michael Jarrett’s balance of light and shadow offers a sense of dimensionality beyond the mere physical dimensions of the stage. “Swallow” could refer to the bird, nicknamed the “bird of freedom.” The bird is also a symbol of good luck or positive change. To “swallow one’s pride” involves adopting a positive attitude, taking on a posture of humility, opening new lines of communication, stepping outside one’s comfort zone, being willing to do something new, difficult, or uncomfortable – so many words to describe what a movement can convey wordlessly.

Proof, inspired by a photograph by Jay Paul that shows a group of people taking photographs, begins with the dancers circling clockwise. One by one, the dancers enter the circle and expand on simple yet mesmerizing motifs. The soundscape includes grinding sounds, booms, clatters, clicks and clacks and shuffles that suggest the sounds of a camera lens – with the dancers’ movements mimicking the workings of a camera. Large strides contrast with the tiniest wiggling finger motions. Mechanical patterns are balanced by sensuous body rolls. Mottled lighting peeks through a lattice-like template and the work ends with a flash and blackout. In photography, a proof is a sample, an unedited image. But a photograph may also be used as a sort of legal proof – proof that something really happened. Foster, as always, leave it up to the viewer to settle on a definition.

And that takes us to the second part of the program, the titular In Rest and Sleep, first seen at TheatreLab the Basement just a few short years ago. Seen with different dancers – or dancers in different roles – in a different space, the work is just as impactful as it was on its debut, if not more so. This time, Foster selected members of the audience to gently toss lilies onto the stage at the start of the piece. Three dancers were laying quietly on the stage, where there were also two large patches of artificial grass. A fourth dancer waited at the edge of the stage, also holding a flower.

The funeral connection was inescapable, but this is Starr Foster’s mind, so of course In Rest and Sleep is more than that. It resonates with a sense of grief and loss, but the bubbling music suggests resurrection. The dancers repeat a movement in which they plié, lean to the side, and swing their right arms. At other times, they gently pull their partners across the floor by an arm or leg. Both movements could have come from or taken us to a place of darkness, of lifelessness, or loss of control. Instead, they seemed more like affirmations of peace, of letting go. The work is marked by a virtuosity of contrasts that gently wrestles the audience into contemplative silence. In Rest and Sleep is more than choreography – it is therapy. It encourages us to re-examine memories, voices, and lessons from the past in new ways that make them sustenance for the present and fuel for the future.

In Rest and Sleep, the program, not just the one piece, is an artistic curation that attunes us to the ways we relate to others and touches us in places we had long forgotten.

Julinda D. Lewis is a dancer, teacher, and writer who was born in Brooklyn, NY and now lives in Eastern Henrico County, VA.

Starr Foster Dance

Artistic Director/Choreography by: Starrene Foster

Company Artists: Fran Beaumont, Ana Branch, Shannon Comerford, Madison Ernestes, Molly Huey

Guest Performers: Maeve Dick, Mosca Mavrophilipos-Flint

Art Director: Douglas Hayes

Costumes Designed and Constructed by: Starrene Foster

Lighting Designer: Michael Jarett

Music Director: Daniel Deckelman

Thursday, November 30th 7:30PM OPENING NIGHT/ Q&A following show
Friday, December 1st 7:30PM CHAMPAGNE TOAST following the show with the artists
Saturday, December 2nd 5:00PM Matinee
Saturday, December 2nd 7:30PM Q&A following show
Sunday, December 3rd 5:00PM Matinee

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Featured

LONELY PLANET

LONELY PLANET

Sorry, We’re Closed

5^th Wall Theatre in Collaboration with the Firehouse Theatre

A Theater Review by Julinda D. Lewis

At: The Firehouse, 1609 West Broad St., Richmond, RVA 23220

Performances: November 10-26, 2023

Ticket Prices: $1 – $35

Info: (804) 355-2001 or firehousetheatre.org or https://www.5thwalltheatre.org/

NOTE: It’s just about impossible to talk about this play without giving away some of the best parts. If you haven’t seen it yet and wasn’t to be surprised, you might want to wait until after you’ve seen it to read this. But yes – do see it – and then comment if you like. I’d love to hear what you think. -JDL

Steven Dietz’ two-person play, Lonely Planet (1993) borrows freely from (as in pays homage to) Eugène Ionesco’s absurdist play, The Chairs (1952), but while there are elements of the absurd and quite a bit of humor in Dietz’ play, it is at heart neither absurd nor a comedy – it is a play about manifested grief.

Set in an unnamed American city during the 1980s, Lonely Planet tells the story of two friends, Jody and Carl, who are each in his own way handicapped by the AIDS epidemic that is raging outside the doors of Jody’s quiet little map store.

Jody copes by withdrawing into the safety of his store, where the distortions of the Mercator map become a metaphor for the distortions of the world around him. At one point Carl quotes some frighteningly high number of deaths among people they know. Where Jody withdraws, Carl feels compelled to do something.

One day a single chair appears in Jody’s shop. Then another and another, until his safe haven is cluttered with chairs – each representing a dead friend. Carl’s place is too small to hold these monuments. He describes his apartment as so small that he has only one chair – a silver kitchen chair with a turquoise seat. In the final scene, Jody – who has finally found the strength to venture back outside – arrives at his shop to find Carl’s chair in the center of the space.

An impossibly balanced jumble of chairs greets the audience on entering the space, and Daniel Allen’s set filled with racks of rolled maps and map tables and all things cartographic is stunning and immersive. Todd LaBelle’s sound design likewise lulls us willingly and unsuspectingly into Jody and Carl’s world – before we realize that this world’s foundation is grief, loss, and tragedy.

Eddie Webster brings a gentleness and vulnerability to Jody that is both endearing and authentic. Adam Turck infuses Carl with an intensity that at times leaves us breathless. The two characters appear to be polar opposites, and yet they are long-time friends. More than that, they each understand things about the other that they cannot share with anyone else. Add to that Carl’s propensity to lie about his true profession and Turck’s character takes on mythic proportions.

Carl’s manufactured occupations are just as metaphorical as the chairs. He says he restores paintings, but appears to know nothing about art. His art restoration represents a way to commemorate the memories of his friends. He says he works for an auto glass repair shop, but what he is really trying to repair are the shattered pieces of broken lives. He says he writes for a tabloid newspaper, but what he really wants to do is preserve the stories of his friend’s lives.

Just as the Mercator projection was designed to help improve navigation, at the expense of distorted shapes and sizes of all but the local or most immediate locations, these two friends have found ways to navigate through the deadly waters of the AIDS epidemic by distorting the world around them. It’s amazing that Turck and Webster, director Nathaniel Shaw, and the author have been able to pull this off and still maintain a sense of humor and humanity.

Along the way to its crashing conclusion the play is grounded by the mundane details of daily life: the yellow pages, a standard black desk phone, self-adhesive stamps, a cell phone (?) In the final scene, Jody – who has finally found the strength to venture back outside – arrives at his shop to find a silver legged kitchen chair with a turquoise seat in the center of the space.

Lonely Planet is a play that will linger long after the two actors take their final bows.

———-

Julinda D. Lewis is a dancer, teacher, and writer who was born in Brooklyn, NY and now lives in Eastern Henrico County.

———-

LONELY PLANET

By Steven Dietz

Directed by Nathaniel Shaw

November 10 – 26, 2023

CAST

Carl ………. Adam Turck

Jody ………. Eddie Webster

u/s ………. Alex Harris and William Vaughn

PRODUCTION TEAM

Director ………. Nathaniel Shaw

Scenic Design ………. Daniel Allen

Costume Design ………. Colin Lowrey, II

Lighting & Sund Design …. Todd LaBelle, Jr

Dramaturgy ………. Kendall Walker

Stage Management ………. Emily Vial

Production Consultant ….. Michael Hawke

Performance Schedule:

● Opening Night – November 10, 2023 at 7:30 PM

● Running Thursday – Friday – Saturday at 7:30 PM through November 25, 2023

● Running Sundays at 2:00 PM through November 26, 2023

● Pay-What-You-Will shows on November 12 at 2:00 PM and November 16 at 7:30 PM

● Post-Show Talkback on November 19 after the 2:00 PM performance

Tickets:

$1 – $35

Run time:

About 2 hours, with one intermission

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Featured

HAMLET

A Theater Review [with post-credit cookies] by Julinda D. Lewis

By: Richmond Shakespeare

At: Gottwald Playhouse at Dominion Energy Center, 600 E. Grace St., Richmond, VA 23219

Performances: October 19 – November 12, 2023 | EXTENDED to November 17

Ticket Prices: $20 – $45

Info: (804) 340-0115 or quilltheatre.org

Everyone has heard of Hamlet. Some of us read it in high school. Some have seen productions on stage or film. Others have avoided it like the plague. Wherever you sit along this spectrum, Richmond Shakespeare’s Hamlet will bring out a new-found love and admiration for Shakespeare’s most well-known drama. Seriously. I personally know people who either knew little to nothing about Hamlet or had an aversion to Shakespeare in general, who raved about this production after seeing it.

Hamlet is a play about loss, unbearable grief, betrayal, revenge. . .and a ghost. When Prince Hamlet’s father, the King of Denmark, dies suddenly – under suspicious circumstances – Hamlet’s mother marries his uncle Claudius. Hamlet and members of the king’s guard experience a visitation from a ghost who appears to be the spirit of Hamlet’s father, and set the stage for a revenge plot.

Joshua Carter is an engaging and intense Hamlet, who cunningly slips in and out of madness. His grief appears authentic and his unhinged rants convincing. Physically he is controlled and seems always on the verge of erupting like a human volcano. His voice is beautifully resonant, well-modulated, and his gestures are tight and just eccentric enough to place him outside of our time. This is significant because this Hamlet is clothed in contemporary garments.

At the celebration of the new King’s court, the attendees wear tuxedos and most of the women wear semi-formal or business attire. Interestingly, Ophelia, Hamlet’s sometime love interest, favors cowboy boots – glittery ones for special occasions.

Joseph Yeargain, as Claudius, is suave and slimy at the same time, and it’s never clear whether Hamlet’s mother, Gertrude (Lucretia Marie) is involved in the murder and power plots or if she just goes along with whatever the men in her life tell her to do. Neither scenario is enough to stir any real sympathy for her.

The same cannot be said for Ophelia. Rosemary Richards tugs on our heartstrings as she plays her heart out, from the heights of love to the depths of despair, from beautiful fair maiden to a wretched shell of herself.

All is not doom and gloom. Avery Michael Johnson gives new meaning to the word “loyalty” as Hamlet’s friend, Horatio, and someone made an absolutely brilliant and hilarious decision to cast Toby O’Brien and Rachel Garmon-Williams as Hamlet’s friends Rosencrantz and Guildenstern. Did I remember to say Hamlet’s stoner friends?

The entire ensemble, including Jody Ashworth as the Ghost of Hamlet’s father, MaryBeth Adams as the king’s counselor, Polonius, Robbie Winston as Laertes (son of Polonius and brother to Ophelia), John Moon as an unintentionally witty gravedigger are deserving of recognition, individually and as a collective. James Ricks’ direction is intuitive and when the play is over it comes as a shock to discover that nearly three hours have passed.

Don’t get thee to a nunnery, but do get thee to the Gottwald Theatre to see this marvelous production. Oh, and I sat with my husband and a friend in the front row of a bank of seats that is practically on the stage. My heart was in my mouth during the sword fight, and from my vantage point I also got to see the expressions of other audience members. Be daring – sit there! You can always change your seat after intermission if you chicken out. Your estimation of William Shakespeare, Hamlet, and Richmond Shakespeare will be forever elevated.

—–

Hamlet

by William Shakespeare

Directed by James Ricks

Cast

Hamlet …………… Joshua Carter

Claudius …………… Joseph Yeargain

Gertrude …………… Lucretia Marie

Ghost/Player King ……… Jody Ashworth

Horatio …………… Avery Michael Johnson

Polonius …………… MaryBeth Adams

Ophelia …………… Rosemary Richards

Laertes .…………… Robbie Winston

Guildenstern/Francisco/Player

Queen/Priest ……… Rachel Garmon-Williams

Rosencrantz/Fortinbras/

Bernardo ………… Toby O’Brien

Gravedigger/Marcellus/

Player …………… John Moon

Voltimand/Osric/

Player ……………. Keegan Ferrell

Ensemble …………….. Kenjae Lundy, Milind Murthy

Production & Design Team

Artistic Director ……. James Ricks

Managing Director ……. Jase Smith Sullivan

Costume Design ……. Keith Walker

Lighting Design ……. Gretta Daughtrey

Set Design ……. Frank Foster

Sound Design ……. Kate Statelman

Production Manager ……. Melissa Johnston-Price

Stage Manager ……. MariaElisa Costa

Fight Choreography ……. Aaron Orensky

Assistant Stage Manager … Diandra Chiaffino-Butts

Properties ……. Jordan Dively

Run Time: About 3 hours including one intermission

———-

Photo Credits: David Parrish Photography

HAMLET ON NBC “12 ABOUT TOWN”

https://www.nbc12.com/video/2023/11/03/hamlet-continues-through-nov-17/

AN OBSERVATION

In Act I Hamlet is seen reading – and eating the pages of – a book, Holy Blood, Holy Grail by Michael Baigent, Richard Leigh, and Henry Lincoln. The authors propose that Jesus married Mary Magdalene and had children with her whose descendants later emigrated to southern France where they became part of a secret society called the Priory of Sion. The authors further concluded that the Holy Grail of legend is both the womb of Mary Magdalene and the sacred royal bloodlines she birthed.

AN ANALOGY

Hamlet:Claudius as David:Saul

Just as the biblical David had a chance to kill the treasonous King Saul while hiding in a cave, but he chose not to, Prince Hamlet had a chance to kill his uncle, the treasonous King Claudius, as he prayed, but he chose not to.

YOU DO SPEAK SHAKESPEARE!: Phrases We Got From Hamlet

To thine own self be true.

Something is rotten in the state of Denmark.

Murder most foul.

Pernicious woman!

There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, that are dreamt of in your philosophy.

The time is out of joint.

Although this be madness, there’s method in it. [i.e., a method to one’s madness]

There is nothing good or bad but thinking makes it so.

What a piece of work is a man.

I know a hawk from a handsaw.

The play’s the thing!

To be or not to be…

Conscience makes cowards of us all.

Get thee to a nunnery!

Oh, woe is me!

Madness in great ones must not unwatched go.

Suit the action to the word.

The lady doth protest too much!

Act your age!

Sweets to the sweet.

The dog will have his day.

The grinding of the ax.

Good night, sweet prince.

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Featured

MARTHA MITCHELL CALLING

“If it hadn’t been for Martha Mitchell, there’d have been no Watergate.” – Richard Nixon

A Theater Review by Julinda D. Lewis

At: Hanover Tavern, 13181 Hanover Courthouse Rd, Hanover, VA 2309

Performances: September 29 – October 29, 2023

Ticket Prices: $52

Info: (804) 282-2620 or www.virginiarep.org

Some plays are notable not because they are entertaining but because they are revelatory. Martha Mitchell Calling is that type of play. It is more than an historic docu-drama based on the real life story of the wife of former U.S. Attorney General John Mitchell, a key figure in the Watergate Scandal (1972-1974). Martha Mitchell Calling fills in some important parts of U.S. history that have been ignored or re-written – all because a key figure in the story was a woman.

Debra Wagoner has stepped into Martha Mitchell’s designer shoes to spill all the tea, right the wrongs, fill in the blanks, and teach us all a thing or two – while simultaneously making us laugh and acknowledge her considerable skills as an actor. Wagoner embraces the title role while her real-life husband, Joe Pabst, steps into character as her John Mitchell. Pabst literally steps into the role, as he starts most scenes as a portrait on the wall and steps out of the frame to join his wife in increasingly contentious interactions.

I was finishing high school and beginning college during the Watergate Scandal, certainly old enough to be aware of what was happening. But I don’t recall anything about Martha Mitchell – and that’s the whole point of this play. It starts out as a love story, but before our very eyes Mrs. Mitchell transforms from a traditional, if somewhat flamboyant, stand-by-your-man southern belle to a political pariah. She converted her husband from Democrat to Republican and introduced him to Richard Nixon. But then there was Watergate – when the Nixon administration broke in to the Democratic National Committee headquarters in Washington, D.C., at the Watergate Office Building on June 17, 1972. Martha Mitchell Calling fills in some of the missing details, including an alleged kidnapping, a suspected drugging disguised as a mental breakdown, a missing weekend, and many other unanswered questions.

This is a two-person show, but Wagoner is undeniably the star of this show. She portrays Mrs. Mitchell as a mover and shaker, a bit unsteady on her feet from her close relationship with her ever-present gin bottle, princess phone close at hand and ready to be wielded like a cowboy’s pistol. We feel the toll taken by the series remarkable events that started with Mrs. Mitchell calling her favorite journalist with gossip in support of her husband and the Republican party to the heart-wrenching decision to stand up for truth and expose the corruption that had consumed her beloved GOP and her adored husband.

These events even gave rise to a condition known as Martha Mitchell Syndrome, which is what occurs when a medical professional labels a patient’s accurate perception of real events as delusional, resulting in an intentional misdiagnosis. Mrs. Mitchell’s commitment to the truth led to the loss of her husband, her daughter, and her health. She died alone and in disgrace.

This role is no small feat and Wagoner does a star turn as the ostracized socialite. Pabst is no slouch either. He admirably balances the seemingly contradictory role of loving husband and father with that of political villain, carrying loyalty to a fault and beyond.

Is it coincidence that Virginia Rep produced two female-led political productions at the start of their new season (POTUS at the November Theatre and Martha Mitchell Calling at Hanover)? Hmm. Whatever the explanation, both productions have contributed to an intriguing and provocative start to the local theater season.

Julinda D. Lewis is a dancer, teacher, and writer who was born in Brooklyn, NY and now lives in Eastern Henrico County.

MARTHA MITCHELL CALLING

by Jodi Rothe

Directed by Rick Hammerly

Cast

Martha Mitchell Debra Wagoner

John Mitchell Joe Pabst

Direction & Design

Direction Rick Hammerly

Scenic & Production Design Dasia Gregg

Costume Design Sue Griffin

Lighting Design Matthew Landwehr

Sound Design Kelsey Cordrey

Stage Management Crimson Piazza

Ticket Information

Tickets: $52

Discounted Group Rates and Rush tickets available.

Box Office: 804-282-2620 or www.virginiarep.org

Run Time: 2 hours including a 15 minute intermission

Photo Credits: Aaron Sutten

Debra Wagoner and Joe Pabst. Photo by Aaron Sutten.

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Featured

BERTA, BERTA

The New Theatre at Firehouse in Collaboration with the Conciliation Project Presents the Virginia Premiere of a Play by Angelica Chéri

A Theater Review by Julinda D. Lewis

At: The Firehouse 1609 West Broad St., Richmond, RVA 23220

Performances: September 27 – October 15, 2023

Ticket Prices: $15-$35

Info: (804) 355-2001 or firehousetheatre.org.

O Lord Berta Berta O Lord gal oh-ah
O Lord Berta Berta O Lord gal well now
Go ‘head marry don’t you wait on me oh-ah
Go ‘head marry don’t you wait on me well now

Inspired by a prison chain-gang song that originated on the euphemistically named Parchman Farm – a Mississippi State Penitentiary – BERTA, BERTA is a love story, an allegory, a tale of historical fiction, a memory, and an inheritance. Chéri found inspiration in August Wilson’s The Piano Lesson (1987) in which the song is featured. But that’s not all.

In many ways, the couple in Angelica Chéri’s play, which premiered in the 2018 Contemporary American Film Theatre Festival (CATF) reminded me of the 2019 American Film Institute (AFI Fest) debut of the film, Queen and Slim. I rooted for Berta and Leroy just as I rooted for Queen and Slim, against all the odds, against the inevitable, against the evidence – because we have to have hope, we have to have love.

Might not want you when I go free oh-ah
Might not want you when I go free well now
Don’t know the difference when the sun go down oh-ah
Don’t know the difference when the sun go down well now

Katrinah Carol Lewis and Jerold E. Solomon were cast as Chéri’s reunited and doomed lovers, Berta and Leroy. But there is more to each of these characters than just that bare-bones description. Both Berta and Leroy are burdened with the sins of post-slavery America, the unwanted weight of the segregated south, and the crimes of being born Black in America. Both are people that we might meet, once knew, know of, or are related to.

Berta in Meridian and she living at ease oh-ah
Berta in Meridian and she living at ease well now
O Lord Berta Berta O Lord gal oh-ah
O Lord Berta Berta O Lord gal well now
I’m on old Parchman, got to work or leave oh-ah
I’m on old Parchman, got to work or leave well now

Leroy has spent time at Parchman Farm, and on his way to reunite with his former lover after his release, he commits yet another crime that seals his fate. Berta, who tired of waiting three years for Leroy – her one true love and soulmate – married a well-meaning but boring farmer who loved her, but he died, leaving her a widow with a ramshackle farmhouse in a small country town. On top of all that, she lost her only child who was stillborn. Both Berta and Leroy are waiting on a miracle – the miracle of the cicadas – to fulfill their deferred dreams.

That’s a lot of weight for two characters, two actors to carry. Both Lewis and Solomon are more than capable of bearing the load. Lewis is well known for authentic, riveting portrayals, from real-life Billie Holiday to fictitious Nora in A Doll’s House or even an entire cast as she did in Anna Deavere Smith’s one-woman play, Twilight Los Angeles 1992. Berta must be added to Lewis’ list of unforgettable characters. It is the kind of role that leaves the audience speechless, so I can only imagine how much it requires of Lewis to step into Berta’s worn slippers night after night.

Solomon is also a larger-than-life figure, and it could be easy to overact this role, but Solomon presents a well-rounded, sympathetic picture of this well-meaning Black man whose dreams have been dashed before he could even verbalize them. The hand of director Dr. Tawnya Pettiford-Wates is clearly imprinted on this stunning work, yet there is a softness that seems to have been previously – perhaps intentionally – untapped.

Berta, Berta is one of those magnificent works that reflects an immersive relationship between author, director, actors, lighting, scenic design, and sound. Chris Raintree’s roughshod wooden planks, wood stove, porch pump, and vines – so many vines – perfectly capture Berta’s rural home, the southern geography, the era, the mood. Kyle Epps feeds in the sounds of a harmonica, the cicadas and other ambient sounds in a way that is both natural magical. The same can be said of Andrew Bonniwell’s lighting that frames the stage from the top, the bottom, the back, and even from under the floorboards. The total effect is both heartwarming and heartrending; it reveals how tenuous are the lines between dreams and nightmares, the softness of a lover’s touch, and the kick of the moonshine Berta shares with Leroy.

This is, quite simply, a magnificent theatrical experience that cannot be described; it must be experienced.

O Lord Berta Berta O Lord gal oh-ah
O Lord Berta Berta O Lord gal well now

———-

Julinda D. Lewis is a dancer, teacher, and writer who was born in Brooklyn, NY and now lives in Eastern Henrico County.

———-

BERTA, BERTA

By Angelica Chéri

Directed by Dr. Tawnya Pettiford-Wates

September 27 – October 15, 2023

CAST

Berta ………. Katrinah Carol Lewis

Leroy ………. Jerold E. Solomon

U/S ………. Shalandis Wheeler Smith & Delvin Young

PRODUCTION TEAM

Scenic Designer ………. Chris Raintree

Lighting Designer ………. Andrew Bonniwell

Sound Designer ………. Kyle Epps

Costume Designer ………. Nia Safarr Banks

Intimacy Director ………. Stephanie Tippi Hart

Asst. Intimacy Dir. ………. Dorothy Dee D. Miller

Assistant Director ………. Jeremy Morris

Research Intern ………. Sarah Young

Stage Manager ………. Grace LaBelle

Lobby Display ………. The Conciliation Project

Original rendition of Berta, Berta chain-gang song by Andrew Alli

Performance Schedule:

● Opening Night – September 29 at 7:30pm

● Running Thursday – Sunday through Oct. 15, 2023

● Pay-What-You-Will previews on September 27th and 28th at 7:30pm

● Pay-What You-Will performance on October 8th at 2pm

Tickets: $15-$35

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Featured

CARMINA BURANA

Richmond Ballet Opens New Season With a John Butler Classic & a Work by Associate Artistic Director Ma Cong

A Dance Review

By: The Richmond Ballet with the Richmond Symphony/Richmond Symphony Chorus and The City Choir of Washington

At: Dominion Energy Center’s Carpenter Theatre, 600 E. Grace St., RVA 23219

Performances: September 22-24, 2023

Ticket Prices: $25 – $130

Info: (804) 344-0906, etix.com, or richmondballet.com

THE PROGRAM

Thrive

Choreography by Ma Cong

Music by Oliver Davis

Costume Design by Monica Guerra

Lighting Design by Trad A. Burns

Lighting Supervision by Joseph R. Wall

World Premiere: September 20, 2022, Richmond Ballet, Richmond Ballet Studio Theatre, Richmond, VA

CARMINA BURANA

Conceived and Choreographed by John Butler

Music and Latin Text by Carl Orff

Staging by Igor Antonov and Lauren Fagone

Costume Design by John Butler

Lighting Design by Catherine Girardi after

Original Lighting Design by Richard Moore

World Premiere: September 24, 1959, New York City Opera, City Center, New York

Richmond Ballet Premiere: October 15, 1987, Carpenter Theatre, Richmond, VA

If there’s anything better than live dance, it’s live dance performed to live music. After a debut performance at Wolf Trap in August, the Richmond Ballet opened their new season with an exciting program of neoclassical ballet and ballet theatre. The program opened with Thrive, the most recent work of Associate Artistic Director Ma Cong, and concluded with John Butler’s highly immersive Carmina Burana. (Note: Founding Artistic Director Stoner Winslett will be stepping down at the end of the season and moving into an advisory role, and Ma Cong will step into the role of Artistic Director.)

First performed as the 2022 season opener of the Richmond Ballet’s Studio Series, Ma Cong’s Thrive, a classical ballet in 7 movements, and his ninth work for Richmond Ballet, had the full expanse of the Carpenter Theatre stage and the pleasure of hearing British composer Oliver Davis’s layered score performed live by a full orchestra.

An ambitious display of contemporary classical ballet that spans the gamut from the humorous or playful to the somber and romantic, the work was inspired partly by the choreographer’s interactions with Richmond’s LGBTQ+ and Asian-American communities.

Onstage, Thrive manifests as clean, neo-classical movement accompanied by classical strings, interspersed with riotous pairings accompanied by more humorous music – some instrumental and some choral. The lighting matched the music and movement, with shades of red for the lighter moments and blues and purples for the more somber sections.

Carmina Burana raises the drama to a whole new level. A full orchestra in the pit, choral groups spilling out on both sides of the stage, soloists downstage left and right, frame dancers in monks robes who process in, pausing occasionally to genuflect. The robes soon give way to the barest of body coverings, reminiscent of Adam and Eve, while Eri Nishihara later appears in flowing white. Light colored body suite for the women and tights with collars over bare chests for the men emphasize the stylized movement that sometimes appears to have been lifted from an ancient print or vase.

A wheel of fortune projected in the background reminds us that life is uncertain, that we are all subject to the ups and downs, the wins and losses. The mostly Latin lyrics and poetry just add to the drama – sometimes more like an opera than a ballet – bookending the entire experience with the “O Fortuna” Prologue and Epilogue.

There is discipline and structure, seductive moments, energetic and tortured movement – some of all that life has to offer. The very characters that bow in prayer later appear literally half-dressed (hats off to costume designer Monica Guerra) and become part of romantic triangles or what some call “entanglements.” Cody Beaton and Ira White, and Eri Nishihara with Khaiyom Khojaev guide the ensemble through the changes of luck and fate, bringing a relatable sense of emotion and sensuality to what might otherwise appear to be an obscure spectacle.

All in all, this proved to be a full-blast, magnificent evening of dance theater and certainly raises the bar for high expectations for the rest of this season.

Julinda D. Lewis is a dancer, teacher, and writer who was born in Brooklyn, NY and now lives in Eastern Henrico County.

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Featured

ONE IN TWO

This is the play that has no end. . .

