SNAPSHOTS: A MUSICAL SCRAPBOOK

“Memories, like photographs, can fade, but they never really leave.”

A Theater Reflection by Julinda D. Lewis

Presented by HATTheatre

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

Performances: March 14-23, 2025

Ticket Prices: $30 General Admission. $25 Seniors/Students/Military. $20 Youth up  to 17.

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

Empty nesters Sue (Debra Wagoner) and Dan (Mark Persinger) have come to a crossroads in their relationship. They have known each other since childhood, but Sue is fed up and has stolen away to the attic to reminisce, leave a note, and pack her bag. Dan uncharacteristically arrives home early from work and interrupts Sue’s plans. They end up spending the night looking through boxes of old photos, leading to a journey of discovery. This is a great relationship story for all of us. It is more than just a love story, but a story of how love starts, how it changes, how it endures, and how it affects people.

What makes this story special is that it is fueled by a playlist of songs from Stephen Schwartz’s vast repertoire of shows and steered by the dynamic artistry of Wagoner and Persinger and the four other actors who portray Sue and Dan – as well as other characters in their lives – at various stages of their lives, from elementary school to the present.

The supporting cast consists of Alanna Wilson and Joshua Smith as 11-17 year old Susan and Daniel and Shannon Schilstra and Gravins as the middle childhood Susie and Danny. They also portray a slew of other characters, including a hilarious scene where Wilson, Schilstra, and Gavins depict three of Dan’s wildly different yet uniformly vindictive ex-girlfriends.

Described as “part revue and part book musical” Snapshots is surprisingly personal and intimate. Other moments that stood out for me include Schilstra’s welcoming of the young Danny (Gravins) when he and his father move into the neighborhood; when the young Danny presents Susie with a book (A Time to Keep, Tasha Tudor’s book of holidays for ages 5-8), which she keeps throughout their years together; Sue’s dreams, expressed as a metaphor of becoming a lion tamer; Wagnor and Persinger’s “Code of Silence” duet; and the interactions the middle-aged Sue and Dan have with their younger selves, often accompanied by beautiful harmonizing.

Frank Foster’s direction infuses the production with levity and seamless pacing. The entire play takes place in the couple’s attic, suitably cluttered with an eclectic collection of memorabilia but not overdone, also designed by Foster. The Sue/Susan/Susie characters are usually identifiable by a red top in an age-appropriate style, worn over jeans. The younger versions of Dan usually wear variations of plaid shirts, also with jeans, while the mature Dan inexplicably prefers khakis.

I left this thoroughly enjoyable event with just two questions – not burning questions, but more of the “things that make you go “hmmmm” variety: a tender scene depicting the birth of Sue and Dan’s son, Matthew left me wondering why the blanket used to portray the infant was so impossibly tiny, and what we had the pleasure of seeing and hearing the music for this lovely and beautifully performed show played from up front. Musical Director Joe Revell did a magnificent job on keyboards hidden on the back where we couldn’t see him.

I’m not a singer, but I’ll close with this line from a duet by Sue and Dan, taken from Schwartz’s Reluctant Pilgrim CD: “You cannot close the acorn once the oak begins to grow.”

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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.

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SNAPSHOTS: A Musical Scrapbook

Music and Lyrics by Stephen Schwartz

Book by David Stern

Directed by Frank Foster

Musical Direction by Joe Revell

Cast

Sue     ………………..Debra Wagoner

Dan     ………………..Mark Persinger

Susan ………………..Alanna Wilson

Daniel ………………..Joshua Louis Smith

Susie  ………………..Shannon Schilstra

Danny ………………..Joey Gravins

Creative Design Team

Music & Lyrics by Stephen Schwartz

Book by David Stern

Conceived by Michael Scheman & David Stern

Additional Music & Lyrics by David Crane, Seth Friedman, Marta Kauffman, Alan Menken, and Charles Strouse

Arrangements & Orchestration by Steve Orch

Direction & Scenic Design by Frank Foster

Musical Direction by Joe Revell

Lighting Design by Bill Jenkins

Stage Management by Ashton Lee

Costumes by Suzanne Riker

Light Board Operation: Matthew Geniesse

Sound Board Operation: Ashton Lee

Box Office/House Manager: Vickie L. Scallion

Dates

March 14-23, 2025

Ticket Information

Ticket Prices: $30 General Admission. $25 Seniors/Students/Military. $20 Youth up to 17

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

Run Time

Approximately 2 hours, 10 minutes, including one 10-minute intermission

Photo Credits: N/A

Musical Numbers

“Snapshots,” “Code of Silence,” “So Far”: from the CD Reluctant Pilgrim (1997)

“New Kid in the Neighborhood”: from Captain Louie, Music & Lyrics by Stephen Schwartz (1986, 2009)

“No Time At All,” “Extraordinary,” “Corner of the Sky,” “With You,” “Morning Glow”: from Pippin, Music & Lyrics by Stephen Schwartz (1972, 2002)

“Popular,” “I’m Not That Girl,” “Making Good”: from Wicked, Music & Lyrics by Stephen Schwartz (2003)

“All For the Best,” “All Good Gifts”: from Godspell, Music & Lyrics by Stephen Schwartz (1971, 1889, 2012)

“If We Never Meet Again”: from Rags, Music by Charles Strouse, Lyrics by Stephen Schwartz

“Nothing to Do With Love,” “Moving in With Susan (aka Moving in with Linda)”: from Personals, Music by Stephen Schwartz, Lyrics by Marta Kauffman, Seth Friedman & David Crane (1985, 1986)

“Endless Delights,” “Meadowlark,” “Chanson,” from The Baker’s Wife, Music & Lyrics by Stephen Schwartz (1977, 1990)

“How Does She Know? (aka “That’s How You Know”) from Enchanted, Music by Alan Menken, Lyrics by Stephen Schwartz (2007)

“The Spark of Creation,” “Parents’ Day” (aka “Father’s Day”), “The Hardest Part of Love,” “In Whatever Time We Have”: from Children of Eden, Music & Lyrics by Stephen Schwartz (1989, 1998, 2000)

“Fathers and Sons”: from Working, Music & Lyrics by Stephe Schwartz (1978)

“Cacophony” ©2017 by Stephen Schwartz