A Theater Review by Julinda D. Lewis

At: Richmond Triangle Players at the Robert B. Moss Theatre | Carpenter Foundation Stage, 1300 Altamont Ave, RVA 23230

Performances: September 20 – October 14, 2023

Ticket Prices: $10 – $40

Info: (804) 346-8113 or rtriangle.org

———-

After seeing Donja R. Love’s phenomenal Sugar in Our Wounds, produced at Richmond Triangle Players (RTP) during April-May 2022, I was excited to see One in Two (2019) and I was not disappointed. One in Two is a three-person drama set in a waiting room, in the crossroads of “Now, until; Everywhere, nowhere.”

I was very intentional in my use of the word “crossroads.” While the literal meaning of a crossroads is an intersection, a place where two roads meet, it is commonly used figuratively and spiritually to refer to life-changing situations that require special attention, a decision, and are often marked by rituals of protection or transition.

One in Two is a masterful example of storytelling, but not the kind of story that is meant to entertain. This story is autobiographical – written by the playwright around the tenth anniversary of his own HIV positive diagnosis. It is not an entertainment, but rather a call to action, the urgency of which is suggested by the knowledge that Love began writing this play on the Notes app of his phone, from his bed. Presumably he, like the character Number One, was struggling with the need to define himself aside from a diagnosis that many considered a death sentence.

There is an experimental and inclusive nature to this work as well. Audience members are asked to take a number from a ticket machine as we enter. While the purpose is never explained, it eventually becomes clear that each ticket has been re-designated as either a “1,” a “2,” or a “3.” The three actors do not know, at the start of the show each night, which of them will be playing the role of “1,” “2,” or “3” until the audience chooses, by applause. [I applauded equally loudly for each because I know and admire Keaton Hillman and Tedarryl Perry as actors and was immediately drawn to Garrett D. Reese’s “extra-ness.”]

The actors begin to drift onto the stage one by one, about ten minutes before the show starts. They stand, stretch, linger. The action begins with a scream. On Friday, opening night, Perry was chosen to be Number One, and soon after a “safe word” was established. Overkill? No. It is, indeed, that intense.

One in Two is not lacking in humor. The three romp in a recreated memory of their youth. Perry progressed through the role of Dante from a carefree little boy to a young man exploring his sexuality until stumbling at the crossroads of an HIV positive diagnosis. Hillman played a number of roles, from bossy, king-of-the-hill kid to bartender to supportive [female] nurse, and even a member of an HIV support group – whose marriage was surrounded by secrecy and the unwillingness of his in-laws to accept their son’s marriage to another man. Reese also took on various roles, from the playground mediator to a streetwise booty call or, to put it more graphically, trade, to Dante’s warm but worried mother.

Director Shanea N. Taylor pulls us into this world that unfolds in a non-linear, sometimes dream-like format that carries the audience from laughter to the point of tears in a matter of seconds. The stark white background, with a nurse’s station, a bathtub, and a bar hidden behind convenient cabinet doors, supports this fragile paradox – there’s nowhere to hide, while hidden in plain sight.

While it is impossible to know exactly how someone feels in this situation, One in Two takes us as close as humanly possible with a roller coaster of emotion including shock, shame, anger, depression and despair, compassion, fear, and more. The trauma is real. The acting, the play, is just an effective delivery vehicle.

Oh. That title? At the time this play was written, according to the CDC statistics: One in fourteen gay white men will be diagnosed with HIV in their lifetime. One I four gay Hispanic men will be diagnosed HIV positive. And one in two gay Black men will be diagnosed with HIV. That is why, at the end of this play, there is no bow. There is no applause. There is no end. Yet.

FROM THE PLAYWRIGHT: “There is still trauma that’s hard to write, there are still remnants of fear that tremble the voice found in my writing. I’ve gotten to a point where there are no words, characters, dialogue, or subtext to hide behind anymore. Fear can no longer overshadow truth.”

Bravo to this cast and creative team and to Richmond Triangle Players for moving past fear and presenting us with the cold, harsh truth.

Julinda D. Lewis is a dancer, teacher, and writer who was born in Brooklyn, NY and now lives in Eastern Henrico County.

———-

ONE IN TWO

Written by Donja R. Love

Directed by Shanea N. Taylor

CAST:

Keaton Hillman – Person on the Left

Tedarryl Perry – Person in the Middle

Garrett D. Reese – Perso on the Right

Understudies: Da’Rek Early Bennett and Larry Lewis, Jr.

CREATIVE TEAM:

Scenic Design – Dasia Gregg

Lighting Design – Michael Jarett

Sound Design – Nicholas Seaver

Projection Design – Lucian Restivo

Costume, Hair & Makeup Design – Margarette Joyner

Props Design – Tim Moehring

Production State Management – Lauren Langston

Assistant Direction – Dwight Merritt

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Featured

TICK, TICK…BOOM!

A Musical About Musicals

At: The Swift Creek Mill Theatre, 17401 U.S. Route One, Chesterfield, VA 23834

Performances: September 9 – 30, 2023

Ticket Prices: $49. Discounts available for students, seniors, and veterans.

Info: (804) 748-5203 or https://www.swiftcreekmill.com

Set in New York City in 1990, Tick, Tick…BOOM! draws many parallels to the current post-pandemic times. In 1990, AIDS was the great pandemic; 30 years later we had COVID-19. Both brought death and panic – and isolation. How ironic that 30 years proves to be. In Tick, Tick…BOOM! the author, Jonathan Larsen, is about facing his 30^th birthday with fear and dread. Should he give up his dream of being an artist, a composer of rock musicals? Is it too late? Has time passed him by?

Tick, Tick…BOOM! is an autobiographical musical. So, this isn’t exactly a spoiler alert, but if you don’t like autobiographical plays or musicals, this may not be the show for you. Tick, Tick…BOOM! also seems to be somewhat of a departure for Swift Creek Mill Theatre. Producing Artistic Director Tom Width did not direct or even design anything. He invited Dr. Jan Powell to be guest director. Musical Director Sandy Dacus, Scenic Designer W. Reed West III, Lighting Designer Michael Jarett, and Choreographer Kayla Xavier all brought a new aesthetic to the Mill stage. For the first time, the brick walls were exposed, the band was in the open, and the set was minimalist. Jarett, who has lit many Richmond stages, and often designs lighting for dance companies, designed lighting that had the kind of movement one usually expects on a dance stage; it perfectly suited the stark and multi-purpose stage pieces. A piano, for instance, separated into two separate pieces, one of which doubled as a BMW, among other duties.

Larson wrote the book, music, and lyrics for what was originally a monologue, and later became a three-person show – the version we see today. Caleb Wade – who looks much more cheerful on the program cover than he ever looks during the show – plays the lead character, the author, Jon. Malcolm Holmes, making his professional debut, takes on the role of Jon’s best friend and roommate, Michael. Rachel Rose Gilmour shares the role of Jon’s girlfriend, Susan, with Mikaela Craft. We saw Gilmour on opening night. Holmes and Gilmour/Craft play multiple roles: an actor, Jon’s father, Jon’s elusive agent, and other minor characters. One significant character who never appears onstage is Jon’s musical theatre idol, Stephen Sondheim, whose name is only ever spoken in a hushed whisper, reminiscent of the custom of showing reverence by writing G_d…

How does one turn one’s own life into a work of art?

That was the dilemma facing me.

30/90.

– Jonathan Larson

Wade, Holmes, and Gilmour appear to work well together and seem to have good chemistry. The singing is excellent, although the sound seem muffled in some scenes, especially at the beginning on opening night. The crises are genuine: making enough money, holding a day job as a waiter, living in an apartment that is “quaint” rather than modern or luxurious, stay in New York or move somewhere less hectic where it might be easier to raise a family. All this and more occupy Jon’s mind and affect his relationships. Michael turns in his scripts for a management job, that comes with a BMW and a luxury apartment uptown. Michael’s revelation of his own health issues prophetically foreshadows Larson’s own untimely death. You see, Larson emerged from this period of angst and uncertainty and less than six years later produced the dynamic rock musical Rent only to die suddenly the day before the show’s off-Broadway opening – at the age of 35.

In Tick, Tick…BOOM! I noted with some concern that Jon also belittled Susan’s job as a dance teacher, saying something to the effect that she teaches ballet to rich and untalented children, yet she demonstrates admirable strength, maturity, and empathy. At Jon’s birthday party, she presents him with a gift – 1,000 pages of blank sheet music paper – that represents her faith in him, even as she moves on, going on tour with a dance company and taking a new job in the Berkshires. It is not clear if they ever tried to get back together.

There is so much going on in this show that runs just 90 minutes with no intermission – brief for a musical. It is a challenge for the talented cast as well as the creative team. Xavier enhanced the movement and Powell’s seamless direction with perhaps more choreography than prior versions may have called for, and Jarett’s lighting seemed to be part of the choreography. In some ways, it was a challenge for the audience as well, because this is someone’s life, not just a story and there is no guarantee of a happy ending. Yes, quite a departure from the same-old, same-old, and an interesting choice for the opening show of the Mill’s new season.

Oh, and what about that title? Life is truly stranger than fiction. Tick, Tick…BOOM! refers to the “twin ticking clocks of his potential and his friend’s life, both of which he feared might be about to run out.” How could Jon the character have known that just ten days before his 36^th birthday – tick, tick – Larson would suddenly die of a misdiagnosed aortic dissection – something more commonly found in men in their 60s or older. And 30/90? Turning 30 in 1990. BOOM!

Julinda D. Lewis is a dancer, teacher, and writer who was born in Brooklyn, NY and now lives in Eastern Henrico County.

———-

TICK, TICK…BOOM!

Book, Music, and Lyrics by Jonathan Larson

Script Consulting by David Auburn

Vocal Arrangements and Orchestrations by Stephen Oremus

CAST

Jon ………..……………….. Caleb Wade

Michael, et al. ………… Malcolm Holmes

Susan, et al. …….…….. Rachel Rose Gilmour or Mikaela Craft

ORCHESTRA

Keyboard/Conductor ….. Sandy Dacus or Travis West

Guitar ……………….………. John White or Ed Drake

Bass ……………………..…… Alex Kehayas

Drums ………………………. Bentley Cobb

CREATIVE TEAM

Directed by Dr. Jan Powell

Musical Director – Sandy Dacus

Scenic Designer – W. Reed West III

Lighting Designer – Michael Jarett

Choreographer – Kayla Xavier

Costume Designer – Maura Lynch Cravey

Technical Director – Liz Allmon

Run Time:

About 90 minutes without intermission

Tickets:

Regular $49. Discounts for Seniors, Military & Veterans

Photos: Louise Keeton

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Featured

POTUS

Or, Behind Every Great Dumbass are Seven Women Trying to Keep Him Alive

A Regional Premiere

By: Virginia Repertory Theatre (Virginia Rep)

At: The Sara Belle and Neil November Theatre | Marjorie Arenstein Stage

When: September 1 – October 1, 2023

Ticket Prices: $39-$59. (Discounted group rates and rush tickets available)

Info: (804) 282-2620 or www.virginiarep.org

It’s been a long time since I’ve laughed this much, this long, this loud. Selina Fillinger’s POTUS is the best kind of comedy: physical, political, slapstick, irreverent, giddy, bawdy, inclusive. I could go on but I think using more than seven adjectives in one sentence is breaking some kind of law.

If the subtitle didn’t clue you in, it only gets worse from there (and by worse I mean better). If you’re the type to clutch your pearls, you’d better leave them at home because by the end of POTUS they’ll be rolling down the aisles.

Oh, and one more thing about that subtitle. Yes, there are seven women working together – despite their diverse agendas – but that part about whether they are trying to keep the POTUS alive does come into question. That’s all I can say about that without giving away too much.

What I can say is that Fillinger has written a witty and timely play and it was performed by a superb and diverse ensemble – some familiar and some not – consisting of Elizabeth Byland, Liv Clayton, Sonja Durant, Anne Michelle Forbes, Bree Ogaldez, Catherine Shaffner, and Denise Simone. Looking at the understudies (see below) I would love to see the show again with the understudies in the key roles – there are some powerful, familiar names in that list, as well.

Loosely, the plot of POTUS involves the women of the President’s inner circle coming together to patch up his most recent political gaffe. Crudely referring to his wife during a press conference as having a “c**ty day,” the POTUS sets in motion an international disaster with potentially deadly consequences.

There truly are no leading roles in POTUS, but for me, Elizabeth Byland, in the role of Stephanie, the President’s Secretary, stood out for her physical comedy and her comedic timing. The role of the meek secretary who is obviously in over her head could be a recipe for disaster, but in Byland’s expert hands it is pure comedic genius. Loved her. According to her bio, she is the Head Professor of Improv at VCU. What a treat her classes must be! Loved her – yes, I said it twice and I meant it!

I also adored Catherine Shaffner as Bernadette, the President’s sister. Big, loud, and brash, Bernadette appears fresh out of prison on a felony charge, still wearing her ankle monitor, and carrying a duffle bag filled with “pharmaceuticals” and other tools that will come in handy during the course of the day. Shaffner guides her character through a perfect combination of unfettered chaos and much needed life skills that usually are not acquired in a liberal arts undergraduate program.

Sonja Durant was something of a beautiful enigma as Margaret, the First Lady. Durant’s tall slender frame was always draped in red – first a classy business pant suit, and later a fancy dress – but throughout she wore white Crocs on her feet to make herself appear “earthy.” Smart, composed, and apparently in command of the ability to icily detach herself from her emotions at will, Durant’s First Lady seemed very much authentic.

As the President’s press secretary, Jean, Anne Michelle Forbes skillfully navigated the insanity of the White House shenanigans, juggling professional interactions and personal relationships with the President’s sister (I didn’t see that coming!) and a beleaguered female White House reporter, Chris (played by Bree Ogaldez, seen recently in The Carole King Musical), a new mother who was constantly seeking opportunities to pump her overflowing breasts. A familiar face on local stages, this was Forbes’ November Theatre debut.

As Harriet, the President’s Chief of Staff, Denise Simone’s role seemed a bit more subdued than the others. At times she appeared to be the “straight man” who enhances the comedic projections of those around her. Simone returns to Virginia Rep after a turn contributing to the theatre community in Idaho. And last but not least, newcomer Liv Clayton made her professional debut in the role of Dusty, the President’s young girlfriend who has been invited to the White House to apply for a “position.” I am sure Clayton is really good at her role, but I just found Dusty so annoying with her cheerleader moves that I almost overlooked the character’s innate kindness and corn-fed street smarts.

Set in the White House, a series of functional and somewhat minimalist sliding sets (credit Chris Raintree for the scenic design and Steve Koehler for the lighting) keeps the focus on the actors. The only time the set seemed to intrude into my consciousness was during a madcap chase scene when the set seemed too small to allow the actors full range. Kudos to director Dorothy Holland and the dynamic ensemble for keeping it moving. There was not a dull moment in either act.

POTUS

Or, Behind Every Great Dumbass are Seven Women Trying to Keep Him Alive

By Selina Fillinger

Directed by Dorothy Holland

Cast

Stephanie …………………………… Elizabeth Byland*

Dusty …………………………………. Liv Clayton

Margaret ……………………………. Sonja Durant

Jean …………………………………… Anne Michelle Forbes

Chris ………………………………….. Bree Ogaldez

Bernadette ………………………… Catherine Shaffner*

Harriet ………………………………. Denise Simone*

Stephanie u/s ……………………. Juliette Aaslestad

Jean u/s …………………………….. Juliana Caycedo

Bernadette u/s ………………..… Kelsey Cordrey

Dusty u/s …………………………… Emily Dandridge

Margaret u/s ……………………… Jianna Hurt

Chris u/s ……………………………… MacKenzie Sheppard

*Member of Actors’ Equity Association

+Member of USA, United Scenic Artists

^Member of the Stage Directors and Choreographers Society

Direction & Design

Direction ……………………………… Dorothy Holland

Scenic Design ……………………… Chris Raintree

Costume Design ………………… Elizabeth Weiss Hopper

Lighting Design …………..……… Steve Koehler

Sound Design …………………….. Tosin Olufolabi

Stage Management ………….. Donna Warfield*

Ticket Information

Box Office: (804) 282-2620

www.virginiarep.org

Tickets range from $39 – $59

Discounted Group Rates and Rush tickets are available.

Run Time

The play runs for 1 hour 30 minutes, plus one 15-minute intermission.

Photo Credits: Aaron Sutten

VA-REP Covid Safety Statement

Virginia Rep encourages wearing masks for our patrons’ safety, but we do not require that you wear a mask in our lobbies or within the theatres. They are now optional. We continue to follow CDC guidelines and local risk levels. All Virginia Rep staff will continue to wear masks while serving you.

Sonja Durant and Elizabeth Byland. Photo by Aaron Sutten.

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Featured

THE SUNNY SIDE

Are Your Dreams Big Enough? The Songs and Story of the Original Carter Family

At: The Swift Creek Mill Theatre, 17401 U.S. Route 1, S. Chesterfield, VA 23834

Performances: April 1 – May 6, 2023

Ticket Prices: $49 with discounts for students, seniors, and veterans; rush tickets $25 at the door when available

Info: (804) 748-5203 or https://www.swiftcreekmill.com

One of the things I liked about KEEP ON THE SUNNY SIDE, the story of the Carter family of country music fame, is that playwright Douglas Pote didn’t sugarcoat the darker side of the story.

A.P. Carter, his wife Sara Carter, and his wife’s cousin Maybelle who was married to A.P.’s brother Ezra made up the original Carter family. A.P. toured the countryside collecting songs – ballads, blues, folk, gospel, – that collectively became a part of the foundation of the uniquely American genre known as “country music.”

Known as the First Family of country music, the Carters popularized a new style of harmonizing; Maybelle crafted “the Carter lick,” a unique style of guitar picking, and Sara sang and played the autoharp – which is how se and A.P. first met.

But the hardships of touring, and separations necessitated by work eventually led to the dissolution of the trio. Sara eventually separated from A.P. moved to California and remarried – to one of A.P.’s cousins.

Director Tom Width is clearly enamored of this foot-patting, hand-clapping story, carried along by a selection of 27 of the Carter family’s most well-known songs. Even those who are not fans of country music may be familiar with “Will the Circle Be Unbroken” and “Are You Lonesome Tonight,” which was covered by Elvis Presley. The talent was passed down through the generations, with June, one of Maybelle and Ezra’s daughters marrying country music superstar Johnny Cash. The program even includes a handy Carter Family Tree.

This musical play – as distinct from a musical – starts with A.P.’s funeral in 1960, jumps back to the day A.P. and Sara met in 1914, returns to 1960, a few days before A.P.’s death, and concludes in 1976 – six years after the family was welcome into the Country Music Hall of Fame. The cast is simply amazing, with H. Drew Perkins as the effervescent A.P. Carter, Jackie Frost as the reluctant performer Sara Carter, and Emily J. Cole as the innovative musician Maybelle Carter. Mikaela Hanrahan plays the role of Carter daughter Janette, who also acts as the play’s de facto narrator. Brian Harris and Greg DeBruyn round out the cast playing all the supporting characters.

Maura Lynch Cravey’s dresses and suits support the period and Adam Dorland’s scenic backdrop of the Virginia mountains provides an attractive to Tom Width’s simple set. The set, oddly enough, has an unfinished feel, with Sara’s Aunt Nick’s detailed front porch on the left but just the frame of a country church on the right. The focus is on the music, and the slowly unfolding story, accented by family secrets. Keep in the Sunny Side is a delightful show that provides a lot of entertainment and a bit of education.

“If you’ve never been called crazy, it’s just ‘cause your dreams aren’t big enough.” -A.P. Carter

———-

Julinda D. Lewis is a dancer, teacher, and writer who was born in Brooklyn, NY and now lives in Eastern Henrico County.

———-

KEEP ON THE SUNNY SIDE

Written by Douglas Pote

Vocal Arrangements by Eugene Wolf

Musical Arrangements by Doug Dorschug

Directed by Tom Width

Cast:

A. P. Carter ……………….. H. Drew Perkins

Sara Carter ……………….. Jackie Frost

Maybelle Carter ……………… Emily J. Cole

Janette Carter ……………….. Mikaela Hanrahan

Preacher at the Funeral, Mr. Ralph Peer, Preacher Bill, Life Photographer ……………. Bryan Harris

Ezra Carter, Assistant to Mr. Peer, Theatre Manager, Dr. Brinkley,

Joe Carter ………………… Greg DeBruyn

Creative Team:

Directed by Tom Width

Musical Direction by H. Drew Perkins

Lighting Design by Joe Duran

Costume Design by Maura Lynch Cravey

Scenic Design by Tom Width

Technical Direction by Liz Allmon

Scenic Art by Adam Dorland

Run Time:

About two hours with one intermission

Tickets:

Regular $49. Seniors, Students, Military & First Responders $44.

Photographer: Kieran Rundle

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Featured

SILENT SKY

The Knowing of the Not Knowing

A Theater Review by Julinda D. Lewis

Presented by CAT – Chamberlayne Actor’s Theatre

At: The Stage Door Space at Atlee High School, 9414 Atlee Station Rd, Mechanicsville 23116

Performances: March 24 – April 2, 2023

Ticket Prices: $24.00 General Admission. $22.00 Seniors

Info: http://www.cattheatre.com

There are many things about Lauren Gunderson’s 2015 play SILENT SKY that are deeply satisfying. The work of historical fiction about early twentieth century astronomer Henrietta Leavitt achieves and maintains a balance between relaying a story of scientific facts and breakthroughs and exploring the development of relationships among family and friends.

A.G. Sweany and Amber James, in the roles of sisters Henrietta and Margaret Leavitt, immediately establish a relationship that is both affectionate and contrary – just what one might expect to see among siblings. They even look like they could be related. In SILENT SKY we first meet them outside their father’s church on a Sunday morning. Margaret is preparing to play the music for the hymns, but Henrietta is seeking her help to explain to their widowed father that she is about to leave home to embark on a career in science – astronomy, to be precise. Margaret is the sister who stays home, marries, and takes care of their aging father, but she is not lacking in talent and accomplishment. Besides playing the piano for church, she writes a symphony, and is not averse to breaking into song at the drop of a hat – as if she were part of a musical. But Margaret, it seems, is fictional. Perhaps she represents the non-scientific side of Henrietta – the side that balances science and religion, one of the play’s subplots. Henrietta and Margaret at one point have an interesting discussion of the meaning of the scientific heaven versus the spiritual heaven.

I enjoyed watching Sharon Hollands and Sandra Clayton, as fellow “computers” Williamina Fleming and Annie Jump Cannon warm to the presence of the new girl in the office, eventually forming an unbreakable bond of friendship. It was especially fun to watch Williamina’s tough Scottish exterior melt. Then there was Colton Needles as Peter Shaw, the women’s supervisor and Henrietta’s love interest. At the start of Act 2, he appears wearing a wedding ring, but doesn’t have the gumption to tell Henrietta he has moved on during her sabbatical. He was the weakest link in this well-cast ensemble, but this is a story of women’s empowerment. Peter is also fictitious.

But both Williamina Fleming and Annie Jump Cannon were real women, astronomers at Harvard at a time when women were paid just a fraction of what their male peers made, while their accomplishments were dismissed or credit given to their male colleagues. Fleming, Cannon, and Leavitt were employed as “human computers,” a concept I was first introduced with the 2016 film Hidden Figures that documented the life and work of a team of African-American “computers” (i.e., mathematicians) who worked for NASA during the early years of the US space program. In SILENT SKY we learn how Leavitt and her colleagues studied the stars – while denied the use of the powerful telescope to which their male counterparts had access. Leavitt eventually made a breakthrough- the cepheid variable period-luminosity relationship – that enabled astronomers to measure the distance between stars and determine the size of the galaxy and the existence of unknown galaxies. Her work laid the foundation for the Hubble telescope and subsequent astronomical discoveries.

Among Gunderson’s achievements, the author made scientific discovery entertaining and understandable, and managed to pair it with a little romance, a little music, and a fashion show of professional women’s attire from the end of the 19^th century through the suffragette movement of the 1920s. Cannon, a suffragist and real “patriot” spoke of joining a march on Washington – drawing comparisons with the contemporary meaning of the word “patriot” and the results of recent activities in Washington. Gunderson achieved all of this without being condescending. For another, perhaps final, example, when Henrietta finally opens a gift sent by her late father, she unwraps a Walt Whitman poem about an astronomer that proves to be both sentimental and prophetic.

There were a few things that raised questions. Henrietta’s hearing aide seemed amazingly modern and surprisingly compact. I did a little (very little) digging around and came away without drawing any conclusions as to whether the hearing aid used in this production was accurately depicted or, like its wearer, way ahead of its time. At one point in the play, Margaret was playing the piano while talking with her sister. She turned to face Henrietta, taking her hands away from the keyboard, but the (recorded) score kept playing. There were few costume changes during the first act, even when scenes and locations changed, but the period dresses were quite lovely, and when Annie Jump Cannon appeared in trousers in one of the closing scenes Margaret’s reaction was worth the wait. SILENT SKY, like Henrietta Leavitt, set and maintained standards in a way that was unfamiliar, a bit rough around the edges, yet undoubtedly of value.

“I thought to write a symphony you had to be European and angry.” – Henrietta

“Stars are tonal – like music.” Henrietta

“All I have is time, and all I haven’t is time.” – Henrietta

“I choose to measure you in light.” – Annie

“How do you celebrate measuring the universe?” – Margaret

Julinda D. Lewis is a dancer, teacher, and writer who was born in Brooklyn, NY and now lives in Eastern Henrico County.

SILENT SKY

Written by Lauren Gunderson

Music by Jenny Giering

Directed by Charles A. Wax

Cast

A.G. Sweany as Henrietta Leavitt

Amber James as Margaret Leavitt

Colton Needles as Peter Shaw

Sharon Hollands as Williamina Fleming

Sandra Clayton as Annie Jump Cannon

Creative Design Team

Director – Charles A. Wax

Stage Manager – Joey Bishop

Costume Design – Becky Jones

Assistant Costume Design – Kristen Blair

Lighting & Projection Design – Jason Lucas

Set Design – Scott Bergman

Sound Design – Charles A. Wax

Student Designers – Parish Lewis & Pippin Sparrow

Dates

March 24 – 26

March 31 – April 2

Ticket Information

www.cattheatre.com

Ticket prices: $24.00 General Admission, $22.00 Seniors.

Run Time

The play runs about 2 hours with 1 intermission

Photo Credits: Daryll Morgan Studios

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Featured

JASON MARKS IS ZERO MOSTEL

The Third Choice: Comedy Fueled by Real Life

A Theater Review by Julinda D. Lewis

A Jewish Family Theatre Presentation

At: The Sarah Bell November Theatre at the Weinstein JCC, 5403 Monument Ave., RVA 23226

Performances: March 29 – April 2, 2023

Ticket Prices: $20 for JCC Members; $25 for non-members

Info: (804) 285-6500 or https://weinsteinjcc.org/programs/arts-and-ideas/zero-hour/

First, some housekeeping. Well…acknowledgements. And…maybe a confession. I have been viewing and writing about dance and theater in RVA for more than 25 years, but this is the first time I have seen a show at the Weinstein JCC. It’s not that I haven’t know about shows there, or been invited, I just never seemed to have found the time to fit it into my schedule. Jason Marks sent me a DM about this show, which opened while I was out of town for a performing residency, and I somehow found myself driving straight from a DC dance space directly to the Firehouse Theatre on a Friday night, then to the JCC on Saturday after spending the morning in rehearsal and the afternoon at the Nature Center celebrating my youngest grandchild’s first birthday, and ending the weekend at Atlee High School for the final performance of a CAT show. That’s how “retired” people roll.

Second – and last – I appreciate growing up in Brooklyn and attending the Bronx High School of Science. That background made many of the Zero Hour’s references familiar and the humor genuine – unforced and abundant. So I could sum up right here and just say that Zero Hour is one of the funniest shows I’ve ever seen and it appears to have been a perfect vehicle for Jason Marks. But I won’t – sum up just now – because that wouldn’t be fair or fun.

Zero Hour is a skillful balance of biography and entertainment. For those unfamiliar with Zero Mostel, it is informative, and for those who were already fans, it might reveal a few unknown nuggets. Mostel (who, like me, was born in Brooklyn and also shares my birthday, February 28) was active at a time when the US was obsessed with the Red Plague or Red Scare, when McCarthyism (which took its name from US Senator Joseph McCarthy) insinuated that the government and Hollywood, among other industries, were being infiltrated by the dreaded specter of Communism. Numerous investigations were directed at the film industry leading to the blacklisting of industry professionals – including Zero Mostel.

The freedom of any society varies proportionately with the volume of its laughter. – Zero Mostel

The heart is, truly, the source of love. The proof is that if you remove it from someone, they will almost certainly never love again. – Zero Mostel

An unfortunate encounter with a NYC bus in 1960 nearly cost him a leg. The leg was saved, but he lived the rest of his life in pain. But on the bright side, the accident saved him from having to perform in a reportedly bad play, The Good Soup. But there were plenty of memorable roles on his resume, from Tevya in the original Broadway production of Fiddler on the Roof to Pseudolos in A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, from classics like Ionesco’s Rhinoceros to special appearances on The Electric Show, Sesame Street, and The Muppet Show.

There are several explanations for how Samuel Joel Mostel came to be known as Zero. One is that his mother coined the nickname because of his poor grades in school – but one bio notes that he was a “A” student. Another explanation is that a press agent once said of him, “Here’s a guy starting from nothing.”

Known widely as an actor and singer as well as a comedian, Mostel developed a talent for painting and drawing from childhood. He took art classes provided by a community program that served Jewish immigrants and their children, and later attended City College of New York and then enrolled in a master’s program in art at New York University (which also happens to be my alma mater). Zero Hour is set in Mostel’s NYC art studio, just two months before the end of his life, on a day when he is being interviewed by a New York Times journalist – whom Mostel contentiously greets by calling him a putz (idiot; jerk) because “I don’t know your name.” BTW, Mostel didn’t care to learn the reporter’s name until near the end of the play, because “I don’t want to know your name; this is an interview, not a relationship.

“That’s it, baby, when you’ve got it, flaunt it! Flaunt it!” – Max Bialystock, played by Zero Mostel in the 1967 movie, “The Producers”

From House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC) hearings to his mother’s displeasure at his Catholic shiksa (gentile) wife, from his dislike of choreographer/director Jerome Robbins to often being not the first or even second but the third choice for roles he made legendary, from being blacklisted to being invited to the LBJ White House where “the thought of having to eat with Texans was too much!”), all of this, and more, is lovingly and capably captured by Marks under the director of Debra Clinton. Clinton, in the Director’s notes, paid homage to Mostel’s individuality – his commitment to standing up for what he believed even to the detriment of his career – “his honesty, passion, and empathy.” Given the larger-than-life persona of Mostel, perhaps it should come as no surprise that the reporter is a disembodied and oddly reticent character, given his profession; we never actually see him or hear him. The HUAC investigator, however, is voiced by Roger Price. It probably would not have mattered how much or how little the reporter talked, there wasn’t a dull moment with Mostel’s explosive personality. Sometimes it was hard to tell where Marks ended and Mostel began. I am sure playwright Jim Brochu who originally starred in his own play, would approve of Marks’ interpretation.

“It’s not about absurdity, it’s about conformity.” – Zero Mostel

———-

Julinda D. Lewis is a dancer, teacher, and writer who was born in Brooklyn, NY and now lives in Eastern Henrico County.

———-

ZERO HOUR

By Jim Brochu

Starring Jason Marks as Zero Mostel

Directed by Debra Clinton

Production Team:

Set and Lighting Design + Photos: Todd Schall-Vess

Production Stage Management: Hayley Tsutsumi

Performance Schedule:

March 29: 7:30PM

March 30: 7:30PM

April 1: 8:30PM

April 2: 2:00 PM

Run time: approximately 2 hours, with one intermission

Photos by Todd Schall-Vess

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Featured

FIRST RESPONSES

A Festival of World Premiers Written by First Responders

FIRST RESPONSES

A Festival of One-Act World Premieres by First Responders

A Theater Review by Julinda D. Lewis

At: The Firehouse 1609 West Broad St., Richmond, RVA 23220

Performances: March 23 – April 15, 2023

Ticket Prices: $35 general admission, $20 students

Info: (804) 355-2001 or firehousetheatre.org.

Following the model set by War in Pieces, the 2021 festival of one-act plays written by military veterans, the focus of FIRST RESPONSES is the real-life front line experiences of four first responders. Kathryn Kahlson is a retired Captain from Chesterfield Fire & Emergency Services; Captain Anthony Jackson is Commander of the Richmond Police Department’s First Precinct; Benjamin Toderico served 18 years with the Richmond Police Department in uniform, as a Detective, and on the SWAT team; and Betty Migliaccio has been a firefighter for the past 10 years. Migliaccio and Jackson are founding members of the Frontline Writers group, a non-profit organization founded in 2020 “to provide those who serve our community — firefighters, police officers, and emergency medical technicians — intensive instruction in the art and craft of the narrative so that their experiences may be known, shared, and archived.” Classes are taught by founding board member and New York Times best-selling author David L. Robbins. The stories that are developed into plays are edited and reworked and brought to life onstage with minimal production elements – a few simple cubes, costumes, and lighting.

Mother at Work, written by Kathryn Kahlson and directed by Amy Berlin, is a tale of two mothers – a first responder and the young mother she encounters on an emergency call. How do you tell someone their baby is dead – and how do you deny them the opportunity to hold their baby one last time? Kahlson shared that first responders talk it out with their coworkers, sometimes for a week or longer, but this particular call hit so close to home it took her 10 years to process the encounter. To help actor Lindsey June get into the role of Kahlson, the author allowed June to wear her work boots.

Something So Small, by Anthony Jackson, pulls the audience along into an eerie portal of time travel where a crime scene investigation at a drug house allows the victims to be witnesses to their own demise. I only fully understood this cool plot twist by staying for the post-show talk-back. I’m not sure if it was my own lack of imagination or if the play could have made this less ambiguous – or perhaps a bit of both.

In Pillar Benjamin Toderico takes up to the top of a bridge where a young man contemplates suicide. For this, the actors took a field trip to the site, where they experienced the climb, the swaying, the wind, and the cold.

Finally, in Eight Buttons, Betty Migliaccio paid homage to her colleague, Richmond firefighter Lt. Ashley Berry who was killed on Thanksgiving Day 2019 while shielding one of her children from gunfire – the result of a drive-by shooting. For me, this was the most touching story, not just because it was a familiar news story, but because of the tenderness embodied in the simple act of Amanda Spellman (as Betty) sitting and sewing the gold buttons signifying her newly earned rank that Lt. Berry had not yet had time to sew on before her untimely death. That, and the respectful salute that ended the scene and the show encapsulated the unspoken and unspeakable that these writers have been able to express through their stories.

A diverse ensemble of familiar and new faces portrayed all the roles in these four one-act plays, directed by four different directors. The actors – Briana Creque, Dwayne Daniels II, Keydron Dunn, Enrique J.. Gonzales, Lindsey June, Jimmy Mello, Lorin Mello, David Rogozenski, and Amanda Spellman – seemed to step into the shoes of some of their characters more easily than others. One female officer, played by Creque, for example, seemed to move with an unnatural stiffness (but take note that she only recently completed her first role at VCU where she is a student in the drama department) while Jimmy Mello’s portrayal of the bridge jumper was uncannily authentic. Lorin Mello, with key roles in Mother at Work, Something So Small, and Pillar appeared to have mastered some of the most stressful of roles and high-strung characters with precision. I look forward to seeing more of June and Spellman, both of whom made their RVA debuts in First Responses. Anthony Jackson personally commended Dwayne Daniels II, commenting that Daniels played the role of Jackson in Something So Small better than he plays himself.

Producing four one-act plays by four novice playwrights – even with minimal production elements – is no mean feat. I believe in his pre-show curtain speech Producing Artistic Director Joel Bassin said there were no less than 27 artists involved in the making of this show, running approximately two hours, with one intermission. So, kudos to the four directors – Amy Berlin (Mother at Work), Mark J. Lerman (Something So Small), Andrew Gall (Pillar), and Lian-Marie Holmes Munro (Eight Buttons), as well as Anna Bialkowski (Costumes), Andrew Bonniwell (Lighting), Kate Statelman (Composer), Todd Labelle (Production Design), and the rest of the creative team for another interesting and insightful production of new and (mostly) compelling theater.

———-

Julinda D. Lewis is a dancer, teacher, and writer who was born in Brooklyn, NY and now lives in Eastern Henrico County.

———-

FIRST RESPONSES Festival

new plays by Anthony Jackson, Kathryn Kahlson, Betty Migliaccio, and Ben Toderico

March 23-April 15, 2023

Performer Ensemble:

Briana Creque

Dwayne Daniels II

Keydron Dunn

Enrique J. Gonzalez

Lindsey June

Jimmy Mello

Lorin Mello

David Rogozenski

Amanda Spellman

Production Team:

Amy Berlin, Andrew Gall, Mark Lerman, Lian-Marie Holmes Munro – Directors

David Robbins – Dramaturg/Co-Producer

Emily Vial – Festival Coordinator

Todd LaBelle – Production Designer

Kate Statelman – Composer

Andrew Bonniwell – Lighting Designer

Anna Bialkowski – Costume Designer

Colin Lowrey II – Costume Assistant

Jake Buccella – Dramaturg/Assistant Director

Jae Austin, Dennis Bowe, Aleta Findlay, Emily Vial – Stage Managers

Performance Schedule:

ALL 4 PLAYS ARE PERFORMED EVERY PERFORMANCE

THERE WILL BE A TALKBACK AFTER EVERY PERFORMANCE

Wed March 22 @ 7:30pm (preview)

Thu March 23 @ 7:30pm (preview)

Fri March 24 @ 7:30pm (preview)

Sat March 25 @ 7:30pm (opening)

Thu March 30 @ 7:30pm

Fri March 31 @ 7:30pm

Sat April 1 @ 7:30pm

Sun April 2 @ 3pm

Thu April 6 @ 7:30pm

Fri April 7 @ 7:30pm

Sat April 8 @ 7:30pm

Thu April 13 @ 7:30pm

Fri April 14 @ 7:30pm

Sat April 15 @ 7:30pm

Sun April 16 @ 7:30pm

Tickets: $35 general admission

Photos by Bill Sigafoos

Dwayne Daniels II, Briana Creque, Enrique Gonzalez, Lindsey June, David Rogozenski, Jimmy Mello, Keydron Dunn, Amanda Spellman, photo Bill Sigafoos

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Featured

CROSS STITCH BANDITS

A Brand New Family Dramedy – or – This is That Play

A Theater Review by Julinda D. Lewis

Presented by: Cadence Theatre and Virginia Rep

At: Libby S. Gottwald Playhouse, 600 E. Grace Street, RVA 23219

Performances: March 9-19, 2023

Ticket Prices: $13 – $43

Info: Tickets are sold by Dominion Energy Center, (800) 514-3849 or https://www.dominionenergycenter.com/events/detail/cross-stitch-bandits

Where to begin? Let’s start with the obvious. I was very impressed with Faith Carlson’s set design for CROSS STITCH BANDITS. The performing area of the Gottwald Playhouse was transformed into a reasonable facsimile of a house – not just an apartment or living space, but a house. While we could see a small kitchen, dining area, living room, and craft space, there were also stairs to the upper floor, a hallway to the rest of the main floor, and part of a backyard with a small refrigerator, a couple of folding chairs, and a weed whacker abandoned on a strip of artificial grass. Later another piece of turf was temporarily laid out as part of one of the play’s most hilarious scenes – the scene that gives the play its title.

Why so much detail on this show’s set? Because it is indicative of the level of detail that went into this production. The details are part of what made this story so enjoyable. CROSS STITCH BANDITS is the story of David, a “retired” engineer, whose family has planned a surprise retirement party for him. Here’s where it gets dicey, because it’s hard to talk about the significant scenes without revealing the spoilers, so if something doesn’t make sense from here on out, you’ll just have to go see it for yourself to fill in the blanks.

What I can safely say is that David is a likeable guy who places family first, but his stressful (perfectionist? OCD? Controlling?) tendencies tend to throw a monkey wrench into absolutely everything he touches and unnecessarily complicate all his relationships. Usually, we are taught to avoid hyperbole, but it applies to David. Nothing is safe from his need to have everything in its place, whether a dirty glass or an adult child. David’s wife, Jeanne, an affable woman with a mediator’s personality, is a Vice Principal who crochets to relieve the stress of her job. Their daughter Kaija, a recent law school graduate, is awaiting the results of the bar exam, and their son Drew has ditched college for a career as a magician. Drew has been placed in charge of his father’s retirement party, which has some unexpected props to support it’s off-beat theme as the family gathers to bid a final farewell to “Work Dave.” The theme actually developed from a real-life anecdote in the playwrights’ lives.

I enjoyed the interactions between the characters. Otto Konrad as David and Dorothy “Dee-D.” Miller felt authentic as a long-married and loving couple that has settled into a comfortable routine. Cross Stitch Bandits introduces them at the point of a bump in the road, a temporary detour. Tatjana Shields, the daughter, seems to be holding onto a secret – one she eventually reveals. Cyrus Mooney as Drew is the hardest character to get to know. He has quirky gestures and body language, and I was never sure if these characteristics were because Drew the character was a magician who was always “on” or if it was because Mooney the actor was still exploring his character, trying on speech and movement patterns for size. It could be a bit of both.

I found it interesting that David and Jeanne were partners in an interracial marriage only to have Konrad reveal in a talkback after Sunday afternoon’s matinee that the authors had described his character as 61 years old and “anything but white.” Ethnicity is never addressed in the play, yet the visual evidence is undeniable, and the children have been equitably cast with a white presenting son and a black presenting daughter. This seems to make no difference in the development of the story, yet even silent representation matters. Who, I wonder, did the authors see playing these roles. . .

The family issues presented by new playwrights Sanam Laila Hashemi and Steven Burneson (a soon-to-be married couple in real life) are relatable and universal. When we laugh at David and Jeanna, or David and Drew’s zany nighttime adventure, we are laughing at ourselves, at our own families. I think that also makes any imperfections, inconsistencies, and unanswered questions easier to accept – they are ours and we own them.

What imperfections, inconsistencies, and unanswered questions you ask? Well, if David is an engineer, why does he have a malfunctioning weed whacker and refrigerator? In one scene, Drew takes out a bowl and spoon to get some ice cream, but finds the ice cream has melted, so he exchanges his bowl for a glass. What happened to the refrigerator? We see David pour some of spilled ashes from his late father’s urn into the nonfunctional weed whacker. What was his motivation? Was it to honor the memory of his father who once fixed the broken things or was it a symbolic act to add dust to dust, ashes to ashes, or something else entirely? Drew entered a major magician’s competition – did he win, or even place?

Shields explained during the talkback that in the script Drew is 31 years old and Kaija is the younger sister, but because in real life she is older, they switched ages onstage. Why does that matter? You’re both acting, and how does the audience know or why should we care about your real ages?

There is a fifth character, friend and neighbor Neil, played by Landon Nagel. There is controversy surrounding Neil as well. A former prodigy of the controlling David, over time their roles have switched, but again, I can’t tell you too much about it without revealing more spoilers. Suffice it to say that under the mentorship of Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright David Lindsay-Abaire and Cadence’s Pipeline New Works Fellowship Program, Hashemi and Burneson have successfully brought a new story to life onstage. All things work together for good, including the work of scenic designer Faith Carlson, costume designer Sarah Grady, lighting designer Weston Corey, and sound designer Joey Luck. Kudos, also, to director Sharon Ott for, in the words of Konrad, letting the story tell itself.

NOTE: A few friends and I spent some time talking about the title, CROSS STITCH BANDITS. Jeanne is a crocheter, and we concluded that cross stitch and crochet are mutually exclusive. However, a bit of research revealed that there is, in fact, a crochet stitch called a cross stitch or single cross stitch. So there you have it. And CROSS STITCH BANDIT has a much better ring than Crochet Bandit.

Julinda D. Lewis is a dancer, teacher, and writer who was born in Brooklyn, NY and now lives in Eastern Henrico County.

CROSS STITCH BANDITS

A World Premiere

Written by Sanam Laila Hashemi and Steven Burneson

Directed by Sharon Ott

Cross Stitch Bandits was conceived and developed through Cadence’s Pipeline New Works Fellowship Program

CAST

David Otto Konrad

Jeanna Dorothy “Dee-D.” Miller

Drew Cyrus Mooney

Neil Landon Nagel

Kaija Tatjana Shields

CREATIVE TEAM:

Director Sharon Ott

Assistant Director Molly Marsh

Scenic Designer Faith Carlson

Costume Designer Sarah Grady

Lighting Designer Weston Corey

Sound Designer Joey Luck

Properties Designer Ellie Wilder

Technical Directors Becka Russo and Vinnie Gonzalez

Set Dressing Faith Carlson

Production/Stage Manager Shawanna Hall

Photos Jay Paul

SETTING AND TIME:

2010, somewhere in a small city in the US

RUN TIME:

Approximately 90 minutes with no intermission

Dorothy “Dee-D.” Miller and Otto Konrad. Photo by Jay Paul.

Cyrus Mooney, Dorothy “Dee-D.” Miller, Tatjana Shields, Landon Nagel, and Otto Konrad. Photo by Jay Paul.

Landon Nagel and Otto Konrad. Photo by Jay Paul.

Otto Konrad and Cyrus Mooney. Photo by Jay Paul.

Featured

AFTER DECEMBER

You Don’t Know Because You Don’t Know

A Theater Review by Julinda D. Lewis

At: The November Theatre, 114 West Broad Street, RVA 23220

Performances: March 3 – 26, 2023

Ticket Prices: $39-$59. (Discounted group rates and rush tickets available)

Info: (804) 282-2620 or www.virginiarep.org

If you’re looking for something traditional and familiar, this ain’t it! If, on the other hand, you’re in the mood for something daringly different and astonishingly beautiful, then you’ve found your play. In Bo Wilson’s new sci-fi thriller fantasy, AFTER DECEMBER, particle collider meets poet. It’s big bang theory meets magic mushrooms. It’s fabulously refreshing. And, if you must relate it to something familiar, it makes allegorical statements about such topics as government and discrimination and the relative value of art versus science.

AFTER DECEMBER is an immersive theatrical experience. Set in a secret government facility that conducts experiments with particle reactors, the cave-like underground atmosphere created by Tennessee Dixon (Scenic and Projection Designer) extends from the stage to the audience. BJ Wilkinson’s phenomenal lighting includes tubes of lighting around the balcony and even above the very last rows of seats, and Dixon’s multi-screen projections accompanied by Joey Luck’s sound design virtually surround the audience. Dixon has really outdone herself yet all of this technology does not diminish Wilson’s story or the words, rather it enhances the play. (I’m almost certain that if Dixon had figured out a way to make us feel the earthquake tremors it would have been done.)

The function of this facility is so secretive that even the staff can’t explain what they do. So, a malfunction in the particle collider machinery precipitates a major crisis, resulting in a temporary shutdown, but even more concerning is the sudden appearance of a mysterious woman. She doesn’t remember anything other than her name, December, and that she is a poet. How she ended up, naked, in a secret government facility two miles underground is a bit of a problem for her and the manager of the facility, Evan Garth (Jeffrey Cole) and his Machiavellian superior, Maria Staslaw (Susan Sanford).

Bianca Bryan, as the mysterious December, speaks in an oddly cadenced almost robotic voice, The imperious voice, stiff posture, and sometimes flaccid stance with both arms hanging loosely at the sides, interrupted occasionally by a lotus petal hand gesture all support the proposition that December may be something less than – or more than – human. She does, after all, appear to have superpowers, not the least of which is that when she speaks her poems aloud, they “happen” – changes occur in the physical environment and in the people around her. As disturbing as her presence may be, it also seems to be an impetus for the physicists to explore their hidden creative sides.

The facility’s Physician’s Assistant, Christine Keeler (Patricia Austin) is the first to soften, seeming to find inspiration in December’s differentness. Next to develop a relationship with December is Garth; December seems to bring out repressed feelings and memories that bring balance to his scientific mind. Nat Carroll (Andrew Firda) wasn’t as hard a nut to crack; he was already starting to write a novel when we first meet him. His partner, Marten Root (Andrew Etheridge) is all about the business of math until he hears the poem December has created specifically for him. He then reveals unmined depths of emotion. The only one who seems unchanged by December is Staslaw (Sanford). Could it be that she knows more about this than she lets on?

One can only imagine the creative and collaborative process that occurred between director Rick Hammerly, designers Tennessee Dixon, BJ Wilkinson, and Joey Luck, and the cast members. Precise timing was needed to successfully execute the wrinkles in time and other effects. The result was one of the most amazing and delightfully surprising evenings I’ve spent in the theater – ever.

Kudos to the cast and design team – including Sue Griffin for her neutral tunics that straddled the line between primitive and futuristic and provided a blank palate for the colorful lighting effects. Etheridge and Firda provided most of the comedy, with Etheridge acting as straight man to Firda’s more lighthearted role. Bryan was a powerful presence who nonetheless elicited empathy which was freely offered by the characters played by Austin and Coles. Susan Sanford remained unmoved – unless you count a downward spiral with a singularly cruel act towards Etheridge’s gentle nerd.

Is the important stuff that matters what happens after December arrives, or after December leaves? Or is the important stuff that matters in the power of December’s (i.e., Wilson’s) words? See it and decide for yourself – I’d love to hear what you think about AFTER DECEMBER.

Julinda D. Lewis is a dancer, teacher, and writer who was born in Brooklyn, NY and now lives in Eastern Henrico County.

AFTER DECEMBER

A New Play By Bo Wilson

Directed by Rick Hammerly

Cast

Christine Keeler ……………….. Patricia Austin

December ………………………… Bianca Bryan

Evan Garth ……………………… Jeffrey Cole

Marten Root ……………………. Andrew Etheredge

Nat Carroll (Evan Garth u/s) Andrew Firda

Nat Carroll u/s …………………. Joshua Mullins

Maria Staslaw …………………. Susan Sanford

Direction & Design

Direction …………………………. Rick Hammerly

Scenic & Projection Design.. Tennessee Dixon

Costume Design ………………. Sue Griffin

Lighting Design ………………… BJ Wilkinson

Sound Design ………………….. Joey Luck

Stage Management….……….. Justin Janke

Assistant Stage Managers … MariaElisa Costa, Leica Long

Ticket Information

Box Office: (804) 282-2620

http://www.virginiarep.org

Tickets range from $39 – $59

Discounted Group Rates and Rush tickets are available.

Run Time

The play runs 1 hour 45 minutes, including one 15-minute intermission.

Discounted Group Rates and Rush tickets available.

Photo Credits: Aaron Sutten

VA-REP Covid Safety Statement

Virginia Rep encourages wearing masks for our patrons’ safety, but we do not require that you wear a mask in our lobbies or within the theatres. They are now optional.

We continue to follow CDC guidelines and local risk levels. All Virginia Rep staff will continue to wear masks while serving you.

Andrew Etheredge and Susan Sanford. Photo by Aaron Sutten.

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Featured

LEWISTON

Life, Love, and Fireworks -OR –

Small Stage, Small Cast, BIG Story

A Theater Review by Julinda D. Lewis

At: HATTheatre, 1124 Briarwood Dr., RVA 23238

Performances: March 3-12, 2023

Ticket Prices: $25/Adults; $20/Seniors (age 62 and up), Students & Military; $15/Youth 12 and up

Info: (804) 343-6364; hattheatre.org

———-

Sometimes it’s the little things that matter. Lewiston is set in a small town, placed on a small stage, in a small theatre, with a small cast, and it has a major impact. Lewiston feels familiar; it touches the heart. It tells a story that resonates with many, if not most, American families and may hit closer to home than you’d like to admit.

First, kudos to a phenomenal cast who authentically inhabited difficult characters. Boomie Pedersen, who treads the boards far less often than some of us would like, wears the heavy mantel of Alice, a grandmother estranged from her only granddaughter and landowner fighting a losing battle against well-funded corporate developers. It takes real skills to find a realistic balance between the angry, disengaged old woman and the loving matriarch. New to me are Ashley Elizabeth Thompson as the estranged granddaughter, Marnie, and Paul James as Alice’s roommate Connor, who has been fighting his own battles since childhood.

One striking thing that Connor reveals is how he never felt at home in the small town where he grew up and spent his entire life. The son of a minister, I’ll leave it to you to find out the details of his story and his disenfranchisement when you go see this beautiful play. Marnie, it turns out, is full of surprises. A backpacking loner who arrives out of nowhere, on foot, she is much more complex than she at first appears. And the more Alice and Marnie reveal, the more we see how much alike the two women really are. Connor, too, has secrets, and the three lives are more entwined than it first appears.

Samuel D. Hunter’s play is a masterpiece of storytelling. Touches of humor juxtapose heart-rending reality and revelations, interspersed with audio-taped narration provided by Marnie’s deceased mother – Alice’s daughter. Julie Fulcher-Davis, who directed with a masterful, unintrusive hand, also created one of the most organic sound scores I’ve ever heard. Ambient sounds enhance the roadside fireworks stand lovingly and authentically crafted by Vinnie Gonzalez as well as the recorded narration. Birds, footsteps crunching on leaves, the sound of the ocean waves, and more are subtly and organically orchestrated to provide clues to the location, the season, the mood.

Lewiston could be any roadside in any small town, but it is set in a real place. Lewiston, Idaho was named in honor of Meriwether Lewis, of the Lewis and Clark Expedition most of us learned about in American history. The historical background and evolving economic base from agricultural to industrial are very much a part of Hunter’s story – and the stories of his characters. That makes Alice, Marnie, and Connor seem all the more real.

By the end, we are thoroughly invested in the lives of these three people. At the end, Hunter never reveals the final outcome. Does Alice sell the family land to the big developers – or does she sell it to Marnie? The financial transactions, while important, are not the focus of the story; relationships are the heart of the story. The heart is the heart of the story – and that is why it is so worth going to see Lewiston. Note: It’s a short run, so don’t procrastinate!

———-

Julinda D. Lewis is a dancer, teacher, and writer who was born in Brooklyn, NY and now lives in Eastern Henrico County.

———-

LEWISTON

By Samuel D. Hunter

Directed by Julie Fulcher-Davis

CAST

Alice ……………. Boomie Pedersen

Marnie ……………. Ashley Elizabeth Thompson

Connor ……………. Paul James

THE CREATIVE TEAM

Written by Samuel D. Hunter

Direction & Sound Design by Julie Fulcher-Davis

Set Design by Vinnie Gonzalez

Lighting Design by Lane Kinsley

Props & Lights/Sound Support;

Props & Light/Sound Support

Production Management by Vickie L. Scallion

RUN TIME

About 90 minutes with no intermission

PERFORMANCES

March 3-12, 2023

TICKETS

$25/Adults; $20/Seniors (age 62 and up), Students & Military; $15/Youth 12 and up

INFO

(804) 343-6364; hattheatre.org

Photos: from FaceBook

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Featured

FIREBIRD with SERENADE

Richmond Ballet Presents a Balanchine Classic & an East Coast Premiere

In the Battle of Classic vs Contemporary, Everyone Wins

A Dance Review by Julinda D. Lewis

By: The Richmond Ballet with the Richmond Symphony

At: Dominion Energy Center’s Carpenter Theatre, 600 E. Grace St., RVA 23219

Performances: February 17-19, 2022 at 7:00 PM

Ticket Prices: $25 – $130

Info: (804) 344-0906, etix.com, or richmondballet.com

THE PROGRAM

Serenade

Choreography by George Balanchine

Music by Peter Ilyick Tchaikovsky

Staging by Jerri Kumery

Costume Design by Karinska

Lighting Design by Ronald Bates

Lighting Supervision by Joseph R. Walls

World Premiere: March 1, 1935, Adelphi Theatre, NYC

Richmond Ballet Premiere: February 10, 1990, Norfolk Center Theater, Norfolk, VA

Firebird

Choreography by Ma Cong

Music by Igor Stravinsky

Scenic and Costume Design by Emma Kingsbury

Lighting Design by David Finn

Lighting Supervision by Joseph R. Walls

World Premiere: February 14, 2020, Bass Performance Hall, Fort Worth, TX

Richmond Ballet Premiere: February 17, 2023, Dominion Energy Center, RVA

Preview: https://www.facebook.com/100063444205389/videos/480459615956932/

FIREBIRD, created by the Richmond Ballet’s Associate Artistic Director Ma Cong, is a magical blend of fairy tale, fantasy, drama, and dream. The ballet is set to Stravinsky’s beautiful score and set in a gorgeous environment that weds the classical with the contemporary. What at first appeared to be a museum – but I later found out was a garden – contained a swing suspended from the above, six life-sized “statues” that turned out to be six enchanted Princes, and a ginormous Faberge egg. Cong has taken the traditional Firebird story ballet – choreographed in 1910 by Michel Fokine for the Ballet Russes – and placed it in a more contemporary setting.

There is still a hero (Prince Ivan, danced by Khaiyom Khojaev) – and, of course, an evil sorcerer (Koschei the Immortal, danced by Ira White). Cong has kept Fokine’s thirteen princesses, including Prince Ivan’s love interest (Tsarevna, danced by Eri Nishihara), and, of course, the magical Firebird (Cody Beaton). What is new is the context. Nishihara begins as a young woman in a swing, visiting the sculpture garden with her mother (Celeste Gaiera). While reading her favorite book, The Firebird fairy tale, she dozes off, and much like little Clara in The Nutcracker Ballet, finds herself the central figure in a dreamscape filled with magical creatures. Her Prince doubles as a Photographer in the sculpture garden, and instead of party guests, there are museum visitors. A dropped scarf is the talisman that links the two worlds.

Khojaev, the dashing young prince – handsome, lost, and sporting a quiver of bows – encounters the magical, mystical Firebird in an enchanted garden plucking golden apples from a magical tree. In exchange for her life, the Firebird plucks one of her red feathers and presents it to Ivan, to be used in case of an emergency that can only be resolved using magic. The encounter is one of the ballet’s few traditional features – a pas de deux of soaring leaps and spiralling runs marked by Beaton’s fabulously quirky arm movements. They part, and of course it is only a matter of time before Prince Ivan runs into the evil sorcerer Koschei who has enchanted thirteen beautiful princesses and turned to stone the six young princes who have attempted to rescue them.

White, as Koschei, reminds me of an ancient Japanese war lord (but wait, considering that Cong studied Chinese classical dance, let me revise that to an ancient Chinese warrior), and his minions are clad in black body suits with vaguely skeletal imprints on the spines – thoroughly embracing the role of malevolent sycophants as they scamper about the space. The choreography is a refreshing brew of ballet and contemporary movement, a contrast of soaring heights and scampering lows, classic lines and grounded enfolding. A friend likened the results to the subterfuge of The Wizard of Oz.

A battle ensues, requiring Prince Ivan to call upon the Firebird for assistance, and Koschei and the forces of evil are eventually overcome. The climax of the battle, however, involves one of the most explosive special effects I have ever seen in a ballet. Remember that Faberge egg I described earlier – and Ivan’s quiver of arrows? Well, this is where it all comes together. The egg – okay, so maybe not a Faberge egg, but you get the idea – is where Koschei had hidden his evil soul for safekeeping and the climax of the battle involves the destruction of the egg and all the evil it contains. What a stunning concept and even more spectacular execution!

In the final scene, the daughter (Nishihara) awakens, back in the safety and peace of the sculpture garden, where the exchange of the dropped scarf and a pointed glance are all that remain of the events that have just transpired.

The evening started and ended on a high note – with two ballets completely different in style and execution. The program started with a performance of George Balanchine’s Serenade (1934). Historically significant as the first Balanchine ballet created in America and one of the New York City Ballet’s signature works, the ballet began as a lesson in stage technique for student dancers and the choreography even incorporates ordinary rehearsal events, such as a dancer’s fall. But Serenade opens with one of the singularly more stunning moments of stillness ever choreographed.

The curtains parts on a sea of 17 women standing in complete stillness. Each has one arm lifted. When they all move their feet from parallel to an open first position. So simple. So basic. So beautiful. In spite of its simplicity, Serenade is not an easy ballet, and set against Tchaikovsky’s score on a bare stage, save for romantic lighting, it remains a favorite for balletomanes and novices alike.

No disappointments, no complaints. Just a satisfying evening of beautiful ballet and memorable music, played live by the Richmond Symphony, conducted by Erin Freeman. Bravo.

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Featured

JUMP BABY

An Original Musical About War and Love

A Studio Series Production at The Lynn Theatre at Brightpoint Community College, 800 Charter Colony Pkwy, T Building, Room T112, Midlothian, VA 23114

Reviewed by Julinda D. Lewis

Performances: January 27 – February 5, 2023

Ticket Prices: $10

Info: (804) 796-4000 or email theatreinfo@brightpoint.edu

I usually don’t do much preparation prior to seeing a new show so as not to arrive with preconceived expectations. It didn’t take long before Rachel Landsee’s new musical, Jump Baby, began to feel familiar. This feeling solidified right around the time lead character Amelia West (played by Rachel Rose Gilmour) remarked that the plane banked just before she jumped out. It turns out it wasn’t the plane, hence the title, Jump Baby.

In September of 2021 I attended a wonderfully unique performance of four one-act plays at the Firehouse Theatre. Each had been written in workshop by a veteran, with one, SOAR, being penned by a female veteran. It made an impression:

The first half of the program closed with SOAR,
the only one of the four one-act plays written by a woman veteran, Rachel Landsee. Irene Kuykendall was outstanding as the military lawyer and wife, Rachel. Her husband, Adam (Dean Knight) was also an officer, and the focus of SOAR included the strains military life puts on relationships, the demands made on women, especially if they become pregnant while in service, as well as philosophical discussions of the validity of sending US troops to Iraq and
Afghanistan. For me, this was the most complex and layered of the four pieces, and its appeal is enhanced by the presence of a sort of Greek chorus meets four-part harmony a cappella group composed of four of the male ensemble members. SOAR turned out to be a mini-musical, powered by foot-stomping, finger-snapping military cadence, soulful rhythms, and the bluesy strains of Nina Simone’s “Feeling Good.”

Birds flying
high, you know how I feel

Sun in the
sky, you know how I feel

Breeze
driftin’ on by, you know how I feel

It’s a new
dawn

It’s a new
day

It’s a new
life for me…

https://wordpress.com/post/jdldancesrva.com/2727

Nearly 18 months later, SOAR has grown into – or provided a foundation for – a full-fledged two-act musical with an original score by Mark Messing. The a cappella quartet has doubled in size and this iteration features a full ensemble of cast members who play multiple roles, sing, and dance. The military cadences are still there, but now there is a list of a dozen songs and a trio of live musicians, under the direction of Cassie Cipolla. The story of Amelia and Jack has been placed in context, providing more of a backstory and fleshed out relationships.

There’s Jack and Amelia’s marriage, their struggle to understand the role of war and justice, the place of women in the military, and more. At one point, all the women are pregnant, opening the door to but leaving unanswered questions about sexuality, sexual harassment, and sexual assault in the military. Kerrigan Sullivan’s deft direction – and Kayla Xaiver’s choreography – keeps everything and everyone moving at a nice clip that echoes the military cadences.

The inaugural production of the Lynn Theatre’s new Studio Series, Jump Baby is a collaboration involving the development of new work by underrepresented voices (Rachel Landsee, a female veteran and military attorney), professional actors (Rachel Rose Gilmour and Adam Turck), and students (onstage and behind the scenes). It has catchy tunes, cadences, a logical story line, and humor. The minimalist set of boxes and graded planes studded with rivets provides an appropriate and versatile background, especially when creatively lit in a kaleidoscope of colors – or in red, white, and blue. Little touches, such as having the ringing of a cell phone voiced by an actor instead of a recording of an actual cell phone demonstrate a commitment to the process.

I fully expect to see and hear more of this project. “You can do so much with music that you can’t do with words,” Landsee said during the closing show talkback. “Musicals are a fantastic way to express an American way of life.” I don’t think Landsee is finished yet, and it’s been a pleasure to see the growth and development to date. The production closed February 5, but I think I heard from a friend that you may be able to see a streaming version if you contact The Lynn Theatre.

Julinda D. Lewis is a dancer, teacher, and writer who was born in Brooklyn, NY and now lives in Eastern Henrico County.

———-

JUMP BABY

Written by Rachel Landsee

Music by Mark Messing

Directed by Kerrigan Sullivan

Cast:

Amelia West: Rachel Rose Gilmour

Jack West: Adam Turck

Staff Sergeant Michaels/Soldier: Jay Bynum

Deputy Big Boss/Jumpmaster/Soldier: Conner McGowan

Branch Chief/Soldier: Mac Owens

Acting Deputy Big Boss/Jumpmaster/Soldier/Assistant
Director: Russell Paulette

Big Boss/Soldier: Harrison Phillips

Soldier: Mahala Redden

Missy/Soldier: Ariana Silva

Military Doctor/Soldier: Julianna Velasquez

Band:

Pianist: Justin Lee

Trumpeter/Auxiliary Percussionist: August Redden

Percussionist: Elliot Loucks

Song List:

War Game

Homicide Rhymes with Lullaby

Jumping Hollywood

Death from Above

Undone

Called Away

59 Days and a Wakeup

Christmas Bells

On the Daily

Run, Gun, and Done

Mail Call

Green Light Go

Production Team:

Producing Artistic Director/Director: Kerrigan Sullivan

Playwright/Lyricist: Rachel Landsee

Composer: Mark Messing

Musical Director: Cassie Cipolla

Choreographer: Kayla Xaiver

Creative Team & Designers:

Production State Manager/Lighting Designer/Master Electrician: Alleigh Scantling

Scenic Designer/Technical Director/Properties Master: Hailey Bean

Sound Designer: Grace LaBelle

Costume Designer: Lindsey Ladnier

Assistant Stage Manager/Spot Operator/Costume Shop Supervisor: Claire Bronchick

Marketing Manager/Graphic Designer/Photographer/Videographer/Website Designer: Ian Glass

Assistant State Manager: Michelle Rubinstein

Sound Engineer: Lillian Foster

Crew:

Sam Richardson, Casey Allen, Sadie Tucker, Kenya Saunders

Performance Schedule:

Friday, January 27, at 7:00 p.m.

Saturday, January 28, at 7:00 p.m.

Sunday, January 29, at 2:00 p.m. (Talkback with the playwright follows the show)

Thursday, February 2, at 7:00 p.m.

Friday, February 3, at 7:00 p.m.

Saturday, February 4, at 7:00 p.m.

Sunday, February 5, at 2:00 p.m. (Talkback with the playwright follows the show)

Run Time:

About two hours with one intermission

Tickets:

General admission tickets are $10. Military and veteran tickets are $5. Current Brightpoint students may get their tickets for free with a Brightpoint Student ID. To purchase tickets, go to https://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/5692705

Photos: Ian Glass

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Featured

A SOLDIER’S PLAY

They still hate you!: Racism Institutionalized, Internalized, Ignited

At: The Swift Creek Mill Theatre, 17401 U.S. Route 1, S. Chesterfield, VA 23834

Performances: January 28 – March 4, 2023

Ticket Prices: $15-$49

Info: (804) 748-5203 or https://www.swiftcreekmill.com

Charles Fuller’s A Soldier’s Play is set on a fictitious Army base, Fort Neal, Louisiana, in 1944 – at a time when the U.S. Army was still legally segregated. But the mystery and inflammatory speculation surrounding the murder of Tech/Sergeant Vernon C. Waters could have been taken directly from the latest news in 2023.

When I think of this Pulitzer Prize-winning play, the first thing that comes to mind is Adolph Caesar who played the role of Sergeant Waters in the original off-Broadway production by the Negro Ensemble Company, New York, 1981. In that production, Denzel Washington also appeared as Private First Class Melvin Peterson and Samuel L. Jackson played the role of Private Louis Henson.

I can’t help but wonder, how did the actors and audiences of 1981 feel about A Soldier’s Play and how do their thoughts and experiences compare to those of the actors and audiences of 2023? The more things change (?) the more they stay the same – and this trope especially rings true when it comes to matters of race in America.

Along those same lines, the ”trigger warnings” of strong language, racial slurs, physical violence and gunshot effects may have been startling 40 years ago, but seem de rigueur by today’s standards where life imitates art imitates life. Director Shanea N. Taylor wrote in her notes, “Charles Fuller believed, ‘You can change the world with words.’ 40 some years later from winning the Pulitzer Prize for his words, we find ourselves in a position where we might question whether this rings true.”

In A Soldier’s Play we get to see – and internalize – the impact of 9 Black men sharing a stage and sharing words and thoughts normally reserved for the relative safety of Black spaces (e.g., home, the barber shop). Do Fuller’s words sufficiently explain the burden of how racism can make a Black man hate himself? Or are we so committed to the fallacy that racism is over that only those directly affected can truly understand? A Soldier’s Play opens the door to further understanding.

This deeply troubling story shines as an ensemble work. The comraderie and banter between the characters feels authentic (coming from one who has never been in a military environment). It comes as no surprise that the Black soldiers are given the most menial and dirtiest tasks: painting, cleaning, manual labor. In spite of their sub par treatment, they want to serve the only country they know. When orders come to ship out, they are excited. Ike wants to know if the colored boys can fight? There is only one response, “I’ve been fighting all my life.”

The soldiers’ relationships seem even more solidified by the passive aggressive racism of their white Captain, played by Chandler Hubbard. You see, Captain Taylor is aware of his own racism, and readily admits that he is disgusted by the very thought of Captain Davenport (Keydron Dunn), the Black lawyer sent to investigate the murder of Sergeant Waters. At the same time, he holds on to a sense of justice in wanting to solve the murder – but not so much so that he is willing to discipline the white officers under his command who are overtly racist (Hunter Keck and Gordon Little Eagle Graham). Waters is – or was – an ambitious Black officer who is himself offended by the presence of southern Black men who do not live up to his standards. This information gives added meaning to his final words before being shot, “They still hate you!” No matter how hard he tries to assimilate, no matter if he works hard and send his children to predominantly white schools, he is still Black, and still the recipient of institutional and personal racism.

There were some standouts in the ensemble: Joshua Maurice Carter as Private C.J. Memphis, the innocent young man who was driven to suicide by Sergeant Waters’ mental attacks; Kamau “Mu Cuzzo” Akinwole as Private James Wilkie, an unwilling pawn in Waters’ machinations; Erich Appleby as the earnest Corporal Bernard Cobb. Hubbard did an amazing job establishing a balance between doing the eight thing and embracing the comfort of his upbringing. But A Soldier’s Play works best within the framework of the ensemble. The one weak link, unfortunately, seemed to be Keydron Dunn in the import role of the key figure, Captain Richard Davenport. I found out later that Dunn was under the weather the night I saw the show, so that may account for the fumbled lines and uneven performance – so unlike his usual execution.

Mercedes Schaum has designed a stark barracks, consisting of just a few cots and footlockers, but Joe Doran’s lighting adds satisfying emotional depth and visual dimension. Taylor’s direction allows the story to unfold at a natural pace – perhaps less inflammatory than I was expecting, or less shocking that my memory allowed for – but nonetheless satisfying. If you have never seen A Soldier’s Play or, like me, have not revisited it in some 40 years, please see it. It’s the kind of theatre that stays with you for a lifetime.

———-

Julinda D. Lewis is a dancer, teacher, and writer who was born in Brooklyn, NY and now lives in Eastern Henrico County.

———-

A SOLDIER’S PLAY

By Charles Fuller

Directed by Shanea Taylor

Cast:

Tech/Sergeant Vernon C. Waters: Larry Akin Smith

Captain Charles Taylor: Chandler Hubbard

Corporal Bernard Cobb: Erich Appleby

Private First Class Melvin Peterson: K’Hari Zy’on

Corporal Ellis: Gary King

Private Louis Henson: Tre’ LaRon

Private James Wilkie: Kamau “Mu Cuzzo” Akinwole

Private Tony Smalls: Kieryn Burton

Captain Richard Davenport: Keydron Dunn

Private C.J. Memphis: Joshua Maurice Carter

Lieutenant Byrd: Hunter Keck

Captain Wilcox: Gordon Little Eagle Graham

Creative Team:

Directed by Shanea Taylor

Scenic Design by Mercedes Schaum

Lighting Design by Joe Doran

Costume Design by Maura Lynch Cravey

Technical Direction by Liz Allmon

Fighting/Intimacy Consulting by Stephanie “Tippi” Hart

Run Time:

About two hours with one intermission

Tickets:

Regular $49. Seniors, Military & First Responders $44. Students $15.

Photos: Kieran Rundle

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Featured

GHOST QUARTET

A Song Cycle About Love, Death, and Whiskey

An Immersive Theatrical Experience Review by Julinda D. Lewis

At: The Firehouse 1609 West Broad St., Richmond, RVA 23220

Performances: January 19 – February 18, 2023 [NOTE: This includes extended dates]

Ticket Prices: $35 general admission, $45 VIP two-top, $20 students

Info: (804) 355-2001 or firehousetheatre.org.

If you like the unique and different, if you are comfortable with ambiguity, if dramatic explorations of death and non-linear story-telling pique your interest, then GHOST QUARTET was written for you. Not fully a play, not fully a musical, more akin to an opera, Dave Malloy’s creation was first produced in 2014 and was soon after nominated for awards for Best Music and Best Musical.

While I assert that the term “musical” is too confining to describe Ghost Quartet, there is no doubt that the music – much of which is played or engineered by Amy L Oblinger – is amazing. There are vocals and instrumental music involving a piano, a cello, a violin, and percussion. At one point small percussion instruments – a tambourine, a rattle, small rattles – are distributed to audience members.

Two of the Quartet members perform a delightfully unexpected tap and clog dance. And most of the cast members are quite comfortable breaking the fourth wall and addressing the audience – some of whom, the VIPs, are seated at small table right on stage where they are served whiskey shots by the cast members who are gathered for a reunion of sorts at a bar that is apparently owned by one of the Quartet members.

Whew! That’s just by way of introduction, and doesn’t even begin to explain Ghost Quartet, Instead of Acts and Scenes, Ghost Quartet is divided into Sides and Tracks – which are announced at the top of each segment. While intentionally non-linear in structure, the sections are, in fact, related to one another. So, “The Camera Shop” in Side 1, Track 2 is related to “The Photograph” in Side 3, Track 2 and there is an “Usher” track – as in Poe’s “The Fall of the House of User” – in Sides 1, 2, and 3.

Family is another common theme woven throughout the production in which cast members play multiple characters, across generations, and encompassing – the program says – seven centuries. This makes it possible for Ghost Quartet to seamlessly discuss and conquer death, include sassy little girls and monks, have storytelling by Schéhérazade (yes, the one from Arabian nights), and sing an ode to whiskey (e.g., Jamieson, Maker’s Mark, Lagavulin), call a family meeting to deliver an ultimatum about an invisible friend, and conflate monks (the religious kind) with Thelonious Monk (the musician).

Bringing a wide range of talents, sass, and gifts to this production: Jaylin Brown, Valerie Chinn, Céilí Galante, Marjie Southerland, and Musical Director Amy L. Oblinger. They sing, they dance, they act, tell stories, play instruments, and drink whiskey for two hours (including one intermission). Todd Labelle’s design, featuring a standard wooden bar as well as a vertical “floating” bar and walls of wide-spaced wooden slats, is simultaneously minimalist and luxurious. It provides a welcoming backdrop for an unfamiliar performance genre. Andrew Bonniwell’s lighting organically partners with the live music, electronic arrangements, and some surprisingly stunning vocal moments.

If, as Director PJ Freebourn wrote in their notes, the goal is to transport the audience and take us on a surreal journey that explores, among other things, love, family, hope, memory, and emotions, then Ghost Quartet is a smashing success. If you leave still wondering just what the hell happened and why it made you feel confused and amazed, if you leave talking about it, thinking about it, or asking questions about it — it was successful. February 4 was originally supposed to be the final performance, but four additional performances have been added over the next two weekends – Friday evenings, February 10 and 17, and Saturday matinees, February 11 and 18. If you haven’t seen it yet, recommend you try to reserve a ticket or two to one of these performances – then we can talk about it together.

———-

Julinda D. Lewis is a dancer, teacher, and writer who was born in Brooklyn, NY and now lives in Eastern Henrico County.

———-

GHOST QUARTET

By Dave Malloy

Directed by PJ Freebourn

Performers:

The Ghost Quartet

Jaylin Brown
Valerie Chinn
Céilí Galante
Marjie Southerland

Musician

Amy L. Oblinger

Production Team

PJ Freebourn – Director

Amy L. Oblinger – Music Director

Niccolo Seligmann – Electronic Arrangements, Synth Programming, Foley Art

Céilí Galante – Additional Arrangements

Nicole Morris-Anastasi – Choreographer

Todd Labelle – Production Designer

Andrew Bonniwell – Lighting Designer

Katherine Brand – Costume Designer
Grace Labelle, Emily Vial, Talon Bleacher – Stage Managers

Performance Schedule:

Thu Jan 19 @ 8pm (preview)

Fri Jan 20 @ 8pm (preview)

Sat Jan 21 @ 4pm (preview)

Sat Jan 21 @ 8pm

Fri Jan 27 @ 8pm

Sat Jan 28 @ 4pm

Sat Jan 28 @ 8pm

Fri Feb 3 @ 8pm

Sat Feb 4 @ 4pm

Sat Feb 4 @ 8pm

EXTENDED: Additional Performances!

Fri Feb 10 @ 8pm

Sat Feb 11 @ 4pm

Fri Feb 17 @ 8pm

Sat Feb 18 @ 4pm

Ticket Prices

$35 general admission, $45 VIP two-top, $20 students

Run Time: Approximately 2 hours with one intermission

Photo Credits: Bill Sigafoos

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Featured

HOW BLACK MOTHERS SAY I LOVE YOU

“Do not press me to leave you,
    to turn back from following you!
Where you go, I will go;
    where you lodge, I will lodge;
your people shall be my people
    and your God my God. – Ruth 1:16 (NRSV)

A Theater Review by Julinda D. Lewis

At: Richmond Triangle Players at the Robert B. Moss Theatre,

1300 Altamont Ave, RVA 23230

Performances: February 1-25, 2023

Ticket Prices: $10 – $40

Info: (804) 346-8113 or rtriangle.org

———-

Sometimes a production takes awhile to grow on you. Some shows are hard to connect with on a personal, emotional, social, literary, cultural or any other level. Just the opposite is true of Trey Anthony’s tender and amusing two-act family drama, HOW BLACK MOTHERS SAY I LOVE YOU. The author identifies as “a queer, black, Canadian, West Indian womyn” but their story is familiar to many Black women in Canada, the US, and the UK. I attended with my eldest daughter, and throughout the evening we looked at one another knowingly over our masks, reached for each other’s hands, cried out in instant recognition, or just cried.

The author may be a Canadian of Jamaican heritage, but the play is set in the Brooklyn, NY home of a Jamaican immigrant woman in 2014 (although I thought the furniture and kitchen appliances harkened back a decade or two – or three? – before then). Claudette (Zakiyyah Jackson), the prodigal queer daughter of Daphne (Dorothy “Dee-D” Miller) has returned home unannounced after several silent years in Montreal, Canada. Claudette finds her mother in poor health and her younger sister Valerie (Shalandis Wheeler Smith) doing her best to care for her, despite Daphne’s refusal to follow doctor’s orders – and the added complications of Valerie’s own personal struggles. Claudette has questions that her mother is not willing to answer. Daphne left Claudette and Valerie with their grandmother in Jamaica for six years while she got established in the US.

Family secrets are painfully and reluctantly revealed, along with social and cultural histories that could bringing health and healing to many families and enlightenment to many allies. The story is brought to life by a small but mighty cast, led by Miller, the matriarch. I’m not Jamaican but I married into a Jamaican family and I found Miller’s accent spot on. She dropped the “h” where you expected to hear it and added it where you did not expect it. She called children “pickney” and pronounced the word “little” as if it were spelled with two k’s instead of two t’s. She won me over completely when she spoke about the baby’s “ackee seed eyes.” That’s how my mother-in-law used to refer to my children! My daughter looked at each other and shrieked in unison as my heart melted into a puddle on the floor. (Don’t worry, RTP staff, melted hearts do not stain the carpet.) Of course I looked to see who the dialect coach was and just as I suspected, it’s Erica Hughes. Kudos to Hughes for another amazing job.

[If you are familiar with ackee, you can skip this next paragraph.]

BTW: the ackee fruit is a Jamaican dietary staple, an essential ingredient in the Jamaica national dish of ackee and saltfish (i.e., salted cod). When ripe, the ackee plant yields fleshy yellow lobes that somewhat resemble scrambled eggs when cooked with saltfish. The fruit has shiny black seeds that people – especially Jamaican grandmothers – liken to the shiny bright eyes of babies and young children. The kicker is that, in its un-ripened state, ackee is quite poisonous.

Jackson and Wheeler Smith achieved a remarkable balance between sibling rivalry and sisterly love. Their affection appeared genuine and as the story unfolded we found that it was grounded in a history of collective trauma – unique to them, but familiar to many families whose histories are defined by the African diaspora. Significantly, my daughter wondered how these themes spoke to white viewers. This would be an interesting dialogue to introduce in a talk-back…

Let me not forget to mention Cloe. The younger, American-born sister of Claudette and Valerie who died in childhood from an unnamed illness, Cloe appears as a silent ghost. Dressed in white from head to toe, Bailey Robinson, a Henrico County Public Schools student, made her professional debut as the sometimes meddlesome, but mostly caring specter of young Cloe whose presence is welcomed and visible to Daphne – and sometimes, it seems, to Valerie. Claudette knows she is there, but cannot see her. The presence of Cloe is another strong symbol of ancestors and spirituality.

The set is a Brooklyn home sturdily and lovingly crafted by William Luther and tenderly lit by Dakota Carter. I did wonder, however, why there were several long periods of darkness or dimmed lights. Perhaps these stretches were meant to serve a visual equivalent of the dramatic pause, or to contrast with the bright white heavenly light that illuminated the runway that Cloe used to transition between the present and the hereafter. Or maybe it was just to allow for a costume change.

Margarette Joyner (founder and artistic director of the Heritage Theater that formerly closed its doors in 2022) designed the costumes, with special attention to Daphne’s collection of church hats and Valerie’s collection of coordinating handbags and shoes. Desirée Dabney directed through the eyes of a storyteller. The work and words flow with a sense of real time and a feeling of intimacy and immediacy.

HOW BLACK MOTHERS SAY I LOVE YOU is a stunningly beautiful work of theatre, one I was not familiar with, one I will not forget. See it with your mother or daughter. And take tissues.

———-

Julinda D. Lewis is a dancer, teacher, and writer who was born in Brooklyn, NY and now lives in Eastern Henrico County.

———-

HOW BLACK MOTHERS SAY I LOVE YOU

By Trey Anthony

Directed by Desirée Dabney

CAST

Daphne …………….Dorothy “Dee-D” Miller

Claudette …………….Shalandis Wheeler-Smith

Valerie ……………. Zakiyyah Jackson

Cloe ……………. Bailey Robinson

Daphne Understudy: Diana Carver

Claudette Understudy: Nora Ogunleye

Valerie Understudy: Chayla Simpson

Cloe Understudy: Sydnee Logan

THE CREATIVE TEAM

Director/Sound Design: Desirée Dabney

Assistant Director/Dramaturg: Chayla Simpson

Production Stage Manager: Jennipher Murphy-Whitcomb

Assistant Stage Manager: Nathan Ramos

Scenic Design: William Luther

Lighting Design: Dakota Carter

Props Design: Tim Moehring

Costume Design: Margarette Joyner

Hair & Make Up Design: Jahara Jennae

Intimacy Choreographer: Raja Benz

Dialect Coach: Erica Hughes

Technical Director/Scenic Painter: Becka Russo

Covid Safety Officer: William Luther

Marketing Videos: Aisthesis Productions

Photo Credits: Pre-production photos from RTP Facebook page

Shalandis Wheeler Smith, Dorothy Dee D Miller, Zakiyyah Jackson

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Featured

UNCLE VANYA

Every Family Has a Drunk Uncle…

A Theater Review by Julinda D. Lewis

By: Richmond Shakes (formerly Quill Theatre)

At: Dominion Energy Center’s Libby S. Gottwald Playhouse, 600 E. Grace St., RVA 23219

Performances: January 26 – February 12, 2023

Ticket Prices: $22-$42

Info: (804) 340-0115 or https://richmondshakespeare.org/

Rarely – if ever – have I described a production as a sad comedy, but that would be an accurate description of UNCLE VANYA, written by Anton Chekhov and adapted by Conor McPherson. First performed at the turn of the twentieth century, UNCLE VANYA remains relevant and contemporary as adapted by McPherson and under the expert direction of Dr. Jan Powell.

One thing – well, eight really– that made this production successful was the uniformly outstanding cast. Bryan Austin was relentlessly amusing yet authentic and endearing in the title role and it was his authenticity that kept his moments of wallowing in self-pity and regret from becoming shallow and vainglorious tropes. Calie Bain was a breakout star as Vanya’s niece, Sonya. In spite of the early death of her mother, her father’s re-marriage to a woman seemingly closer in age to Sonya than her father, and her unrequited love – made even more soul-crushing by the geographical isolation of their country estate – Sonja remained a bright light of hopefulness. She was the connection that made it possible for this stunningly dysfunctional family to attempt reconciliation and settle on renovation.

Lindsey Zelli as the beautiful young second wife, Yelena, displayed unexpected and sometimes uncomfortable depth. In spite of past estrangements and current rivalrous entanglements, Yelena demonstrated genuine fondness and care for Sonya. Matt Hackman’s Dr. Astrov was also multi-faceted. Totally unaware of Sonja’s love for him (really???), he was equally infatuated with her step mother, and focused on ecological issues with a passion that I am sure was way ahead of his time.

Kelly Kennedy made the most of her nearly innocuous supporting role as Nana – not, as one might think, the grandmother, but an elderly nurse who has become the family caretaker. Sitting in her chair, quietly observing or serving up hot tea, her knitting needles seemed to be a metaphor for her role in the family drama.

Alan Sader and Debra Clinton’s characters infuriated me. Sader played the pompous and manipulative Professor Alexandr Serebryakov (father of Sonya, husband of Yelena, son of Mariya, and brother-in-law of Vanya) and of course he is really good at it. It’s the kind of role where you don’t want to meet the actor soon after because you want to curl your lip and turn up your nose at his character. Clinton’s character was infuriating for a different reason. Mariya’s favoritism for her more successful son, Alexandr and disdain for the hard-working Vanya seemed passive-aggressive and possibly the result of oppression or lack of fulfillment in her own life.

For those, like me, unfamiliar with the characters, it took awhile to get a handle on the role of Telegin (Bill Blair). Affectionately called Waffles (apparently because of the condition of his skin), Telegin is a family friend, neighbor, and hanger-on who tries to fit in where he can – often with awkward results.

What makes Uncle Vanya resonate with me is these lovingly developed and multi-dimensional characters. They are familiar and seem to fit right in with contemporary issues: family dysfunction, changing inter-generational roles, the troublesome hierarchy of inheritance, and even the forced soul-searching of pandemic isolation.

Reed West’s set design – much more elaborate than Richmond Shakes’ usually sparse environments – is solidly built of sturdy, dark wood. Little details, like a chess set atop a cabinet, Nana’s knitting basket, and the clean but worn rugs support the narrative of crumbling gentility. And what can I say about the individual application of autumn leaves on the tree branches during intermission? Gretta Daughtrey’s lighting is effective and unintrusive; the storm, for example, is subtle but unmistakable. So, too, are James Ricks’ sound design, that included gentle ambient sounds, and Anna Bialkowski’s earth-toned costumes – with a jewel-toned garment or two for Yelena, and a caped-overcoat for the Professor.

Uncle Vanya is a satisfying evening of theater performed by a stellar cast – and I say this even though I am not in the least a fan of Chekhov. There isn’t much action. Plot is virtually non-existent. But the characters are immersed in the words and that fully engages the audience in a way that creates the best kind of theater magic. Try to see it before it closes.

Uncle Vanya

By Anton Chekhov

Adapted by Conor McPherson

Cast

Nana ………. Kelly Kennedy

Astrov ………. Matt Hackman

Vanya ………. Bryan Austin

Telegin………. Bill Blair

Serebryakov………. Alan Sader

Sonya ………. Calie Bain

Yelena ………. Lindsey Zelli

Mariya ……….Debra Clinton

Production Team

Artistic Director: James Ricks

Managing Director: Jase Sullivan

Director: Dr. Jan Powell

Assistant Director: Sarbajeet Das

Stage Manager: Lauren Langston

Assistant Stage Manager: Carrisa Lanstra

Costume Design: Anna Bialkowski

Light Designer: Gretta Daughtrey

Scenic Design: W. Reed West III

Sound Design: James Ricks

Properties Design: Emily Hicks

Map Art Work: Katherine Wright

Promotional Photography: Peyton Lyons

Run Time: About 2 ½ hours including one intermission

Julinda D. Lewis is a dancer, teacher, and writer who was born in Brooklyn, NY and now lives in Eastern Henrico County.

———-

Photo Credits: Peyton Lyons and David Parrish Photography

TOP LEFT: Bryan Austin, Bill Blair, Matt Hackman. TOP CENTER: Matt Hackman and Calie Bain. TOP RIGHT: Bryan Austin. BOTTOM LEFT: Bryan Austin. BOTTOM RIGHT: Bryan Austin, Calie Bain and Debra Clinton

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THE MAGIC OF THE NUTCRACKER – REFRESHED

Richmond Ballet Presents a Holiday Favorite

An Unconventional Dance Review by Julinda D. Lewis & Guest Reviewers Kingston and Emmitt

By: The Richmond Ballet

At: Dominion Energy Center’s Carpenter Theatre, 600 E. Grace Street, RVA 23219

Performances: December 9-23, 2022

Ticket Prices: $25 – $130

Info: (804) 344-0906, etix.com, or richmondballet.com

Updated COVID-19 Protocols, see below.

THE PROGRAM

The Nutcracker

Artistic Direction and Choreography by Stoner Winslett

Production conceived by Stoner Winslett and Charles Caldwell

Music by Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky

Music performed by the Richmond Symphony

Conducted by Erin Freeman

Scenery designed by Alain Vaës

Costumes designed by David Heuvel

Lighting designed by Richard Moore and Associate, Catherine Girardi

When I was a Girl Scout Leader (which I was, for 27 years), one of my favorite things to do was to take young girls camping for the first time. Likewise, one of my favorite things to do as a writer, teacher, and grandmother is to take my young people to the theater for the first time. Three of my grandsons live in RVA, ages 14, 8, and 8 months. The oldest has seen The Nutcracker before, and with the return of live performances, it was time for the middle one to have his first Nutcracker experience. So on Sunday evening I got a chance to re-experience the classic holiday ballet through new eyes.

The magic begins the moment you enter the theater – well, as soon as you pass through security and have your tickets scanned. [Security approved of my clear plastic tote and the small “sippy cups” I’d brought so we wouldn’t spill the drinks we bought at the concession stand.] While waiting for the program to begin, I enjoyed watching the families with children of all ages, most dressed in their holiday finery. Kingston (a high school student and the family percussionist) and Emmitt (age 8) saw that it was okay to go take a peek at the orchestra pit and returned to their seats discussing the probability of someone falling into the pit.

Other preparatory and property elements worthy of note included explaining why the audience applauded the arrival of the Symphony conductor and the many layers of show drops and curtains that open throughout the lavish production to reveal scenes from the streets of Nuremburg to the entry and drawing room of the Silberhaus home to the Enchanted Snow Forest and Confitenberg, the Kingdom of Sweets. Also, the diversity of the cast is important, because representation matters, especially when young audience members can see people onstage who look like themselves. An example follows a few paragraphs down.

The Nutcracker is a family show for The Richmond Ballet as well as for the audience. Students from the School of Richmond Ballet, apprentices, members of RBII, new and experienced company members, and even faculty and staff share the stage for this multi-generational extravaganza. In addition to refreshed costumes and scenery, the Silberhaus party features newly constructed doll houses for Dr. Drosselmeyer’s magic show, Mother Ginger is back from her pandemic hiatus – with eight kiddy-winks under her voluminous skirts — and Associate Artistic Director, Ma Cong (who dances the role of Dr. Drosselmeyer) has choreographed a new Chinese dance that incorporates elements of Chinese folkdance, which he studied extensively early in his career, with Beijing Dance Academy and The National Ballet of China.

Yes, there is a magic show within the magical show. Dr. Drosselmeyer, godfather to Clara (Adhya Yaratha at Sunday’s 5:30 PM performance) and her mischievous brother Fritz (Sunnelin Seay), and creator of the famous Nutcracker for which the ballet is named, has a penchant for turning toys into humans. Winslett and Cong’s interpretation of Dr. Drosselmeyer, however, is substantially less creepy than the character was originally written. There is also the magic of dreams as Clara falls asleep with her mended Nutcracker – after her little brother Fritz, in a fit of jealously, pulls off its head – and in her slumber journeys with her Young Prince (Benjamin Piner) to the Kingdom of Sweets – where all the dancing happens.

I am on board with the youth in my adoration for the battle between the Mouse King’s army and the Toy Soldiers. But of course, Kingston and Emmitt who are bonafide martial artists, had a lot to say about the fight technique. One graciously commented that, “it was good.” The other assessed that the sword fights were not realistic, specifically that the swords should have come closer. “We practice near misses,” he critiqued.

Emmitt, the eight-year-old, kept up a running commentary: the Bear (Paul Piner) in the Russian dance is breakdancing, and why is one of the Lambs black? My apologies to any nearby patrons who may have been disturbed. Most noteworthy, he was mesmerized by Mother Ginger to the point that he expressed a desire to participate in an upcoming production. He was undeterred when I told him he’d need to take ballet classes, but near the end of the scene abruptly changed his mind. “I couldn’t do that,” he said. “I can’t stand still that long; I have too much energy.”

I learned later that both novice critics retold the story and re-enacted several scenes for their mother. Both also noted that in a pas de deux the woman gets all the good dance phrases. And finally, “There’s no Nutcracker in the second half – it doesn’t make sense. Otherwise, that was a good one!” That’s Emmitt’s summary and he’s sticking to it.

If I may conclude with my own two cents worth…

Adhya Yaratha and Benjamin Piner were absolutely charming as Clara/The Little Princess and Dr. Drosselmeyer’s Nephew/The Little Prince. The Snow Choir sounded heavenly. I would love to learn that magical gliding step that takes the Angels across the stage, guiding or welcoming Clara and her Prince to The Kingdom of Sweets. It reminds me of a gliding step used by Russian dancers that my dance history students showed me this past fall. The new choreography for the Chinese Dance – the title of which is actually Tea – does, indeed have an authentic look and feel. Dancer Eri Nishihara’s highly touted green pointe shoes are, in fact, all that – and, wait, was the dragon newly outfitted as well?

Naomi Wilson was a lovely Butterfly in the Waltz of the Flowers, and finally, it was a pleasure to finally get to see guest dancer Kristina Kadashevych dancing the role of the Sugar Plum Fairy as well as the ballet’s Grand Pas de Deux with Aleksey Babayev as her Cavalier. The petite dancer’s steps appear effortless and feathery – a stark contrast to the conditions surrounding her current residency. Ms. Kadashevych, you see, fled the Ukraine last spring as her homeland was being invaded by Russian soldiers, so perhaps those ethereal steps actually reflect what it feels like to be free. The Nutcracker is not new to her, and she will also be performing with the Richmond Ballet in February when the company returns to Dominion Energy Center with the East Coast premiere of Ma Cong’s Firebird and Balanchine’s signature Serenade (limited run, February 17-19).

Julinda D. Lewis is a dancer, teacher, and writer who was born in Brooklyn, NY and now lives in Eastern Henrico County.

THE NUTCRACKER PERFORMANCE SCHEDULE
December 9-23, 2022 | Dominion Energy Center
600 E Grace St, Richmond, VA 23219
Friday, December 9 at 7:00 PM
Saturday, December 10 at 2:00 PM and 7:00 PM
Sunday, December 11 at 1:00 PM and 5:30 PM
Friday, December 16 at 7:00 PM
Saturday, December 17 at 2:00 PM and 7:00 PM
Sunday, December 18 at 1:00 PM and 5:30 PM
Tuesday, December 20 at 7:00 PM
Wednesday, December 21 at 7:00 PM
Thursday, December 22 at 2:00 PM and 7:00 PM
Friday, December 23 at 2:00 PM

UPDATED COVID-19 Protocols (As of March 2022): Please note that we are seating at 100% capacity this season. Beginning with Studio Three in March, we will no longer require patrons to wear masks or to show proof of vaccination/negative COVID test in order to attend a performance.

MASKS: In light of the latest CDC guidelines and Central Virginia’s current “Low/Medium Community Level” status, masks are optional at these performances.

BALLET BARRE: The Ballet Barre (cashless) will be open for our spring Studio performances. Beer, wine, and soft drinks will be available for purchase pre-show as well as during intermission.

CHOREOGRAPHER’S CLUB: In addition to the exclusive Q&A session with the artists, designers, and dancers, we will host a modified post-show reception. More details will be found in your House Notes email.

WELLNESS CHECK: Patrons who do not feel well leading up to a performance are asked to stay home. If you have tested positive or have symptoms of COVID-19, please call our Box Office at 804.344.0906 x224 so that we may discuss ticket options.

Photo Credits: Production photos to follow

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Featured

MIRACLE ON SOUTH DIVISION STREET

Pride, Prejudice & Identity: A Comedy Fueled by Family Secrets, Polish Pastries, & Gefilte Fish

At: The Swift Creek Mill Theatre, 17401 U.S. Route 1, S. Chesterfield, VA 23834

Performances: January 29 – February November 19 – December 31, 2022

Ticket Prices: $15-$49

Info: (804) 748-5203 or https://www.swiftcreekmill.com

We all know that we’re special, but some of us are more special than others. Take the Nowak family of Buffalo, NY, for instance. In 1942 the Blessed Virgin Mary “appeared” – emphasis required! – to an ordinary barber, and his family would never be the same. This miracle led to people being healed, spawned the birth of a soup kitchen, and became the anchoring event that made an otherwise average family special.

But all is not what it seems in MIRACLE ON SOUTH DIVISION STREET. A deathbed confession turns everything upside down, making the Nowak family question everything they have known and based their lives on for two generations.

While the play and its characters are fictitious, the premise of the story is based on fact. There is an actual Our Lady of Seneca Street Shrine in Buffalo, NY – which just happens to be the author’s hometown. In the 1950s a barber named Joe Battaglia lived at 849 Seneca Street in the apartment above his shop. Apparently, one night Battaglia was awakened from his sleep by a shining light outside his window that beckoned to him. When he went outside to investigate, it is reported that he encountered nothing less than an image of the Virgin Mary. The image spoke to him, telling him not to be afraid and instructed him to help spread a message of world peace.

Battaglia commemorated the occasion by building a 20-foot tall brick and glass structure that houses a life-sized statue of the Holy Mother. After the barber’s death, the shrine fell into disrepair and was slated to be torn down but local residents fought to preserve it. To this day the Lady of Seneca Street Shrine is still maintained by a dedicated local caretaker committed to preserving the history and continuing the legend. The shrine has its own address – 847 Seneca Street – and a mail slot to receive donations and the prayers that come from all around the world.

With this background, Dudzick re-imagined the story of the barber’s vision and the resulting shrine. Instead of the Battaglia family, we meet the Nowaks who are about to have a family meeting in which daughter Ruth (Audra Honaker) is about to reveal startling news that will shake the family to its core. After preparing a lunch of fruit salad (why didn’t she rinse the blueberries and strawberries…) her efforts are thwarted by her older sister, Beverly (Donna Marie Miller) who is more than a little self-centered and has her sights centered on (a) a bowling tournament and (b) a new boyfriend – an ex-priest candidate. There’s also a brother, Jimmy (Neal Gallini-Burdick) whose impending engagement is also the cause of a controversial subtext. The Nowaks, you see, are devote Catholics – at least according to their mother Clara (Jacqueline Jones) – and this is a key component of the script.

The plot twists and unending life-changing revelations create both tension and comedy – often and most successfully when they occur simultaneously. Honaker and Miller are recreating the roles I saw them portray when this play was performed at Virginia Rep’s Hanover Tavern in 2017. But with Jones as Clara and Gallini-Burdick as Jimmy the energy in the Swift Creek production is quite different and the cast’s timing, under the steady-handed direction of Tom Width, hits different notes as well. (In case you’re wondering, in the 2017 production mentioned above the mother was played by Catherine Shaffner and the son by John Mincks, both of whom filled these roles with distinction.)

MIRACLE ON SOUTH DIVISION STREET is a delightful feel-good play, but it touches on some very real, very serious, and still relevant topics: identity, faith, family, love, loyalty, ritual, and more. By making this a comedy and placing it in a different time period, we are encouraged to examine some important and controversial topics from a distance – it’s not me, it’s the Nowaks. But every family has secrets, prejudices, and inside jokes. But how much of it – if any – should be shared outside the family, and to what purpose. Ruth struggles with these questions through the lens of a one-woman show; many today look at – or ignore – the same questions through the multiple lenses of social media. Makes you wonder if the miracle is what resulted from the vision – or what occurred in the Nowak kitchen.

Honaker delivers the tough lines with ease and patience that defies human understanding. Miller behaves like a bratty younger sibling rather than the eldest, but manages to remain likeable, while Gallini-Burdick manages to remain a voice of reason throughout it all. Jones vacillates between wide-eyed innocence and wisdom. She is also at the center of my favorite scene – where Clara, the Catholic mother first discovers that Jesus was Jewish, and later delivers one of my favorite lines – the final line of the play.

ADDENDUM: This review has been edited. I was roundly chastised by the playwright for giving away the final line. But, dear readers,in over forty years of writing about dance and theater, this is the first time I EVER received a comment directly from the playwright. I am humbled – and humbly edited this text. jdl

Just in case I didn’t make it clear in my ponderings, above, I highly recommend MIRACLE ON SOUTH DIVISION STREET. It’s a Christmas story with a purpose; it’s entertaining and thought-provoking, predictable, and surprising at the same time. The cast is outstanding, the story intriguing, and Width’s direction reflects his genuine love and affection for each show he directs, and his scenic design is homey and welcoming. Cue Christmas (or Chanukah) music and enjoy.

Julinda D. Lewis is a dancer, teacher, and writer who was born in Brooklyn, NY and now lives in Eastern Henrico County.

MIRACLE ON SOUTH DIVISION STREET

By Tom Dudzick

Directed by Tom Width

Cast:

Jimmy Nowak – Neal Gallini-Burdock

Ruth Nowak – Audra Honaker

Clara Nowak – Jacqueline Jones

Beverly Nowak – Donna Marie Miller

Creative Team:

Directed by Tom Width

Costume Design by Maura Lynch Cravey

Lighting Design by Joe Doran

Scenic Design by Tom Width

Technical Direction by Liz Allmon

Run Time:

90 minutes, no intermission

Tickets:

$15-$49

Photos: Kieran Rundle

Jacqueline Jones and
Neal Gallini-Burdick

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Featured

MISS BENNET: CHRISTMAS AT PEMBERLEY

A Wonderfully Predictable Christmas Romance

MISS BENNET: CHRISTMAS AT PEMBERLEY

After Pride and Prejudice, The Sequel

A Theater Review by Julinda D. Lewis

At: The November Theatre Arenstein Stage, 114 West Broad Street, RVA 23220

Performances: November 25, 2022 – January 1, 2023

Ticket Prices: $39-$62.

Info: (804) 282-2620 or www.virginiarep.org

MISS BENNET: CHRISTMAS AT PEMBERLEY is like a Hallmark Christmas movie that came to life on stage: amusing, heartwarming, romantic, and predictable. The focus of Lauren Gunderson and Margot Melcon’s 2016 play is Miss Mary Bennet, the middle sister from Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice (1813). The bookish Miss Bennet, who is fast approaching the dreaded season of spinsterhood, accepts an invitation to spend Christmas with her happily married older sister, Elizabeth, and her husband Fitzwilliam Darcy at their estate – Pemberley.

Naturally, a single man, Lord Arthur de Bourgh, is also invited and to no one’s surprise, de Bourgh turns out to be a perfect match for Mary. Shy and socially awkward, de Bourgh reminds me of a Regency-era Sheldon Cooper (of The Big Bang Theory). The two love-nerds bond over books, maps, and wordplay – a perfect meeting of two sapiosexual minds. (Yes, there really is a word that describes people who are sexually attracted to intelligence, and this is the first time I actually had a chance to use it.)

In addition to being a matchmaker, Elizabeth also happens to be a trendsetter. The German custom of displaying Christmas trees inside one’s home was introduced in England sometime in the first half of the 19^th century. That makes Elizabeth’s holiday tree something of an oddity and the subject of a running joke throughout Christmas at Pemberley. Act I ends with a Christmas tree bare of decorations except for half a dozen paper stars, but Act II opens with a fully decorated tree – part of the Christmas magic. Act I also closes with a cliff-hanger – a mystery fiancée.

The cast is populated with a number of actors making their Va-Rep debut, as well as a number of performers who are current VCU theatre students or recent graduates of the department where Christmas at Pemberley director Sharon Ott serves as an Associate Professor and the department’s Artistic Director. The show moves along at a relaxed pace, giving the characters ample opportunity to unfold and reveal various facets of their personalities. Given that this is a shamelessly feel-good story, there isn’t much to reveal. The four sisters (the happily married Elizabeth and Jane, the less-happily married Lydia, and our leading lady, Mary) bicker relentlessly, but by the end declare their love for one another. The youngest sister, Kitty, is mentioned, but never makes an appearance – arriving with her parents (all offstage) in the final scene.

There are a few amusingly awkward scenes between the men as well. Mr. Darcy and his brother-in-law Charles Bingley sit in awkward silence, but when Bingley attempts to initiate conversation, it quickly becomes apparent that conversation is even more awkward than silence. Darcy returns to his book, and Bingley resumes staring into space. However, both muster themselves from their introversion to give advice to de Bourgh. Britt Michael Gordon (Darcy), Cameron Nickel (Bingley), and Lukas D’Errico (de Bourgh) embrace their roles, hiding behind manners and protocol, and clothed in stylish Regency attire.

The four sisters are the main attraction. There is a very pregnant Jane Bingley (Patricia Austin), the annoyingly unhappy Lydia Wickham (Naomi Bertha), the wise and conciliatory Elizabeth Darcy (Ally Farzetta, who is Gordon’s real-life wife), and the still single but ready to mingle Mary Bennet (Emily Franch). They trace the patterns of a dance choreographed with equal parts hilarity and love. Sometimes their interactions are heavy-handed and sometimes quite delicate, establishing a balance that kept the Saturday afternoon audience engaged and amused.

Oh, and let’s not forget the surprise fiancée, Ann de Bourgh (Tatjana Shields), the twice-scorned bride-to-be. I found Shields delightful as Mrs. Dickson in a VCU production of Intimate Apparel, another period piece, but her character was overbearing and off-putting in Pemberton. This was an unfortunate manifestation of her character – which was apparently written that way – as there was no opportunity for her to redeem herself and win over the audience. The estate was kept in order by a nameless Maid, a thankless – and silent – supporting role played alternately by Nicole Boisseau and Emma Tolley.

Kudos to Carolan Corcoran for the luscious costumes, although I did wonder why the women were usually in sleeveless dresses in England in the winter – with snow falling outside the window. Hmm. Ah well, it’s fiction, it’s fun, and a good time was had by all.

Julinda D. Lewis is a dancer, teacher, and writer who was born in Brooklyn, NY and now lives in Eastern Henrico County.

MISS BENNET: CHRISTMAS AT PEMBERLEY

By Lauren Gunderson and Margot Melcon

Directed by Sharon Ott

Cast

Jane Bingley – Patricia Austin

Lydia Wickham – Naomi Bertha

Arthur de Bourgh – Lukas D’Errico

Elizabeth Darcy – Ally Farzetta

Mary Bennet – Emily Franch

Fitzwilliam Darcy – Britt Michael Gordon

Charles Bingley – Cameron Nickel

Anne de Bourgh – Tatjana Shields

Maid – Nicole Boisseau, Emma Tolly (alternating)

Jane Bingley/Lydia Wickham u/s – Reese Bucher

Charles Bingley u/s – Robert McNickle

Creative Team/Direction and Design

Direction – Sharon Ott

Assistant Director/Dramaturg – Mia Richards

Scenic Design – Mercedes Schaum

Costume Design – Carolan Corcoran

Lighting Design – Lynne M. Hartman

Sound Design – Jacob Mishler

Stage Management – Justin Janke

Assistant Stage Manager – Courtney Holmes

Dialect Direction – Karen Kopryanski

Run Time: 2 hours, including one 15-minute intermission

Ticket Information

Box Office: 804-282-2620

http://www.virginiarep.org

Tickets range from $36 – $67

Discounted Group Rates and Rush tickets available.

Photo Credits: Aaron Sutten

VA-REP Covid Safety Statement

Virginia Rep encourages wearing masks for our patrons’ safety, but we do not require that you wear a mask in our lobbies or within the theatres. They are now optional.

We continue to follow CDC guidelines and local risk levels. All Virginia Rep staff will continue to wear masks while serving you.

Jane Bingley (Patricia Austin), Lydia Wickam (Naomi Bertha) Elizabeth Darcy (Ally Farzetta) and Mary Bennet (Emily Franch). Photo by Aaron Sutten.

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Featured

PAGE TO STAGE II

STARR FOSTER’S CROSS-DISCIPLINARY DANCE PROJECT

STARR FOSTER DANCE: Page to Stage II

A Dance Review by Julinda D. Lewis

At: The Firehouse Theatre, 1609 W. Broad Street, RVA 23220

Performances: December 1-3, 2022

Ticket Prices: $15-$25

Info: (804) 304-1523; www.starrfosterdance.org, www.facebook.com/starrfosterdance, Instagram/starrfosterdance

THE PROGRAM

Choreography by Starrene Foster

Lighting Design by Michael Jarett

Costumes by Starrene Foster

Spirits

Inspired by a story by Patricia Smith

Original Music Composition by Daniel Deckelman

Dear Me

Inspired by a poem by Tonyehn Verkitus

Music by DJ Williams Shots Fired; Iron Fist

~~Sisterhood~~

Inspired by a story by Judith Bice

Music by Mike Lazarev; When You Are

FeeJee Mermaid

Inspired by a story by Clay McLeod Chapman

Original Music Composition by Daniel Deckelman with narration by Brent\

Costume Concept Design by Johann Stegmeir, Constructed by Starrene Foster

About Us

Inspired by a story by Mary Lou Hall

Original Music Composition by Daniel Deckelman

Sky Burial

Inspired by a poem by M. C. Boyes

Music by Roger Goula; Looking Back to Self Awareness

Things That Fit Tight Around the Ribs

Inspired by a poem by Molly Todd

Original Music Composition by Daniel Deckelman

I think I have seen most of Starr Foster Dance’s Richmond performances since the company was born in 2001. I have been stunned, enthralled, mesmerized, puzzled, amused, and I have even teased Foster about her seeming preference for lighting on the darker side of the lumens scale or lux meter (or however you measure brightness). The point is, Foster has a unique style, one that most often presents women in a powerful light (no pun intended), and dares to stretch outside any semblance of a comfort zone – whether her own, the dancers, or the audience,

Foster’s latest project, two years in the making – or waiting – due to the restrictions of the pandemic, Page to Stage II, is a collection of seven short dances inspired by seven short stories, excerpts, and poems by local writers. Not only do the dances span a wide range of emotions, but the program is an actual book that contains all of the written works – the pages that found their way onto the stage – that the audience can take away to keep.

In addition to the seven writers, Foster invited six guest performers to dance with her core company of four women: Taylor-Leigh Adams, Fran Beaumont, Anna Branch, and Molly Huey. The six guest performers, Sophia Berger, Charlotte Bray, Shannon Comerford, Elena Dimitri, Keeley Hernandez, and Mosca Mavrophilipos-Flint were a perfect fit, blending easily with Foster’s core dancers and providing the needed enhancement for the stories. To my surprise and delight, I discovered that one of them had been a student of mine when I taught elementary school.

Previous performances of Starr Foster Dance took place in the intimate space of TheatreLab’s black box space, The Basement, but Page to Stage II (the sequel to a 2015 production) was performed at The Firehouse Theatre. The Firehouse seats about 4 times the number of people who fit into The Basement (sadly, TheatreLab shuttered operations at the end of the 2022 season) – and every performance was sold out! This is great for Foster and company, but it also speaks to a growing hunger for contemporary dance in RVA.

Several works on the program stood out above the others for various reasons. The opening work, Spirits, inspired by Patricia Smith’s story of the same name, explores the intentions of spirits, ancestors, and the associations we make with them. Accompanied by strings and the sounds of flowing water, the dancers, dressed in soft pats and matching tops with hems died to look muddied, move like water sprites. They seem to rise and return to a watery grave, evoking images of fictional willies (e.g., the Willis in the ballet Giselle represent the spirits of women left at the alter) as well as the spirits of all whose dreams were cut short before they were fulfilled. The nine dancers seem to float, rise up, and at the end return to their watery grave, still reaching for life – theirs? Or ours?

My absolute favorite was Dear Me. A solo, the work was performed on Friday night by Fran Beaumont. I loved Beaumont’s energy, the lackadaisical way she kicked her leg up to the side and over her head, the motif of running backwards, and even her simple, dark jumpsuit. Funny, assertive, and sassy, the solo, set to a dynamic funk rock score by DJ Williams and Shots Fired, reminded me of the jazzy and dramatic solos of the late American modern dancer, Daniel Nagrin. (If you are not familiar with him, dig back into dance history and find a video of him performing Strange Hero or Man of Action (1948).

FeeJee Mermaid is funny and creepy and deliciously weird. Set to an original score that is reminiscent of circus music and a narration of Clay McLeod Chapman’s fictitious lecture on how to make a FeeJee Mermaid. Some people are terrified of the circus, clowns, and sideshows. FeeJee Mermaid does nothing to allay these fears. Based on a real-life hoax perpetrated by P.T. Barnum and others, Chapman’s work – and Foster’s kinesthetic interpretation – is an instruction manual on how to construct a horrible taxidermist’s nightmare: a fake mermaid created by attaching the torso of an ape to the bottom half of a large fish. Foster’s quartet of dancers, clad in flesh-toned leotards dyed in a fish-scale pattern do not actually construct a FeeJee Mermaid, but their circus antics, and Daniel Deckelman’s music are sufficiently creepy to leave a lasting impression. Oh, and one of the remaining examples of a “real” FeeJee Mermaid has been in residence at Harvard’s Peabody Museum since 1897. Look it up – if you dare.

About Us is a story by Mary Lou Hall that tells of a mother who left her family (physically and/or mentally) in order to save herself. In Foster’s dance, Molly Huey (on Friday night) was supported and surrounded by a quartet of dancers who seemed to represent the various versions of her inner self. Huey danced, often with her eyes closed, moving her hands in a repetitive gesture that seemed designed to clear away the cobwebs that both clouded her vision and restricted her movements. It is a very intimate dance, one that breaks the usual rules by focusing inward rather than outward. The supporting dancers move in a very unexpected way, deliberately not drawing attention to themselves, trying not to stand out, but instead focusing on the main character – and the main character is. . .you/us.

I could find something special about each of the dances in this series. The dark dresses of Sisterhood echo the darkness of the theme that seems to be a prelude to a true-crime story about two sisters whose lives are unhealthily entwined. The women in Sky Burial interact with one another like two people feeding each other with long-handled spoons. Then there is the poignancy and steely sharpness of the pointing finger in Things That Fit Tight Around the Ribs. Like many good books, and all poems, Stage to Page II should be seen again and should definitely be discussed. What did YOU see? What did YOU feel? What did YOU take away? This is Starr Foster Dance at its finest.

Julinda D. Lewis is a dancer, teacher, and writer who was born in Brooklyn, NY and now lives in Eastern Henrico County.

———-

Photo Credits: Douglas Hayes.

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Featured

THE INHERITANCE

A Shelter; A Refuge; A Place of Healing

A Theater Review by Julinda D. Lewis

At: Richmond Triangle Players at the Robert B. Moss Theatre, 1300 Altamont Ave, RVA 23230

Performances: August 3 – September 17, 2022

Ticket Prices: $35 -$40; $10 for Students.

Info: (804) 346-8113 or rtriangle.org

Inheritance: the acquisition of a possession, condition, or trait from past generations

Matthew López’s epic play, The Inheritance, is nearly seven hours long and runs over two nights. It is presented in two parts, each containing three acts and two intermissions. But that is not the only thing about it that is remarkable. The Inheritance is a story about telling a story, and wise, the audience, have the pleasure of witnessing how this story is crafted. It’s not linear and it certainly isn’t pretty. The storytellers are a community of ten young gay men, living in New York City in the decades after the AIDS epidemic.

Further, it is a multi-generational story, under the guidance and mentorship of one older character (real-life author E.M. Forster/fictional character Walter Poole) played by William Vaughn, a recent Richmond transplant from NYC. There is also an older love interest, millionaire real estate developer Henry Wilcox, played with frustratingly rational conservatism by Eddie Webster. The Young Men (identified in the program by number, although they do have names during the play), are, in turn, a bridge to the next generation. Ironically, the two younger gay men representing the next generation are played by a single actor, Lukas D’Errico, a rising junior in the Theatre Department at VCU. D’Errico, as Adam, is the recipient of a tangible inheritance, in the form of fame and fortune, while as Leo, a homeless sex worker, he is the recipient of a spiritual inheritance. One of the more stunning moments of a play that is not lacking in spectacle occurs when D’Errico has to portray a life-changing chance meeting and conversation between his two characters. Kudos to D’Errico and director Lucien Restivo for this.

For those who may be interested, there are many comments both negative and positive, comparing The Inheritance with novelist E.M. Forster’s book Howard’s End and playwright Tony Kushner’s Angels in America. Forster’s novel Maurice, a tale of gay love is also prominently featured in The Inheritance. But I’m not focusing on literary comparisons – especially not with books I have not read. I am, however, fascinated with, entertained by, and enamored of this story, written for these times, by this playwright – and his collaborating characters – played by this cast, under the direction of this director. And the bottom line for me is The Inheritance is a damned good story that left me and just about the entire audience weeping at the end of Part 2. It is one of those theatrical experiences that ends with an extended moment of silence because applause doesn’t quite seem appropriate.

Deejay Gray (narcissistic writer Toby Darling) and Adam Turck (kind-hearted, cultured activist Eric Glass) lead the cast of friends as a couple living an apparently wonderful life in a rent controlled apartment that has been in his family for three generations. [As a transplanted New Yorker of a certain age, I cannot assume that everyone knows what a rent controlled apartment is; it is one protected by an old law that prevented the rent from being raised to market rate, resulting in often elderly people paying rent less than half the going rate. No one EVER moved from a rent controlled apartment. Never. Ever. I had an uncle and aunt who lived in a rent controlled apartment in the Bronx who were paying $65 at a time when most people in their building were paying about $500.]

But, getting back to The Inheritance, things start to fall apart in the Darling/Glass household when Toby rises to success as an author and playwright. The pressure of success forces the fragile threads holding Toby’s past at bay to completely unravel. But the focus is not just on Eric and Toby. There are sometimes subliminal references to current events and to gay culture: the antiviral drug Truvada; gay bars; shared culture/appropriated culture (e.g., the assimilation of “yass qween”); trans youth; and “vengeful, murderous fanatics.”

Politically, The Inheritance is set during the time Obama was President of the United States and Clinton/Trump election was on the horizon. Tristan (Dwight Merritt), a Black, gay physician, plans to Emigrate to Canada. Eric is a liberal activist, while Henry is a closeted Republican – a family and household dynamic that became all too familiar to many in recent years.

Intellectually, some might find some of the characters and some of the conversation elitist and entitled. Tristan’s conversation is impassioned, logical, scientific, and generally intellectual; Eric invites Henry to a German Expressionist show at BAM (Brooklyn Academy of Music), but these conversations and activities have a ring of authenticity and familiarity because they could have been recorded from my circle when I lived in Brooklyn in my thirties. Eric warns Henry that the show is four hours long, but has two intermissions and Part 1 ends with a prophetic meeting between Eric and the ghosts of his deceased mentor Walter’s friends. “Welcome home, Eric.”

“Your parents didn’t abandon you. They fled from you like the disease that you are.” -Eric to Toby

We returned a week later to see Part 2. The intensity seemed to have been ramped up, as well as the urgency. During Part 1 I had almost dismissed Deejay Gray’s portrayal of Toby Darling as just Gray being themself, but in Part 2 as Toby descended in a world of sex, drugs, and alcohol – in a failed attempt to self-medicate and compensate for a horrible childhood – Gray’s acting skills appeared to ascend exponentially, and I was no longer watching Deejay Gray playing at acting but Toby Darling attempting to metaphorically self-immolate during a summer on Fire Island. There are more contemporary and local geographical references: the night Toby disappeared, he took the Acela (Amtrak express train) to Richmond, rented a car and drove to his childhood home in Alabama.

On the night we saw Part 2, many of the actors seemed to stumble over their lines during the first act of the evening, but by the second act they appeared to find their rhythm, and Part 2 was more powerful and emotionally moving than Part 1. At the end, Eric has finally found and accepted his calling. At the end, The Inheritance is not money or a house, but a shelter, a refuge, a place of healing. At the end, The Inheritance is not a prodigal son scrambling to claim what’s his, but a communal inheritance, and even though we’ve been given clues leading up to the final scene, it still strikes us as a surprise, because López, and Restivo, and this cast guided us to suspend our belief and take this journey with them, as good theatre should.

I absolutely loved Frank Foster’s impressive, multi-leveled library set. It was dark from wood stained by history and ghosts and perfectly manifested the private library of a book-lover’s dreams. Lucian Restivo’s sound design was subtle, but when you did notice it, it was personal and dramatic and timely. Raja Benz, the intimacy choreographer, handled the sex scenes with a boldness that was more raw than intimate, in stark contrast to the subtlety of Restivo’s sound design. Taken all together, the cast and creative team created something that felt like family, with its ups and downs, betrayals and recoveries, pain and healing. In short, it is a memorable theatrical experience that is well worth your time.

———-

Julinda D. Lewis is a dancer, teacher, and writer who was born in Brooklyn, NY and now lives in Eastern Henrico County.

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THE INHERITANCE:

An Epic Achievement Generations in the Making

Inspired by the novel Howard’s End by E.M. Forster

Written by Matthew López

Directed by Lucien Restivo

CAST:

Young Man 3 …………………………………………………….. Kasey Britt

Young Man 1 …………………………………………………….. Lukas D’Errico

Young Man 5 …………………………………………………….. Keegan Ferrell

Young Man 10 / Toby Darling ……………………………. Deejay Gray

Young Man 8 …………………………………………………….. Kevin Kemler

Young Man 7 ………………………………………..………….. Jacob LeBlanc

Young Man 6 …………………………………..……………….. Dwight Merritt

Margaret ………………………………………..………………… Boomie Pedersen

Young Man 2 ……………………………………..…………….. TeDarryl Perry

Young Man 9 / Eric Glass …………………………………… Adam Turck

Young Man 4 …………………………………………………….. Joshua Tyler

E.M. Forster (“Morgan”) / Walter Poole ……….….. William Vaughn

Henry Wilcox …………………………………………………..… Eddie Webster

Understudies

For Young Man 7 and Young Man 9 / Eric Glass = August Hundley

For Young Man 1 and Young Man 10 / Toby Darling = Keegan Ferrell

For Young Man 2 and Young Man 6 = Joshua Tyler

For Young Man 3, Young Man 4, and Young Man 5 = Brandon Duncan

For Young Man 8 = Kasey Britt

For Margaret = Stephanie Tippi Hart

CREATIVE TEAM:

Scenic Design – Frank Foster

Costume Design – Maggie McGrann

Lighting Design – Michael Jarett

Sound Design – Lucien Restivo

Properties Design – Tim Moehring

Intimacy Choreographer – Raja Benz

Hair & Make Up Design – Luke Newsome

Dialect Coach – Louise Casini Hollis

Technical Director & Scenic Painter – William Luther

Assistant Stage Manager – Christopher Smith

Assistant Director & Dramaturg – Kendall Walker

Production Stage Manager – Lauren Langston

PERFORMANCE SCHEDULE:

August 3 – September 17, 2022

Part 1 – Preview August 3, Opening August 5

Part 2 – Preview August 10, Opening August 12

Then alternating

Part 1 August 18, 20, 21, 26, September 1, 3, 4, 8, 9, 10, 14

Part 2 August 19, 25, 27, 28, September 2, 3, 7, 11, 15, 16, 17

Note that on September you can see Parts 1 & 2 on the same day.

Note that you must purchase tickets to Part 1 & Part 2 separately.

Promo Videos:

Photo Credits: John MacLellan

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Featured

SHE STOOPS TO CONQUER:

THE PLAY THAT USHERED IN A NEW WAVE OF HUMOR

A Theater Review by Julinda D. Lewis

By: Quill Theatre’s Richmond Shakespeare Festival

At: Agecroft Hall & Gardens, 4305 Sulgrave Road, Richmond, VA 23221

Performances: July 7-31, 2022

Ticket Prices: $20-$33

Info: (804) 353-4241 or quilltheatre.org

Dating back to 1773, She Stoops to Conquer has long been considered one of the most popular English-language comedies. Interestingly, it was a major theatrical success by a relatively unknown playwright – Oliver Goldsmith – and the play that set Director James Ricks, then a middle school student, ablaze with a passion for live theater. It is also credited with being the source of the phrase, “ask me no questions and I’ll tell you no lies.”

The plot is a familiar one – two affluent families, the Hardcastles and the Marlows, arrange to introduce their children, Kate and Charles, with an end goal of marriage. But Kate’s spoiled, immature older half-brother Tony Lumpkin sees this as an excellent opportunity to wreak havoc of monumental proportions. Tony likes to hang out with the masses at the local pub – at one point Mr. Hardcastle say of him, disparagingly, “the only school he’ll ever go to is the ale house.” And that is precisely where he is when he intercepts his sister’s would-be suitor and his traveling companion – at the local pub – as they search for the remotely-located country home of the Hardcastle family. Tony convinces Charles that the Hardcastle estate is an inn. There ensues a “comedy of errors,” and one fascinating result is that young Charles Marlow, who has been described as educated and shy, imperiously treats his unsuspecting hosts as servants, displaying a side Kate was not expecting. Kate, however, has her own agenda, and disguises herself as a barmaid to further explore the character of her would-be suitor.

Like any good sitcom, there are subplots and counter-plots to the main theme. These include a secret love-affair between Kate’s cousin Constance and young Marlow’s friend George Hastings, Mrs. Marlow’s attempts to hide an inheritance, and Tony’s attempts to avoid an arranged marriage of his own. This simplified synopsis does not do justice to the live production. She Stoops to Conquer is neither trite nor stereotypical. Supporting characters are as interesting as leading characters – establishing a sort of social equality that was far ahead of its time.

Debra Wagoner was delightful in the role of Mrs. Hardcastle, the master (or mistress) of much of the seemingly unintended humor. In one of the latter scenes, she gets her comeuppance when her own son (Josh Mullins as Tony Lumpkin) tricks her into thinking she is lost in the wilderness. Mark Persinger as her husband, proved to be a stark contrast to Wagoner’s character and brought his own unique style of humor. Hardcastle, you see, is decidedly old-fashioned, stuck in the past and despises anything modern, while his wife (a social climber) and daughter (a sensible young woman with a mind of her own) yearn for modern fashions and are attracted by the lure of the city. Wagoner proved to be a capable antagonist, while Katy Feldhahn (Kate) was more than capable of conquering.

Josh Mullins, as Mrs. Hardcastle’s spoiled son, happily wreaked havoc at every turn. Calie Bain as Kate and Tony’s cousin (and Tony’s reluctant intended) Constance Neville was solid and dependable in a somewhat predictable and unremarkable role while Ian Page played his role close to the edge and over the top as the socially challenged Young Marlow.

That being said, She Stoops to Conquer was a delightful summer divertissement, comedically ahead of its time, pleasant and fairly well-paced, with direction by James Ricks. It just wasn’t my cup of tea, but I would certainly give it a second chance in the future.

NOTE: Unfortunately, this summer’s Shakespeare Festival took the brunt of the summer storms. Both productions at Agecroft Hall were plagued by cancellations due to weather, and, alas, the closing production of She Stoops to Conquer was no exception.

She Stoops to Conquer

By Oliver Goldsmith

Directed by James Ricks

Cast

Mrs. Hardcastle…………… Debra Wagoner

Mr. Hardcastle …………… Mark Persinger

Tony Lumpkin …………… Josh Mullins

Kate Hardcastle ..………… Katy Feldhahn

Constance Neville………… Calie Bain

Young Marlow….………… Ian Page

George Hastings.………… William Cardozo

Sir Charles/Landlord …… John Cauthen

Pimple/Betty ……………….. Els Dusek

Diggory/Fellow ..………… Alex Chapman

Roger/Jeremy .……….…… Audrey Sparrow

Production Team

Director: James Ricks

Stage Manager: Nata Moriconi

Costume Designer: Cora Delbridge

Lighting Designer: Andrew Bonniwell

Props Designer: Emily Hicks

Music Director: Jason Marks

Choreographer: Nicole Morris-Anastasi

Dialect Coach: Harrison Runion

Assistant Stage Manager: Hope Jewell

Stage Construction: Kevin Johnson

Production Manager: James Ricks

Run Time: About 2 ½ hours with one intermission

Julinda D. Lewis is a dancer, teacher, and writer who was born in Brooklyn, NY and now lives in Eastern Henrico County.

———-

Photo Credits: David Parrish Photography

Featured

THE BARBER OF MOVILLE

Molly has a PLAN – if only she could remember what it was…

The US Premiere of a New Play by Ronan Carr

A Theater Review by Julinda D. Lewis

At: The Firehouse, 1609 West Broad St., Richmond, RVA 23220

Performances: June 23 – July 17, 2022

Ticket Prices: $30

Info: (804) 355-2001 or firehousetheatre.org.

THE BARBER OF MOVILLE is one of the most touching plays I’ve seen all season – perhaps ever. And by touching, I mean you will need tissues. As the play opens, Molly (Katie McCall) is preparing to open up the barber shop she took over after her father died. She heats water for tea – this is, after all, Ireland – and listens to opera as she prepares to receive her first customer, a Wednesday regular. Molly’s husband Dommo (David Bridgewater) soon comes into the shop from the attached living quarters. He’s carrying two suitcases and appears surprised to see that Molly is preparing to open shop. He gently explains that is has been several years since the regular customer Molly is expecting has come into the shop.

It doesn’t take long for the audience to figure out that Molly has Alzheimer’s and despite how put-together and fit she looks, her memory appears to be rapidly deteriorating. But the couple has a Plan. That explains the suitcases: a modern rolling bag and a clunky vintage number. They are about to leave their outdated little barber shop in Derry City, Ireland for an adventure in Zurich, Switzerland, where they plan to check into a fine hotel, attend the opera, and then take Molly to see the doctor. The well-planned trip, Molly’s idea actually, has been carefully documented in Molly’s little black book as Dommo calls it – or notebook, as she insists – and the couple even has a written contract spelling out all the details of their trip. That seems a little excessive, you say? Well, not when you understand that Dommo has a round-trip ticket and Molly doesn’t…

Before leaving, the obviously loving couple takes a trip down memory lane – a tricky proposition when one’s memory has become your arch enemy. There are warm and even humorous moments as we eavesdrop on the couple’s joyous if sometimes frustrating conversation. We hear of their youthful days in art college and learn that Molly prefers Bruce Springsteen while Dommo leans towards Meatloaf, but then there is also a darker side to their story. Molly’s Aunt Christine apparently also had the same disease that is eroding Molly’s sense of self and then there is the uneasy revelation of her beloved father’s true character.

Katie McCall and David Bridgewater inhabit these characters with dignity, with faith. They infuse them with warmth, humanity, and authenticity far beyond mere acting technique. Nathaniel Shaw’s directing is also gentle, yet refuses to hide any of the details of the mental, physical, and emotional toll that Alzheimer’s can wreck on an individual and on a relationship. A clock on the wall of the barber shop has been set to run in real time and we can see the entire play unfold in 60 minutes. At the end of that 60 minutes, Dommo rips up the contract, and I wiped my eyes. By the end, it felt as if I had been watching something sacred and private, not just watching a play for entertainment. At the end, I could go home and leave Molly and Dommo behind, but that will not be an option for everyone who sees this play. Wisely, for this run Firehouse has partnered with the Alzheimer’s Association, and scheduled several post-show talkbacks.

Set in the present, in a little town that is stuck in the past, the ambience reflects the disarray of Molly’s mind. So does Chris Raintree’s scenic design: a two-chair barber shop complete with the traditional red, white and blue pole. But the left two-thirds of the set is orderly, if a bit dated, while the right third reflects chaos – a broken mirror, cracks in the wall. So many of the pieces fit together perfectly, from Molly’s long, loose sweater and comfortable shoes (thanks to Costume designer Colin Lowrey II) to McCall’s and Bridgewater’s soft Irish accents (kudos, once again, to Dialect Coach Erica Hughes). I have never once been disappointed or felt confused when I’ve seen Hughes listed in a program as the Dialect Coach.

THE BARBER OF MOVILLE is a beautiful play that makes me want to see more of Carr’s work. It runs at the Firehouse through July 17.

THE BARBER OF MOVILLE

The US Premiere of a New Play by Ronan Carr

Directed by Nathaniel Shaw

Cast:

Molly Green ……………….. Katie McCall

Dommo Green ……………….. David Bridgewater

Production Team:

Nathaniel Shaw – Director

Chris Raintree – Scenic Designer

Colin Lowrey II – Costume Designer

Todd Labelle – Lighting and Sound Designer

Erica Hughes – Dialect Coach

Dennis Bowe – Stage Manager

Bill Sigafoos – Photographer

Performance Schedule:

Thu June 23 @ 7:30pm (preview)

Fri June 24 @ 7:30pm (preview/post show talkback)

Sat June 25 @ 7:30pm (opening)

Fri July 1 @ 7:30pm (post show talkback)

Sat July 2 @ 7:30pm

Sun July 3 @ 3pm (post show talkback)

Fri July 8 @ 7:30pm

Sat July 9 @ 7:30pm

Sun July 10 @ 3pm (post show talkback)

Fri July 15 @ 7:30pm

Sat July 16 @ 7:30pm

Sun July 17 @ 3pm (post show talkback)

Tickets: $30

Run time: 60 minutes with no intermission

The Firehouse Theatre requires all audience members to be fully vaccinated and to wear face masks inside the Firehouse.

Photo Credits: Bill Sigafoos

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Featured

MAMMA MIA!

Will the Real Dad Please Stand Up!

A Theater Review by Julinda D. Lewis

At: The November Theatre Arenstein Stage, 114 West Broad Street, RVA 23220

Performances: June 24 – August 7, 2022

Ticket Prices: $36-$67

Info: (804) 282-2620 or www.virginiarep.org

Some shows are meant to tell a story, some teach a lesson, some have a moral, and then there are those that are just pure and joyful entertainment. With its energetic and danceable music, familiar songs made popular in the 1970s by the group ABBA, and a stage filled with colorful costumes, throngs of dancers, and even dancing lights (thank you, Joe Doran), Mamma Mia! belongs to the latter category.

Things got off to a good start with a two or three minute Overture. The dancing lights, and upbeat music created a sense of anticipation, and then the company solidly delivered on its promise. After briefly introducing the main characters, Mamma Mia! jumped right into a large ensemble production of “Money, Money, Money” that soon led to the popular “Dancing Queen.” Not to be outdone by the women, the groomsmen and men of the ensemble danced out in flippers (swim fins) and a huge ensemble closed out the first act with a highly animated “Voulez Vous.” The second act was dominated by a series of duets with all the main characters taking turns and ended with a mini concert disguised as an extended encore. Some in the audience came prepared to party, with feather boas and animated applause. I hope the cast felt the positive energy. I know I laughed and smiled until my face hurt.

Background and Spoiler Alert

Most everyone has heard of Mamma Mia! but there are a few – like me – who had somehow never seen any version of it, neither the long-running Broadway hit show or the film series. Mamma Mia!, in spite of its Italian title, was created by a team of British artists and set on the fictitious Greek island of Kalokairi. There we find Sophie, the love-child of a former free-spirited hippie, Donna who once led a girl band, the Dynamos. Sophie is twenty and about to get married, something her mother cannot get on board with, not because she doesn’t like Sophie’s beloved, Sky, but because she doesn’t believe in marriage. To complicate things – because after all, without conflict there would be no plot – at this momentous occasion in her life, Sophie has discovered a deep need to know who her father is, so she scours her mother’s diary, uncovers three possible candidates, and without her mother’s knowledge or permission invites them all to her wedding in hopes of having her father walk her down the aisle for her traditional “white wedding.”

The cast is populated by familiar and new-to-Richmond/VaRep names and faces, and I loved them all. Hannah Jennison played bride-to-be Sophie with a credible grounded freshness. Emelie Faith Thompson gave Sophie’s mother Donna generous doses of sassiness and vulnerability and released her character’s personality in measured doses, as if well aware that too much Donna all at once was more than the average person could handle. Grey Garrett, as Donna’s friend Tanya, drew applause and cheers from the audience even before she spoke her first word, and like the glamorous, thrice-divorced auntie that most families seem to have – and who shows up to all the family celebrations – she was equally comfortable flirting with men half her age and offering wise guidance to her niece.

You are(not) the father!

Now, to return, even if only briefly, to the main plot, the three possible dads are Harry (Anthony CeFaia), Bill (Jason Krypos), and Sam (Alexander Sapp). Each had a special relationship with Donna, and Donna was never one to kiss and tell: dot, dot, dot (inside joke). Each also had a compelling reason to be revealed as Sophie’s father, but, driven by secrecy – both Donna’s reticence about her past and her own unauthorized inspection of her mother’s diary – Sophie had no DNA test results to clear up the mystery.

Good/Bad News Comes in Threes

Just as there were three possible dads, the women were cast in groups of three as well. Donna had two best friends, her former back-up singers, Tanya (Garrett) and Rosie (Catrina Brenae), and so did Sophie: Ali (Havy Nguyen) and Lisa (Jana Prentiss). Even Sky (Micah Cook on opening night; a character who was never as fully developed as the women) had two close friends, the flirtatious Pepper (Connor Macchi) and the more dependable Eddie (Johnny Reardon), both of whom worked at the taverna (a Greek restaurant, this one included a B&B) built and run by Sophie’s mother Donna (Thompson).

It comes as no surprise that the planned wedding does not go on as scheduled, but there is a surprise wedding (I guess you don’t need a license in Greece, at least not in musical Greece) as well as a surprise romance, which comes as no surprise.

Encore and Finale

One of the best parts of Mamma Mia! is the encore and finale. I noticed Donna and a few others disappear during the final bows, and sure enough Donna and the Dynamos reappeared in brightly colored, ABBA-inspired costumes in red, orange, and yellow – exaggerated bell bottoms, futuristic extended shoulders, and blinged out to the max – only to be joined by the Dads wearing matching outfits and silver platform boots. The company sent the audience out dancing and singing along to “Mamma Mia!” “Dancing Queen,” and more. Mamma Mia! may or may not be perfect, but it is perfectly suited to these times. For some audience members, it was the first time out to a live show since “the time before,” and for others it was a much-needed release after months of disturbing breaking news reports. First produced onstage in 1999, the music is popular enough to span generations, popular enough to be familiar, and old enough to not stir up any controversy or salt any open wounds – it’s a feel-good musical through and through.

With a large cast and lots of choreography, the set was kept simple with a minimalist rotating design representing Donna’s taverna – which looked somewhat Spanish or Moorish to my untrained eye. Most of the visual effects were wisely focused on the costumes and lighting. The band was placed in the orchestra pit, instead of hidden behind the scrim, adding even more of a Broadway, big-stage feeling. The direction (Happy Mahaney), music (Sandy Dacus), and choreography (Ashleigh King) appeared to work together seamlessly, maintaining a fast pace, a high level of energy, and drawing the audience in willingly. A plot was hardly necessary, but there is an actual story-line, and a sub-plot that make sense and is easy to follow. Mamma Mia! hits the target as a summer musical.

Julinda D. Lewis is a dancer, teacher, and writer who was born in Brooklyn, NY and now lives in Eastern Henrico County.

MAMMA MIA!

Music and Lyrics by Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus

and some songs with Stig Anderson

Book by Catherine Johnson

Originally conceived by Judy Crayner

Direction by Happy Mahaney

Cast

Sophie Sheridan —– Hannah Jennison

Ali —– Havy Nguyen

Lisa —– Jana Prentiss

Donna Sheridan —– Emelie Faith Thompson

Tanya —– Grey Garrett

Rosie —– Catrina Brenae

Sky (through 6/26) —– Micah Cook

Sky (beginning 6/29) —– Donathan Arnold

Pepper —– Connor Macchi

Eddie —– Johnny Reardon

Harry Bright —– Anthony CeFala

Bill Austin —– Jason Kypros

Sam Carmichael —– Alexander Sapp

Ensemble —– Mikaela Craft, Emily Dandridge, Paul Dandridge,

Janiece Deveaux, Evelyn Dumeer, Jianna Hurt,

Brandon McKinney, Chandler James Pettus, David Ramirez,

Shannon Schilstra, Caleb Wade, Kayla Xavier

Creative Team

Scenic Design – Josafath Reynoso

Costume Design – Sue Griffin and Marcia Miller Hailey

Lighting Design – Joe Doran

Sound Design – Jacob Mishler

Stage Management – Justin Janke

Music Direction – Sandy Dacus

Choreography – Ashleigh King

Direction – Happy Mahaney

Band

Keyboard 1/Conductor – Sandy Dacus

Keyboard 2 – Leilani Fenick

Keyboard 3 – David C. Robbins, Joy Weaver*

Keyboard 4 – Ian Krauss

Bass – Jeff Smick

Guitar 1 – Ed Drake

Guitar 2 – Hannon D. Lane, Rinatt Montoya*

Drums/Percussion – Bentley Cobb, Joe Lubman*

*(substituting at select performances)

Run Time: 2 hours and 20 minutes including one 15-minute intermission

Ticket Information

Box Office: 804-282-2620

http://www.virginiarep.org

Tickets range from $36 – $67

Discounted Group Rates and Rush tickets available.

Photo Credits: Aaron Sutten

———-

Updated Virginia Rep COVID Guidelines

Masks, covering the face and nose, are required for all patrons while inside VaRep venues, lobbies and restrooms except when actively eating or drinking.

(Note: on opening night, the bar was open for the first time since the start of the pandemic, with canned and bottle drinks and snacks.)

Jana Prentiss, Hannah Jennison and Havy Nguyen. Photo by Aaron Sutten.

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Featured

FIREFLIES

“Beautiful dreamer, wake unto me…”

or “You cain’t unpeck a fig.”

A Theater Review by Julinda D. Lewis

CAT – Chamberlayne Actor’s Theatre

At: HATTheatre, 1124 Westbriar Dr., Richmond, VA 23238

Performances: June 10-12 & June 17-19, 2022

Ticket Prices: $24.00 General Admission. $20.00 Seniors

Info: http://www.cattheatre.com

I usually avoid words like charming and endearing, but in the case of Fireflies those are the words that seem most appropriate. Fireflies is a story of opening up and letting go, and it is a love story between two mature people that is not played as a spoof or a sitcom. Fireflies, the insect, represent love; their soft luminescence is part of their mating ritual, and they remind us of summer nights as children, chasing fireflies and trying to capture them in a jar to make their elusive light last. The symbolism of fireflies is indirectly alluded to throughout the play, but it’s there.

Ms. Eleanor Bannister (played by Jean Roberts) is a retired teacher in the small Texas town of Groverdell. She never married, and has settled into a comfortable life of respectability. Eleanor still lives in the house she grew up in, and rents the “honeymoon cottage” her father built for her that was never used for its intended purpose. At times, Roberts seems to channel the spirit of the late Bea Arthur. Ms. Grace Bodell (played by Linda Snyder) is Eleanor’s loyal, caring – read “nosy” – friend and neighbor, an archetype familiar to the residents of every small town or cul-de-sac. It is a role Snyder approaches with just the right balance of humor and temperance. One day a charming drifter appears and shakes up Eleanor’s routine, pulling her out of her comfort zone and, in the process, gives the town something to talk about. William Henry brings the necessary tension and mystery to his portrayal of Abel Brown, keeping us interested and never quite sure if he is who he says he is. There is always a lingering question. . .

Abel Brown fixes a hole in the roof of Eleanor’s rental property, and in the process opens Eleanor’s heart to the possibility of romance. In the relatively short span of about a week, spread over five acts and two scenes, we are drawn willingly into Eleanor’s unfamiliar and unexpected journey and get to experience familiarity with her plight, longing for adventure, and recognition of her dilemma.

In addition to fixing the roof and doing other repairs, Abel Brown – whose character seems to require being referred to by his full name – serenades Eleanor by playing “Beautiful Dreamer” on her father’s antique violin, and impresses her with his peanut butter and jelly sandwich-making skills. The beauty of FIREFLIES lies largely in its simplicity. Eleanor and Grace chat over homemade cake and a glass of milk and comment on the weather, the state of Eleanor’s house, and Grace’s “Sunday hair.”

The play is set in Eleanor’s kitchen and the atmosphere is dominated by the easy banter between the two friends. The natural pacing and familiarity of the scenes makes the electricity sizzle all the more when Abel Brown makes his appearances and introduces much-needed excitement and tension. The Sunday I attended, the space had been affected by a summer storm that left the house lights and air-conditioning off, providing an unintended touch of authenticity to the Texas summer scenes.

Director Ann Davis kept the pace sultry but interesting, and seemed to have a genuine connection with the author’s vision for this show. A second-act appearance by Alvino Medina as Eugene, the local sheriff’s deputy – and Eleanor’s former student – may have been necessary from the author’s point of view, but did not seem to quite fit in with the rhythm already established by Roberts, Henry, and Snyder. Nevertheless, Fireflies is a delightful and heartwarming story with a few unexpected twists and turns that upset the flow of predictability and makes for a satisfying evening of theater.

Julinda D. Lewis is a dancer, teacher, and writer who was born in Brooklyn, NY and now lives in Eastern Henrico County.

FIREFLIES

Written by Matthew Barber

Directed by Ann Davis

Cast

Jean Roberts as Eleanor Bannister

Linda Snyder as Grace Bodell

William Henry as Abel Brown

Alvino Medina as Eugene Claymire

Creative Design Team

Director – Ann Davis

Stage Manager – Brandy Stevens

Set Designer – Scott Bergman

Costume Designer – Sheila Russ

Lighting Designer – Chris Stepp

Properties Master – Ellie Wilder

Sound Designer – Buddy Bishop

Backstage Crew – Ashton Lee & Dinah Lee S. Mason

Dates

Fri. Jun 10th 2022, 8:00 pm

Sat. Jun 11th 2022, 8:00 pm

Sun. Jun 12th 2022, 2:30 pm

Fri. Jun 17th 2022, 8:00 pm

Sat. Jun 18th 2022, 8:00 pm

Sun. Jun 19th 2022, 2:30 pm

Ticket Information

www.cattheatre.com

Ticket prices range from $24.00 General Admission. $20.00 Seniors.

Run Time

The play runs about 2 hours with 1 intermission

Photo Credits: Daryll Morgan Studios

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Featured

BOOTYCANDY:

It Probably Doesn’t Mean What You Think It Means

A Theater Review by Julinda D. Lewis

Produced by: TheatreLAB

At: The Basement, 300 E. Broad Street, RVA 23219

Performances: June 9-18, 2022

Ticket Prices: $20 General Admission; $10 Teachers & Students

Info: (804) 349-7616 or https://tlab-internet.choicecrm.net/templates/TLAB/#/events

Robert O’Hara’s BOOTYCANDY is a “semi-biographical subversive comedy” performed as a series of non-linear vignettes. The central character is Sutter and the central premise is Sutter’s journey growing up black and gay. It is hilarious, it is touching, it is relatable across genders, generations, and sexual orientations, and it is an exemplar of contemporary Africanist story-telling. It is, without a doubt, one of my favorite shows of the season – and I see my fair share of shows.

Todd Patterson shines in the lead role as Sutter. The five actors are identified only as Actor One, Actor Two, etc., and all but Patterson take on a number of different roles in Sutter’s life. Patterson dances between each scene – indeed, his “grandmother” and other relatives request that he “do that step Michael Jackson liked to do.” The playwright, O’Hara, has specified that Jackson’s music be used throughout, and the music of Michael Jackson, Prince, and perhaps a few others energizes the space from the moment you walk through The Basement doors.

Patterson strips for us, and dances with a manic energy that reflects his character’s inner landscape. But as much as I was impressed by Patterson’s performance, this is truly an ensemble production – starting with the symbiotic directing team of Deejay Gray and Katrinah Carol Lewis. I’ve seen each of these actors in several productions, and this one cast them each in a new light and presented them with new challenges.

Dylan Jones and Zakiyyah Jackson hold down most of the female roles in Sutter’s life. Both play his mother, at different ages, as well as aunties, friends, a sister, and church ladies. In one scene they portray a quartet of women gossiping on the telephone, highlighted by rapid costume changes but my favorite is their second act “non-committal ceremony,” a nasty same-sex divorce officiated by a Zen-like Cashwell. This scene is the embodiment of the adage, “same sex, same problems!”

Durron Marquis Tyre transforms into several characters, but my favorites are the right reverend who comes out in a sermon delivered to his outraged congregation. Instead of coming out of the closet, he emerges from behind his pulpit to reveal fishnet stockings, blinged out silver slingback heels, a wig, and finally a clingy little red dress and matching lipstick. This is where Jones and Jackson begin their magic as they subtly change from gossip-mongers to staunch supporters.

In the second act, Tyre portrays Sutter’s grandmother who offers him comfort in a time of need as she slyly extracts some cash to tuck into her bosom and a delivery of forbidden soul food. For a moment, I thought Tyre had been speaking with my own late grandmother to develop this character because his mannerisms and speech brought back memories directly from my own past. And that is part of the beauty of this play: it is relatable. In a post-show talkback the day I saw it, everyone who spoke found some point of connection. The scene where Sutter realizes he is under stress is a turning point – he stops the show, has a verbal interaction with the Stage Manager, Crimson Piazza, and the tone and tenor of the play shifts. This is , undoubtedly, one of the author’s genuine auto-biographical moments. Its poignancy highlights the humorous aspects of the previous scenes, and reminds us that often laughter is the only things that helps us make it through the tough or uncertain times.

And of course I cannot forget Dixon Cashwell – the only white guy in the cast. He plays several characters, but my favorites are his portrayal of a clueless conference facilitator for the scene that closes the first act. Cashwell’s character strolls obliviously into a minefield of micro-aggressions that elicit yelps of incredulity from the cast as well as at least one audience member. In other scenes, Cashwell becomes a gay-curious male sharing an uncomfortable relationship with his brother-in-law, and has a spellbinding turn as an intoxicated man at a lonely bus stop at 3:00 AM who amazingly talks himself out of being mugged.

There are a number of little things that make BOOTYCANDY as close to perfect as it can possibly get. The subject of the women’s telephone scene is the name one young mother has chosen for her baby girl: Genitalia! It is a spoof of the unique names and exotic naming conventions of Black American families and a nod to the sort of urban legends many of us educators have passed down through the decades: the little boy named Shi-Thead, the little girls named Vagina, Clitoris, and Female (pronounced Fah-MA-ley), or the twins named Orangejello and Lemonjello (pronounced a-RON-zhello and le-MON-zhello).

By the time you read this, BOOTYCANDY may have ended its all-too-brief run, but just in case, consider this a SPOILER ALERT: BOOTYCANDY does not refer to a sexually attractive booty or a hot gay guy. Quite innocently – and oddly – it is the word the young Sutter’s mother uses to refer to his penis, and an excellent advertisement for teaching children the real words for their body parts.

I haven’t laughed so hard or so often I the theater in recent memory. In the words of one viewer, BOOTYCANDY is no entry-level theater, meaning it is not linear or predictable, and there is no happily-ever-after fairytale conclusion. In the mind of this reviewer, that is what makes it so special.

THE CAST

Actor One …………………………. Dylan Jones

Actor Two ……………………….… Todd Patterson

Actor Three …………..………….. Zakiyyah Jackson

Actor Four …………………………. Durron Marquis Tyre

Actor Five …………………………. Dixon Cashwell

THE TEAM

Direction: Deejay Gray & Katrinah Carol Lewis

Scenic Design: Deejay Gray

Projection Design: Dasia Gregg

Lighting Design: Michael Jarett

Costume Design: Nia Safarr Banks

Sound Design: Kelsey Cordrey

Properties Design: Kathy O’Kane Kreutzer

Production Stage Management: Crimson Piazza

THE SCHEDULE

Thursday, June 9 at 7:30 [Preview Performance]

Friday, June 10 at 7:30 [Opening Night]

Saturday, June 11 at 7:30 [Post-Show Dialogue]

Sunday, June 12 at 7:30

Wednesday, June 15 at 7:30 [ADDED SHOW]

Thursday, June 16 at 7:30

Friday, June 17 at 7:30

Saturday, June 18 at 7:30 [Closing Night]

NOTE: All performances are at 7:30pm at The Basement:

300 East Broad Street, Richmond VA 23219

THE TICKETS

$20 – General Admission

$10 – Teachers & Students

LINK: https://tlab-internet.choicecrm.net/templates/TLAB/#/events

*PROOF OF VACCINATION / A NEGATIVE COVID TEST REQUIRED* The Basement is a fully vaccinated venue. Proof of vaccination or a negative COVID-19 test (within 48 hours of the performance) are required upon entry. For the safety of our artists and audiences, masks must be worn while at the theatre. Thank you for keeping our community safe!

Julinda D. Lewis is a dancer, teacher, and writer who was born in Brooklyn, NY and now lives in Eastern Henrico County.

———-

Photo Credits: Photos by Tom Topinka

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-Julinda D. Lewis, EdD

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Featured

COLLECTIVE RAGE: A Play in 5 Betties

. . .Imagine the Arctic as a Pussy; It’s Sort of Like That

A Theater Review by Julinda D. Lewis

At: Richmond Triangle Players at the Robert B. Moss Theatre, 1300 Altamont Ave, RVA 23230

Performances: June 8 – July 2, 2022

Ticket Prices: $30-35; $10 for Students.

Info: (804) 346-8113 or rtriangle.org

In Essence, A Queer and Occasionally Hazardous Exploration; Do You Remember When You Were In Middle School And You Read About Shackleton And How He Explored The Antarctic?:

Imagine The Antarctic As a Pussy And It’s Sort Of Like That

There are 5 characters in COLLECTIVE RAGE and they are all named Betty. Betty #1, Lenaya Van Driesen) is married to a man of wealth who has no time for her; Betty #2, Nora Ogunleye, is in a sexless marriage; Betty #3, Zoe Cotzias, is a celebrity lesbian who works at Sephora; Betty #4, August Hundley, is a sensitive queer woman with a truck and a crush on Betty #3; and Betty #5, with Rachel Garmon-Williams subbing for Kasey Brett is a non-binary male presenting female who runs a boxing gym – and owns a truck.

After Betties #2 and #3 attend a boring dinner party given by Betty #1, Betty #3 throws her own dinner party, where she gives the shy and friendless Betty #2 a hand mirror and invites her to use it to look at her pussy. This act opens up a whole new world for Betty #2 who spends the rest of the play on a journey of self-exploration and empowerment.

Betty #3 attends a play with a friend, becomes enamored of the “thea-tah” and decides to devise a play of her own. Betty’s play involves a prologue, a wall, a lion, and moonshine; it borrows blindly and liberally from the mechanicals’ play-within-a-play in Shakespeare’s Midsummer Night’s Dream – whose title Betty repeatedly butchers.

When they all get together to rehearse for “the thea-tah,” the ensuing chaos both defines and defies their collective rage. Set in New York in the present and first performed in 2016, COLLECTIVE RAGE is described as a “lesbian/bi-curious/genderqueer/Shakespearean comedy for everyone.” COLLECTIVE RAGE feels like a fusion of satire, cabaret, and improv. It’s hilarious and touching at the same time. There’s a cheating husband, a contrast between femme and butch, stereotypes of lesbians with trucks, and all the elements are used to explore growth, individual and collective, in multiples areas of life.

Directed seamlessly by Chelsea Burke, COLLECTIVE RAGE is more than just a niche production; it’s relatable across economic, ethnic, and gender boundaries. Van Driesen is sharp and dangerously edgy, both in her verbal delivery and her physical presentation. Ogunleye is endearing in her eurotophobia (yes, there is a word that means fear of one’s vagina or female genitalia). Cotzias aptly and appealingly encapsulates every video of a vacuous influencer I’ve ever seen. Hundley nailed their portrayal of a caring but insecure character, while Garmon-Williams uses body language and physicality on equal footing with words. COLLECTIVE RAGE offers the viewer options: you can enjoy it as a comedy, as social commentary, or both.

———-

Julinda D. Lewis is a dancer, teacher, and writer who was born in Brooklyn, NY and now lives in Eastern Henrico County.

———-

COLLECTICE RAGE: A Play in 5 Betties

Written by Jen Silverman

Directed by Chelsea Burke

CAST:

Betty #1 ……………………………………. Lanaya Van Driesen

Betty #2 ……………………………………. Nora Ogunleye

Betty #3 ……………………………………. Zoe Cotzias

Betty #4 ……………………………………. August Hundley

Betty #5 ……………………………………. Kasey Britt

Understudies

For Betty #1 ……………………………………. Amanda Spellman

For Betties #2 & #3………………………….. Leanna Hicks

For Betties #4 & #5 …………………………. Rachel-Garmon-Williams

CREATIVE TEAM:

Costume, Hair & Make-Up Design – Dasia Gregg

Costume, Hair and Make-up Design – Carolann Corcoran

Lighting Design – Deryn Gabor

Sound Design – Candace Hudert

Intimacy Choreographer – Stephanie Tippi Hart

Properties Design – Tim Moehring

Assistant Director – Katie Fitzgerald

Technical Director – Tom Holt

Production Stage Manager – Lauren Langston

Sound Design – Candace Hudert

Intimacy Choreographer – Stephanie Tippi Hart

Properties Design – Tim Moehring

Photo Credits: No production photos available at the time of publication

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Featured

EVERYBODY

Everybody Has to Die but Nobody Wants to Make This Journey Alone

A Theater Review by Julinda D. Lewis

At: Theatre Gym, 114 West Broad Street, Richmond, VA 23220

Performances: June 2-19, 2022

Ticket Prices: $40

Info: (804) 282-2620 or https://tickets.va-rep.org/events

EVERYBODY is a modern play about an age-old problem: death. Written by award-winning playwright Branden Jacobs-Jenkins, it is a morality play based – with few significant changes – on a 15^th century morality play, Everyman, believed to be one of the earliest recorded plays in the English language. Set in the here and now, EVERYBODYhas been revamped to reflect today’s politics, belief systems, and world views and to be inclusive of current racial, religious, and gender concerns.

The morality play is a once-popular genre designed to teach a lesson – in this case, how to live better and be a better person in general – and features characters who are personifications of abstract qualities. In EVERYBODY the original qualities of Fellowship, Kindred, Goods, Discretion, Five Wits, and Knowledge have been rebranded as Friendship, Kinship, Stuff, Mind, Five Senses, and Understanding. With a few exceptions, the stellar cast of talented actors (Debra Wagoner, Jacqueline Jones, Audra Honaker, Jamar Jones, Katrinah Carol Lewis, Maggie Roop, Tyer Stevens, Desirée Dabney, alternate Tatjana Shields, and supporting actors Keeley Maddux and Charlotte Hall) must memorize the entire play, because at each performance the roles are chosen by lottery at the start of the play. Among the fixed roles, Wagoner appears as the Usher, God, and Understanding, Jacqueline Jones plays Death, and Dabney is Love.

With Debra Wagoner providing much of the narration, actors emerging from the audience and entering and exiting from the center aisle, and projected titles, there is a sense of controlled chaos – an appropriate response, one might concede, to the unexpected summoning of God and the unwelcome appearance of Death. God has summoned Death to bring Everybody for an accounting. But since it’s today, the accounting takes the form of a final presentation – you know, like a PowerPoint presentation. Feeling unprepared, Everybody negotiates for more time, and goes looking for someone willing to accompany them on this journey. Friendship and Kinship are the first to excuse themselves, providing a list of reasons ranging from the valid to the humorous. Even Stuff, decked out in a poncho-like garment covered with, well, a collection of stuff, makes a fast exit, while Mind and the Five Senses initially promise to accompany Everybody to the grave but both flake out at the last minute. In the end, it is only Love who completes the journey with Everybody – but only after making them strip down and perform a humiliating act of contrition (involving the repetition of the confession, “my body is just meat”).

EVERYBODY is performed on a nearly bare black stage, with minimal props and costumes, and disconcerting voice over scenes that occur in complete blackness. It is a play of universal themes leading to an inevitable conclusion, performed in earnestness by a fully committed cast. I particularly enjoyed the simultaneously funny and terrifying Skeleton Dance and there is no denying that Debra Wagoner and Jacqueline Jones fully inhabited their roles However, much like Zombie Life (Firehouse, August 2021, https://jdldancesrva.com/2021/08/26/the-zombie-life/) which I heard more than once actor compare to EVERYBODY, I can only admire it from a detached distance; it just isn’t my cup of tea. But if well-crafted existentialism and humor-infused treatises on the meaning of life excite you, you can – and should – see EVERYBODY through June 19.

Julinda D. Lewis is a dancer, teacher, and writer who was born in Brooklyn, NY and now lives in Eastern Henrico County.

EVERYBODY

By Branden Jacobs-Jenkins

Directed by Rusty Wilson

CAST

Usher/God/Understanding Debra Wagoner

Death Jacqueline Jones

Somebody Audra Honaker

Somebody Jamar Jones

Somebody Katrinah Carol Lewis

Somebody Maggie Roop

Somebody Tyler Stevens

Somebody alternate Tatjana Shields

Girl/Time Keeley Maddux

Girl/Time Charlotte Hall

Love Desirée Dabney

Voice-Over Artists Juliana Caycedo

Anne Michelle Forbes

Tyandria Jaaber

Elle Meerovich

Hannah Hoffert

CREATIVE TEAM:

Director Rusty Wilson

Assistant Director Tim Glover

Scenic Designer Emily Hake Massie

Costume Designer Sarah Grady

Lighting Designer Alleigh Scantling

Properties Designer Ellie Wilder

Scenic Charge Emily Hake Massie

Sound Designer Joey Luck

Technical Director Chris Foote

Stage Manager Maggie Higginbotham

Production Manager Alleigh Scantling

Skeleton Dance Choreographer Laine Satterfield

Puppet Designer Kylie Clark

Photos by Jay Paul

UPDATED POLICIES: Virginia Rep has been following local, state, and federal health guidelines, and keeping a close eye on the policies of peer theatre companies regionally and nationally. As a result, proof of vaccination is no longer required. Masks, covering the face and nose, are required for all patrons while inside all VaRep venues, lobbies, and restrooms. At this time, no food or drink is allowed in the theatre.

Photo Credits: Jay Paul

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Featured

STARR FOSTER DANCE PRESENTS:

18^th Annual Mid-Atlantic Choreographers Showcase: Celebrating Pride

A Dance Review by Julinda D. Lewis

At: The Basement, 300 East Broad Street, RVA 23219

Performances: June 4 & 5, 2022

Ticket Prices: $15

Info: www.starrfosterdance.org, www.facebook.com/starrfosterdance, Instagram/starrfosterdance

2022 CHOREOGRAPHERS

AB Contemporary Dance / Alyah Baker; Raleigh, NC

Ankita; Brooklyn, NY

Luisa Innisfree Martinez; Richmond, VA

Megan Mazarick; Philadelphia, PA

Next Reflex Dance Collective / Roxann Morgan Rowley; Fairfax, VA

Starr Foster Dance/Starrene Foster; Richmond, VA

Wow. From first to last, the 2022 Mid-Atlantic Choreographers was riveting. The six works by six choreographers from Brooklyn, NY to Raleigh, NC each embraced LGTBQIA+ themes or concepts related to gender or sexuality. Each was performed in the round – actually, in a defined square, with the audience intimately situated on all sides. For those old enough to know what I’m talking about, it reminded me of my undergraduate days watching dance at NYC’s Judson Church. (If you’re not of a certain age, I don’t know, maybe a cypher or a rave might describe the vibe.)

One of the most striking pieces was Fools+Kings, a premiere choreographed and performed by Alyah Baker in collaboration with Lee Edwards and Kahlila Brown. Accompanied by smooth jazz performed by Nat King Cole and Orchestra and CeeLo Green, the trio graced us with liquid combinations of movement and incredibly soft landings. Sometimes the arresting choreography consisted of just a gaze, a burning stare. Dressed in black vests and pants, with three low stools as mobile props, the dancers kept the movement simple, yet their virtuosity was undeniable.

Inspired by the life and legacy of composer Billy Strayhorn, Fools+Kings was escribed in the program as an exploration of “themes of connection and heartbreak through the lens of Black Queer aesthetics and embodiment.” I was particularly struck by Lee Edwards who – I swear – reminded me of a compact, femme version of Bill T. Jones. Anyone who knows me knows that Bill T. Jones is one of my favorite dancers of all time, so I do not say this lightly. Fools+Kings built up a complex structure balanced on hot and cool jazz and Afro beats and then, BAM! – without warning or preparation, it ended with a full stop. Wow. I cannot wait to see more from this group.

Backtracking to the opening, the program began with a solo, old swan, by Megan Mazarick. Dressed in a tailored suit, Mazarick delivered portions of a deconstructed lecture while executing a fusion of post-modern, classic break-dance type moves, the robot, and even a bit of disco in a humor-infused cycle of melting and resurrecting. This is the work that took me back to Judson Church. I take notes in the dark, and for this piece my page was inscribed with a large heart. While old swan may be a reference to ballet classics like Swan Lake and all the fairy tale magic that goes along with the romantic era, it may also be a sly play on the symbolism of swans representing grace, love, trust, beauty, and loyalty. The final scene of the swan “coming home to roost” reminded me of that old saying about chickens coming home to roost – meaning that the evil things you do will come back to bite you in the butt (i.e., karma). Of course, Mazarick may not have intended any of these concepts, but I felt free – even invited – to explore all of them in this wonderful solo.

Another work that resonated was an excerpt from a dance called Penumbra, choreographed by Ankita Sharma and performed by Sharma and Darryl Filmore. Penumbra is dark, very dark. I have sometimes teased Starr Foster, saying that her works are so dark, but I was referring to the lighting. Penumbra is psychologically dark, and that’s an even more terrifying kind of dark. By definition, a penumbra is a region of shadow or partial illumination, resulting from an obstruction or partial obstruction.

This section of the artist’s evening-length work is called “Aftercare,” and the work explores the question, “What does it feel like to say the dark things that remain inside out loud?” Based on the dancers’ shared experiences with trauma, the two begin on opposite sides of a small table, somehow, remarkably, performing similar movements with strikingly different dynamics. The force and counterforce reminds me of the life and death encounters being negotiated by the old men convened around Kurt Jooss’ The Green Table but her it takes only two, not a dozen, to create this howling, apocalyptic effect!

When they arise from the floor, the gentler of the two seems to transform into the dominate, or abusive partner, and the sharper mover becomes fearful and guarded. A shift to demonic red lighting carries them away. Notably, this was the only group that did not take a bow – to do so would have broken the spell and diminished the power of this work.

I was glad I tarried long enough to see Sharma and Filmore emerge from backstage to greet their friends and audience members with smiles. It was relief to see they were able to drop the heavy personas they had adopted and leave them on the stage.

The program also included Circular, a duet by Roxanne Morgan Rowley, performed by Rowley and Sara Goldman, that explores the circularity of relationships between two women; and Luisa Innisfree Martinez’s hilarious Trope in a Box. Performed in, on, and under an open sided crate, Martinez’ solo uses comedy and strong, acrobatic movement phrases to examine and deconstruct themes and tropes of femininity. The program concluded with Starr Foster’s new work, Stripped, a trio that explores identity. The three women become entangled, connect, collapse, support one another, and finally seem to reach a place of calm, peace, and acceptance.

Foster has produced the Mid-Atlantic Choreographers Showcase for 18 years, and hasn’t run out of ideas yet. This was, by far, the best Showcase yet: powerful new work, a diverse collection of choreographers and dancers, a relevant theme, and a variety of perspectives. Thank you, all of you, for a wonderful experience.

Julinda D. Lewis is a dancer, teacher, and writer who was born in Brooklyn, NY and now lives in Eastern Henrico County.

———-

Photo Credits: See individual photo captions

Dancers Darryl Filmore and Ankita Sharma. Photo by Lily Price.

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Featured

INFORMAL

“A Showing of Dance in its Purest Form“

An informal dance review by Julinda D. Lewis

At: Gottwald Playhouse at Dominion Energy Center, 600 East Grace St., Richmond, VA 23219

Performances: June 4, 2022 at 2pm and 7pm

Ticket Prices: $18

Info: http://www.karardancecompany.com/events

THE PROGRAM

Pass (Premiere)

Choreography: Kara Robertson

Dancers: Hailey Clevenger and Lexi Firestone

Music: “This” by Modeselektor and Thom Yorke

Choreographic Demonstration

Game: Mad Libs Summer Vacation

Dead Weight (Premiere)

Choreography: Kara Robertson

Dancers: Taylor Black, Hailey Clevenger, Caitlin Espinueva

Music: “Fibre de Verre” by Paris Combo

Standstill (2016)

Choreography: Kara Robertson

Dancers: Taylor Black and Caitlin Espinueva

Music: “Sukkara ehizatu” by Robo

Choreographic Demonstration

Part 2

Wave and Flight (Premiere)

Choreography by Kara Robertson

Dancers: Taylor Black, Hailey Clevenger, Caitlin Espinueva, and Lexi Firestone

Music: “Hanging D (Cello Octet Amsterdam Version)” by Joep Beving and Cello Octet Amsterdam and “A New Satiesfaction” by Stephen Koncz

For their first in-person production in two and a half years, KARAR Dance Company chose to go INFORMAL. That was both the title and philosophy of the program of new and recent works: no costumes, no lights, no intermission, and a chance for audience participation before and after the performance. This made for a delightful Saturday afternoon that provided insight onto Kara Robertson’s creative process.

PASS, a work-in-progress, is built on a vision of people on a busy urban street being passed by an indifferent crowd. PASS could also be a metaphor for people letting life pass them by, passing up opportunities. The two dancers begin with a lot of floor work, incorporating a sort of racer’s starting position. Sometimes moving in unison, sometimes moving in opposition, mirrored images, and punctuating their movement with powerful statements of stillness, one could imagine the for now invisible crowd passing by, the dancers focused or zoned out.

Robertson accepted questions and suggestions from the audience immediately after.

Dead Weight, a quartet, is a template for late elaboration. It starts in silence and – when lights are added – will end in a fade-out. Two dancers begin on the floor while a third enters with the fourth on her back – a dead weight. The music adds a familiar-sounding melody but the vocals are in French and translate to something about fiberglass, lightning, and love. All of which, adds an air of romance and mystery to the little conflicts, the shoves, like the inevitable banter of sisters, perhaps, and again, those wonderful moments of silence or stillness that I am beginning to think are a signature of Robertson’s work,

Standstill, originally performed as a male-female duet, and later as a solo, was presented as a duo for two women. The music, a blend of cello, vocals that sound like Spanish and Arabic, and a cacophony of percussion and horns is a fusion of contemporary and classical – another Robertson signature.

The INFORMAL program conclude with Wave and Flight – a work Robertson plans to teach to those enrolled in her upcoming summer workshop (see the KARAR website for more information) begins with a run and semi-fall, forming what Robertson refers to as “hills.” Jumps in the air, legs tucked, low sweeping turns and rolls on the floor prepare the dancers for their eventual “flight.” The music accompanying this work consists of strings, solemn yet soaring and a bit agitated. The music supports Robertson’s vision as she plays with variations in tempo and kinetic polyrhythms. Wave and Flight has a bit of a storybook feel; the dancers interact more directly than in the previous works, there are lifts and carries and airy leaps and turns that are complemented by the sunshine and butterflies in the music.

The Choreographic Demonstrations revealed Robertson’s creative process using a basket of words generated by the audience and a Mad-Libs format the dancers created movement in the first demonstration, and Robertson began to place them on stage. In the second part of the demonstration, Robertson deconstructed the movements, made minute adjustments in position, direction, and the like, and the dancers and audience began to see the formation of a new work-in-progress.

The stress-free and interactive format of INFORMAL was just what the Richmond dance community needed at this time.

Julinda D. Lewis is a dancer, teacher, and writer who was born in Brooklyn, NY and now lives in Eastern Henrico County.

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Featured

LOVE/SICK

It’s 7:30 on a Friday Night in June in a Big Box Store Somewhere in Suburbia

A Theater Review by Julinda D. Lewis

At: The Swift Creek Mill Theatre, 17401 U.S. Route 1, S. Chesterfield, VA 23834

Performances: May 21 – June 25, 2022

Ticket Prices: $49. $44 for seniors, students, military, and first responders.

Info: (804) 748-5203 or https://www.swiftcreekmill.com

Lovesick – adjective. in love, or missing the person one loves, so much that one is unable to act normally.

It’s spring and love is in the air – only not in the way you might expect. For LOVE/SICK John Cariani (author of Almost Maine) has constructed nine discrete tales in which love falls somewhere on a spectrum of, well, mental illness. Each ten-minute play is set “at 7:30 PM on a Friday night in June, in an alternate suburban reality.” The backdrop for this suburban reality is The Super Store – a generic mock-up of a big box store, in which some of the silhouettes on the shelves remind me of miniature tombstones.

The nine couples are portrayed by four actors who zanily and adeptly transform from character to character between scenes: costumes, hair, voices, mannerisms, posture. Before the pandemic, it was fairly unusual to see a show in which actors played multiple roles, but that seems to have become a necessary skill in the new normal we are all adapting to. Described as Almost Maine’s “darker cousin,” each Love/Sick story line has an unexpected twist.

Among my favorites: “The Singing Telegram” man (Matt Hackman) hesitates to deliver his message because the sender is using the singing telegram to break up with his girlfriend (Katherine Wright). This is probably the saddest of the collection, while “Uh-Oh” is probably the sickest and displays the most twisted humor. In “Uh-Oh” a bored wife (also Wright) seeks to bring some excitement into her one and a half year old marriage – by fabricating a story about a research article and then assaulting her unsuspecting husband with a very real looking squirt gun.

“The Answer” starts off with a groom (Hackman) hiding in a bathroom, crying and ends on a somber note, while “Lunch and Dinner” is filled with Freudian slips of the tongue. When lawyer husband Mark (Freebourn) asks his corporate wife (Reisenfeld) what she had to eat at her business luncheon, she inadvertently responds, “sex.” And so it goes, until we come full circle ending up back at The Super Center where two exes (Hackman and Wright) are reunited and the original “Obsessive Impulsive” couple (Reisenfeld and Freebourne) bump carts again. Occasionally a profound thought punctuates the hilarity, as when Jake (Hackman) wonders why, “when you meet and fall in love and it doesn’t work out, how come we don’t call THAT destiny?”

Two monitors on either side of the stage announce the titles of the scenes while the scenery and the actors change, and Width keeps the pace and the laughs moving along with the smooth regularity of a train schedule. Of course, what makes it work, what makes it funny, is that we can recognize bits and pieces of ourselves – or our partners – in many of these characters. Have you or someone you know thought about killing their spouse – even jokingly – or considered getting back together with an ex? Still, ninety minutes without an intermission is hard on some of us with mature bones and joints that need to move periodically. Oh, and one more thing – the transition music between scenes was (perhaps intentionally?) unnecessarily irritating, but not enough so to interfere with my enjoyment of this hilarious show.

LOVE/SICK

By John Cariani

Directed by Tom Width

Cast:

PJ Freebourn

Matt Hackman

Paige Reisenfeld

Katherine Wright

Production Team:

Directed by Tom Width

Costume Design by Maura Lynch Cravey

Lighting Design by Joe Doran

Scenic Design by Tom Width

Technical Direction by Liz Allmon

Incidental Music by Julian Fleisher

“No Lie” composed by John Cariani

Performance Schedule:

Fridays @ 8:00PM: May 27, June 3, June 10, June 17, June 24

Saturdays @ 2:30PM: June 11, June 25

Saturdays @ 8:00PM: May 21, May 28, June 4, June 11, June 18, June 25

Sundays @ 2:30 PM: June 5, June 19

Wednesdays @ 2:30 PM: June 8, June 15

Thursdays @ 8:00PM: June 16, June 23

Tickets:

$44-49

Run Time: Approximately 90 minutes with no intermission

PJ Freebourne, Katherine S. Wright, Matt Hackman, Paige Reisenfeld

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Featured

UPROOTED DANCE: The Ascension Project

Dogtown Presenter’s Series 2022

A dance review by Julinda D. Lewis

At: Dogtown Dance Theatre, 109 W. 15^th Street, RVA 23223

Performances: May 20-21, 2022

Ticket Prices: $20 General Admission; $15 Students & Military

Info: (804) 230-8780 or https://www.dogtowndancetheatre.com

THE PROGRAM

The Ascension Project: An Indie-Rock Dance Opera

Choreography: Kiera Hart-Mendoza & Uproot Dance Cast Members

Music: Sufjan Stevens, Ascension Album

Director: Keira Hart-Mendoza

Assistant Director: Carrie Monger

UpRooted Dance Cast Members: Rachael Appoid, Ashayla Byrd, Raeanna Grey, Brittney Leasure, Carrie Monger, and Julianna Raimondo

Community Member Dancers in Act II: Lexie Hays, David Monger, Lea Monger, Maria Carmina Parong, Honey Lyn Savage, Dhol Tuason, Belle Villanueva

Original Projection Art and Design: Nitsan Scharf

Celestial Headpiece Design: Margie Jervis

Lighting Design: Kaylin Corbin

Scenic Design: Ken Hays

This may seem like a strange start, but stick with me. I promise it will make sense. I have memories of people skipping church when they knew the senior pastor was away. They apparently attended church for a personality, rather than to worship God. Some people just don’t like the unknown and unless the guest speaker was a well-known personality, many showed no interest. This is the thought that ran through my mind when I attended The Ascension Project by Uprooted Dance at the Dogtown Presenter’s Series on Friday, April 20. My partner and I seemed to be the only attendees in the approximately 150-seat theater who were not staff members or family or friends of the performers. There were fewer than 20 people in the seats.

Now, I was not familiar with Uprooted Dance, a Metro D.C. – area based company that is committed to presenting interdisciplinary collaborative work that tells thought-provoking stories and community engagement. That is exactly why I wanted to see them. What a great opportunity to see a new-to-me company without having to travel several hours and spend money on gas. Well, that’s my take on the situation, but I know that’s not going to fill empty seats, so without further ado – or diversion – here’s my take on The Ascension Project.

The Ascension Project was inspired by the events of the past two years: the COVID-19 pandemic, civil unrest, social justice, the flattening of personal space as represented on a Zoom screen. Arranged – remember, this is a dance opera – into a prelude and three short acts, The Ascension Project is a journey through time and space that begins with isolation in small spaces, explores identity, trauma, and loss, and concludes with a transcendent journey. So, what does this look like?

The “Prelude,” described in the Director’s notes as “a bright, bold, big dance number” has the company of six dancers performing warm up movements in brightly colored casual clothes against a wall of brightly colored projections that include videos of the dancers performing the “Prelude.” For all the clever moments, including the dancers passing and sharing up close with the audience signs bearing messages such as “I missed you,” “Can you see me,” “Sit back and relax,” and “Enjoy the show,” and an attempt to create a satirical replica of a Zoom dance class experience, the sum total of all the components of the “Prelude” was remarkably subdued.

The dancers spend most of Act 1, the “Dream Sequence” on the floor in uncomfortable positions, rolling and restless as the background of colorful mandalas spins and regenerates at a sometimes dizzying pace. In one mesmerizing section the dancers log roll upstage, walk back downstage, and repeat the sequence, each time at a faster pace until finally they are running. Black and white projections and earth-toned costumes segue into colorful blooming flowers for the ”Circle of Life” section where the dancers move in a clockwise rotation, briefly holding hands and wrapping their arms around one another, ending the nightmare of illness, death, war, and famine.

The focus – and tone – shifts again in Act 2, “America,” when the company members are joined by members of the Sayaw! Philippine cultural dance group and community dancers, including a lone man and two little girls. The focus of “America” is culture and identity and features a power fist pump, a cultural dance, taking a knee, and saluting the flag (background) with a hand over the heart.

Finally, Act 3, “Blast Off,” contemplates what the future holds. The dancers start off as astronauts, in silver suits and a cleverly designed spaceship – a blend of physical and video components – that takes them to future new worlds where race and politics and nationality no longer exist, no longer separate and segregate. After experiencing weightlessness – and planting their flag – the dancers become transformed into celestial beings with lighted constellations headdresses. The lighting and dark costumes obscure their individuality, such as race, hair, skin color, creating a minimalist effect that harkens ack to the beginning.

Make no mistake, like most operas, this one needs a synopsis to help an unfamiliar audience navigate the strange new terrain. Extensive program notes were provided in the printed program but before each new section, Artistic Director Kiera Hart-Mendoza provided a verbal map to guide the uninitiated.

Honestly, The Ascension Project has the look and feel of a work-in-progress. Sometimes, it’s good to get in on an emerging work and follow its development. I suspect this is very much the case with The Ascension Project,” as its name implies. The Ascension Project is an interesting and evolving work that did not quite reach its full potential, but hopefully will continue to evolve and reach an appropriate and appreciative audience.

Julinda D. Lewis is a dancer, teacher, and writer who was born in Brooklyn, NY and now lives in Eastern Henrico County.

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CURIOUS INTENTIONS

Starr Foster Dance Intentions are Clear

A Dance Review by Julinda D. Lewis

At: The Firehouse, 1609 West Broad St., Richmond, RVA 23220

Performances: April 11-14, 2024

Ticket Prices: $25 General Admission; $35 Arts Supporter; Datenight tickets 2 for $40

Info: (804) 304-1523 or starrfosterdance.org or firehousetheatre.org

Program & Casting:

All Choreography by Starrene Foster

All Lighting Design by Michael Jarett

Familiar Stranger (Premiere): Performed by Fran Beaumont, Shannon Comerford, Madison Ernstes. Original Music Composition by Daniel Deckelman. Costumes Designed and Constructed by Starrene Foster.

Last Call (2016): Costumes Designed and Constructed by Starrene Foster.

“Un” Performed by Fran Beaumont. Music Composed by Charles Dumont with Lyrics Written by Michael Vaucaire, Performed by Edith Pian, Mon Dieu.

“Deux” Performed by Madison Ernstes, Mosca Mavrophilipos-Flit, Angela Palmisano. Music Composed by Ángel Cabral with Lyrics Written by Michel Rivgauche, Performed by Edith Piaf, Le Foule. “Trois” Performed by Shannon Comerford, Molly Huey. Music Composed and Performed by Jacquees Brel, Au Suivant.

~~Sisterhood~~ (2022): Inspired by a story, ~~Sisterhood~~, written by Judith Bice. Performed by Madison Ernstes, Molly Huey. Music by Mike Lazarev, When You Are. Costumes Designed and Constructed by Starrene Foster.

Adjusting to the Dark (Premiere): Performed by Fran Beaumont, Shannon Comerford, Molly Huey, Mosca Mavrophilipos-Flint, Angela Palmisano with Guest Artists Roya Baker-Vahdani, Olivia Gotsch, Cassidy Kinney, Janelle Ragland, Julia Straka, Audrey Smothers. Music by Franz Schubert, Arr Prizeman, Ave Maria; Uno Helmersson, Timelapse; Jeff Russo, Zoe Keating, Savir Arrives in Oslo; Adrián Berenguer, Forzisimo, Continent; Jim Perkins, A Ritual for Saying Goodbye. Costumes Designed by Johann Stegmeir.

Deliberate yet unhurried movement. Intentional and diverse motivations. Splayed fingers, reaching, seeking, claiming, and declaring. These are words that describe my overall response to the latest performance of Starr Foster Dance – Curious Intentions.

Familiar Stranger, one of two new works, is a trio of sometimes fleeting, often exploratory movements. Remember that feeling you get when you pass someone on the street and they remind you of someone from your past, but you can’t quite remember their name? Or when someone touches you, perhaps just brushes against you in passing, and that brief contact stirs a long forgotten memory? Imagine, then, translating those feelings into movement, and you might just get Familiar Stranger. The work premiered with Fran Beaumont, Shannon Comerford, and Madison Ernstes, all performing with a sense of urgency – and sometimes a sinister touch – as they intertwine physically and emotionally. Two moments in time that that stand out are when first Ernstes and later Comerford (I think) are held and swung by the other two; it feels like a moment that could symbolize trust or danger, but – thanks to the dancers’ spiraling upper bodies and tiny hand gestures that are somehow enhanced by Daniel Deckelman’s dramatic thriller score – we’re never sure which way it might go.

A second new work, Adjusting to the Dark, is performed by a large cast – five company members joined by six guest artists – all dressed in modest dark dresses with high necks and long bell sleeves, reminiscent of choir robes or liturgical vestments. The work actually begins with a prayer, a rendition of Ave Maria, and concludes with Jim Perkins’ A Ritual for Saying Goodbye, an appropriately moody medley of what sounds like violin and electronic yearning. A tug of war of pushing and pulling, caressing and enfolding, silent screams, and a focus on small, riveting hand gestures are all supported by a symbiotic collaboration of movement, music, and an interesting use of footlights. The audience is encouraged to look, listen, and think in new ways. What is your darkness, what are the challenges of your life, and how do you adjust?

The program also included the tri-part Last Call (2016), a three-part work (solo, trio, and a duet that re-introduced returning company member Angela Palmisano, who performed in the trio). In the solo section, Beaumont is elegant, while Ernstes, Mavrophilipos-Flint, and Palmisano take a witty turn in the trio, and Comerford and Huey close with reassuring weight-sharing. The songs accompanying these explorations (self-described by Foster as “whimsical” and as a juxtaposition of gracefulness and awkward gestures, lyrical grace and protective gestures in a review I wrote for The Richmond Times Dispatch, Sept. 30, 2016, https://richmond.com/entertainment/dance-review-starr-foster-dance-project-fifteen/article_7c259614-bb43-533d-9bd0-c6e0c4d85600.html) are “Mon Dieu” (My God) and “Le Foule” (The Crowd), sung by Eith Piaf, and “Au Suivant” (Next), performed by Jacques Brel.

The company also performed ~~Sisterhood~~ (2022), inspired by a story written by Judith Bice and first performed for Foster’s Page to Stage II show, part of a series Foster plans to continue in December. (The company is currently accepting flash/sudden poetry submissions for Page to Stage III.) ~~Sisterhood~~ a duo about a toxic, dependent, love/hate sibling relationship, was performed by Madison Ernstes and Molly Huey. The dancers’ identical brown dresses only emphasize the inequality of their relationship. Michael Jarett has added some stunning lighting, including tree patterns on the floor that lead us to where the Barbies are buried. Chilling and presumably authentic, ~~Sisterhood~~ makes me glad I’m an only child.

———-

Starr Foster Dance presents

CURIOUS INTENTIONS

Artistic Director/Choreography by: Starrene Foster

Art Director: Doug Hayes

Lighting Designer: Michael Jarett

Music Director: Daniel Deckelman

Company Artists: Fran Beaumont, Shannon Comerford, Madison Ernstes, Molly Huey, Mosca Mavrophilipos-Flint, Angela Palmisano

Guest Performers: Roya Baker-Vahdani, Olivia Gotsch, Cassidy Kinney, Janelle Ragland (SFD Intern), Julia Straka, Audrey Smothers (SFD Mentee)

Art Director: Douglas Hayes

Costumes Designed and Constructed by: Starrene Foster

Lighting Designer: Michael Jarett

Music Director: Daniel Deckelman

Starr Foster Dance is a Resident Company of the Firehouse Theatre

Performance Schedule

Thursday, April 11^th 7:30PM

Friday, April 12^th 7:30PM

Saturday, April 13^th 5:00PM & 7:30P<

Sunday, April 14^th 5:00PM

Post-performance Q&A after the Thursday and Saturday evening performances

Champagne toast after the Friday evening performance

Run Time

1 hours 15 minutes

Adjusting to the Dark Photo by Doug Hayes

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DR. RIDE’S AMERICAN BEACH HOUSE

DR. RIDE’S AMERICAN BEACH HOUSE*

“If one of us is brilliant, maybe it’s not you,” or

Four Queer Women Lift-off on the Eve of Sally Ride’s Historic First Space Flight

A Theater Review by Julinda D. Lewis

By: Yes, And! Theatrical Company

At: The Firehouse 1609 West Broad St., Richmond, RVA 23220

Performances: March 7-23, 2024

Ticket Prices: $37 general admission

Info: Email: yesandrva@gmail.com; Website: yesandrva.org; Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/yesandrva/

When I say that Liza Birkenmeier’s 4-character, one-act play, DR. RIDE’S AMERICAN BEACH HOUSE is weird, please understand that is an observation, not a judgment. There is a reason why the Yes, And! Theatrical Company – now in its second year of production –- chose this play. I suspect it has something to do with exploration (inner, and self, more than space) and identity (woman as subject, not object, as well as gender and sexuality), and history (personal history as well as the history of Dr. Sally Ride and the American space program).

Set on a rooftop in St. Louis in June 1983, on the eve of the launch of the Challenger space shuttle that carried Dr. Sally Ride, the first American woman to go into space, DR. RIDE’S AMERICAN BEACH HOUSE is both non-linear and non-conforming. Two long-time friends, both poetry majors who have apparently simultaneously run into a writing block, come to the rooftop for the weekly meeting of The Two Serious Ladies Book Club. The club is named for a novel by Jane Bowles in which two women explore – depending in which review you read – “living outside themselves” or descend in debauchery. After forming the book club, however, our leading ladies, Harriet (Ashley Thompson) and Matilda (Rachel Marrs) realize they don’t really like to read, so they spend the time drinking beer and talking.

One day, their complacent little world is shaken up when (a) Harriet shares a harrowing tale of a sexual encounter with a stranger – a bearded biker, no less – and (b) Matilda invites a new friend, Meg (Kasey Britt) whose insight sheds new light on the friends’ sexual tension and life in general, and (c) their lives are all shifted by the imminent space launch that is the main topic on their rooftop radio.

Harriet is high strung and annoying, but about two thirds of the way through we find out she has good reason to be, and in spite of her irksome character, we cannot tear ourselves away from the story she weaves throughout. Perhaps Harriet’s calling was not for poetry, but for fiction or drama…Matilda, who has a husband and a sick child at home, would rather spend her time with Harriet, and is given to bursting out in song – revealing that Rachel Marrs has a stunningly beautiful singing voice and can even attempt a decent Irish step or two.

Most intriguing, however, is Meg. Back stories and character development are not a main point of DR. RIDE’S AMERICAN BEACH HOUSE, so we know that Meg works at a hospital across the street from where Harriet and Norma live, and may – or may not –- be a nurse. She does, however, provide some music therapy for Harriet in the midst of her breakdown, which leads to one of this play’s most delightful moments.

The fourth character is Norma (Jacqueline Jones) – who is either Harriet’s landlady or neighbor. At any rate, it seems that Norma is the caretaker of the Ivan Brock House, named for fictional poet and the house where Harriet lives. Norma is concerned with three things: safety, money, and Harriet’s leaky air conditioning unit. Jones’ two or three appearances are all too brief, as Norma, who seems to be on the far right of some spectrum or another, shares complaints and almost incidentally drops pearls of wisdom and insight on the younger women.

DR. RIDE’S AMERICAN BEACH HOUSE is directed by Kelsey Cordrey with a light touch, a good dose of wit, and a loving respect for words. Cordrey and the cast make us see or at least ponder connections between barbecue and beer, a beach house and a rooftop, an astronaut launching into space and an ordinary person (is there such a thing?) exploring the unexplored landscape of their life. It’s only about 90 minutes long, and the first few minutes are rather slow going, but about midway through – and even more so afterwards – it becomes clear that there is more to explore here than at first meets the eye.

Cordrey explains at least part of the “why” in her director’s note: “Pretty much every queer person I know has felt the urge to “go away” before. To escape to a place, whether literal or figurative, what would be more. More accepting, more fulfilling, more exciting, or more loving”.

Adam Dorland has designed a simple but effective rooftop setting with a couple of chairs, some stacked crates that serve as a table, an HVAC unit, and lots of brick wall constructed at an angle that juts slightly off the edge of the stage. Candace Hudert’s sound design is mostly subtle, and makes use of the ubiquitous 1980s boom box and cassette tapes – remember those???

If you like your theater to have a clear beginning, middle and end, and to tie up all the loose ends with a happy ending, DR. RIDE’S AMERICAN BEACH HOUSE won’t fulfill those needs. If you like theater that asks questions and challenges you to think about why things are the way they are, then this is your kind of play. And if you’re undecided, or not sure, I would urge you to give it a try and discuss it after – maybe with three friends, over a bottle of wine or some beers.

FUN FACTS ABOUT DR. SALLY RIDE

Sally Kristen Ride (1951-2012) was a physicist and the first female American astronaut
Sally Ride was married to Steven Hawley (1982-1987) and had a long-term partner, Tam O’Shaughnessy (1985-2012)
Dr. Ride did not publicly reveal her sexuality until her death, in a carefully worded obituary she wrote before she died
In 1972, while an undergraduate at Stanford University, Sally Ride played tennis great Billy Jean King in a mixed doubles exhibition
One morning, at breakfast, in 1977, while she was a doctoral student at Stanford University, Sally Ride read an article in the student newspaper that NASA was opening up applications to women for the first time, so she applied
Dr. Ride’s younger sister, Bear, is a Presbyterian minister – she is also queer
Sally Ride was a Trekkie
Sally Ride and her partner Tam O’Shaughnessy co-authored several science books for children
In 2013 Sally Ride was posthumously awarded the nation’s highest honor, the Presidential Medal of Freedom; President Barack Obama presented the award to Tam O’Shaughnessy Source: https://today.ucsd.edu/story/20-things-you-might-not-know-about-sally-ride

*ONE FINAL FUN FACT

The Astronaut Beach House is a two-story building located in Cape Canaveral, FL use to house astronauts prior to their launch. The house is also used as a conference center, and hosts barbecues for astronauts and their families prior to a launch

———-

DR. RIDE’S AMERICAN BEACH HOUSE

Written by Liza Birkenmeier

Directed by Kelsey Cordrey

Principal Cast

Ashley Thompson as Harriet

Rachel Marrs as Matilda

Kasey Britt as Meg

Jacqueline Jones as Norma

Understudy Cast

Juliette Aaslestad u/s for Harriet

Amber James u/s for Matilda

Davis Erney u/s for Meg

Nicole Morris-Anastasi us for Norma

Production Team

Scenic Design – Adam Dorland

Costume Design – Amber Martinez

Lighting Design – Steve Koehler

Sound Design – Candace Hudert

Properties Design – Margaret Dodson-Cordrey

Intimacy Direction – Tippi Hart

Production Manager – Todd LaBelle

Production Stage Manager – Crimson Piazza

Asst. State Manager – Marcely Villatoro

YES, AND! THEATRICAL COMPANY

in residence with NEW THEATRE at FIREHOUSE

Artistic Director – Maggie Roop

Managing Director – Nicole Morris-Anastasi

Executive Director – Matt Shofner

Dr. Ride’s American Beach House

Commissioned and Developed by Ars Nova

Jason Eagan, Founding Artistic Director | Renee Blinkwolt, Managing Director

World Premiere produced by Ars Nova, New York City, October 21, 2019

Performance Schedule

Thursday, March 7, 2024 7:30PM Preview

Friday, March 8, 2024 7:30PM Opening Night

Saturday, March 9, 2024 7:30PM

Tuesday, March 12,2024 7:30PM Industry Night

Thursday, March 14, 2024 7:30PM Understudy Performance

Friday, March 15, 2024 7:30PM

Saturday, March 16, 2024 7:30PM

Sunday, March 17, 2024 2:00PM

Tuesday, March 19, 2024 7:30PM Industry Night

Friday, March 22, 2024 7:30PM

Saturday, March 23, 2024 7:30PM Closing Night

Tickets

Ticket Prices: $35 general admission

Run Time

1 hour 36 minutes with no intermission

Notes

Please be aware that an herbal cigarette will be smoked for a brief moment onstage

Photos by Tom Topinka

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