Experimental Theater – RVArt Review

COTTON PATCH GOSPEL

Jesus Christ Super Star –> Jesus Christ Good Ole Boy – OR – If Jesus Had Been Born in an Abandoned Doublewide and the Sermon on the Mount Had Been Delivered Atop Stone Mountain

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

Performances: March 15 – April 12, 2025

Ticket Prices: $44-49. Ask about discounts for students, seniors, and veterans.

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

A Theater Reflection by Julinda D. Lewis

I recently read a post that read something along the lines of “expect something wonderful each day.” Some days it’s easier to find something wonderful than others. Other days it’s a real stretch. I usually don’t do much, if any, pre-show research before going to see a show. I want to approach each show with as little bias as possible. So, I was totally, pleasantly surprised by Cotton Patch Gospel – it was easily my “something wonderful” on Saturday night, March 22.

Cotton Patch Gospel is a sung-through musical (i.e., songs are used instead of spoken dialogue, with minimal speech) retelling of “The Gospel of Matthew” set in modern-day rural Georgia (the US State, not the Eastern European nation). Given the geographical re-location, Joe and Mary travel to Atlanta instead of Jerusalem, Jesus is born in a borrowed trailer (they didn’t indicate if it was a double-wide), the baby Jesus is placed in an apple crate and when the family has to flee for their lives, they run off to Mexico, instead of Egypt.

The adult Jesus later gives the Sermon on the Mount from the top of Stone Mountain (which, BTW, is home to the world’s largest bas-relief artwork – a memorial to Confederate leaders Jefferson Davis, Robert El. Lee, and Stonewall Jackson). In the Cotton Patch Gospel Herod, the Governor of the state, drops a bomb on a church where Jesus was supposed to be – killing 14 innocent children in the process. In other familiar stories, after being baptized, Jesus is tempted by Satan, who tries to get Him to turn stones into grits, Jesus feeds 5,000 people with crackers and sardines, and Peter tap dances on water. Jesus makes His final entry into Jerusalem/Atlanta riding an old VW bus while his followers toss magnolia blossoms.

The entire story is delivered in beautiful harmony and lively blue grass music (with occasional forays into blues or gospel) performed by a six-member cast whose members all take on triple roles as actors, singers, and musicians. Jonmichael Tarleton and Dew Redling lead the cast, making their Swift Creek Mill debuts. Tarleton takes on the roles of Matthew, Joe, and sometimes Satan, while Dew Redling is appealing as Jesus, a simple country boy who doesn’t quite fit in. While Tarleton and Redling stood out as personal favorites, Cotton Patch Gospel is a true ensemble effort, and the cast worked well together keeping us laughing and entertained while remaining true to the Gospel.

The rest of the ensemble consists of Travis West (a cattle farmer, John, Andy, a reverend, Jud/Judas, and others), Bryan Harris (Herod, Mary, a televangelist, and others), Eric Williams (a Messenger/angel, Pilate, a senator, and others), and Greg DeBruyn (Satan, a tourist, a businessman, and others).

SCM Artistic Director Tom Width took time during his curtain talk to let us know that there have been times when audience members left shortly after the performance started. If you are a very conservative Christian, this might not sit well with your sensibilities, although there is nothing irreverent about this musical. But that’s just my opinion as a theatergoer who happens to be a licensed ordained minister of dance – and one who spent my fair share of years teaching Sunday School and Vacation Bible School in a Baptist church. LOL.

Harry Chapin (a singer, songwriter, and storyteller) along with writers Tom Key and Russell Treyz based their work on Clarence Jordan’s Cotton Patch Gospel – Matthew and John which “recasts the stories of Jesus…into the language and culture of the mid-20^th century South (Smyth & Helwys Books). The author, Clarence Jordan, a farmer as well as a bible scholar, was the founder of Koinonia Farm, born out of the Civil Rights era and described by his publisher as “an interracial, Christian farming community.” Interestingly, Koinonia Farm gave birth to the concept of partnership housing, resulting in the establishment of Habitat for Humanity. In 2012, Clarence Jordan’s Cotton Patch Gospel: The Complete Collection was compiled, and it boasts an introduction by President Jimmy Carter.

Tom Width’s scenic design is simple and rustic, featuring lots of wooden planks and crates and light up star on the wall that reminds me of Christmas. Cast member Travis West provided the musical direction that kept the action moving and carried the audience right along with him. Maura Lynch Cravey casually dressed the cast in denim and plaid and variations thereof.

So, all of that – a foot-patting musical, a bible lesson, a geography lesson, a cultural tour, and a history lesson all wrapped up in one neat package. So unexpected and so delightful. Yep, that was my something wonderful last Saturday evening.

NOTE: After seeing this production, SCM posted an unfortunate update. Several Cotton Patch Gospel cast members tested positive for COVID, and several performances had to be cancelled. Please check the company’s website or contact the box office if you plan to go to see when shows resume and locate possible dates to attend.

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

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COTTON PATCH GOSPEL

Book by Tom Key and Russell Treyz

Music and Lyrics by Harry Chapin

Directed by Tom Width

CAST

Jonmichael Tarleton as Matthew/Joe/Caiphus/Satan III/Timmy/Gossip/et al

Dew Redling as Mother/Jesus/et al

Travis West as Cattle Farmer/John/Andy/revisal/Tanya/Jud/Gossip/et al

Bryan Harris as Herod/Dr. Troy/TV Preacher/Mary/Gossip/et al

Eric Williams as Messenger/Mabry/Satan II/Senator/Pilate/Gossip/et al

Greg DeBruyn as Satan I/Mr. Tetum/Tourist/Businessman/Gossip/et al

CREATIVE TEAM

Directed by Tom Width

Musical Direction by Travis West

Scenic Design by Tom Width

Lighting Design by Joe Doran

Costume Design by Maura Lynch Cravey

Technical Direction by James Nicholas

PRODUCTION STAFF

Producing Artistic Director …. Tom With

Technical Director ….. James Nicholas

Stage Manager ….. Sandy Lambert

Assistant Stage Manager/Props ….. Tom Width

Scenic Carpenter … Peter Prout

Light/Sound Board Operator ….. Brent Deekens

Set Crew ….. Peter Prout, Brent Dieken’s, Nathan Hamill

Scenic Painter ….. Dasia Gregg

Lighting Crew ….. Brent Deekens, Liz Allmon, R. Jonathan Shelley

Photographer …..Daryll Morgan

Time and Place:

Here and Now

Run Time:

About 2 hours with 1 intermission

Tickets:

Regular $44-49. Discounts for Seniors, Military & Veterans

Photographer: Darryl Morgan

Musical Numbers:

Act One:

Somethin’s Brewin in Gainesville

Baby Born to God

I Did It

Mama is Here/I Did It

It Isn’t Easy Growin’ Up to Be Jesus

Sho’ “Nuff

From That Day On

Turn It Around

When I Look Up

Ain’t No Busy Signals on the Hotline to God

Spitball Me, Lord, Over the Homeplate of Life

Miracle on Stone Mountain

Love the Lord Your God

Blind Date

Goin’ to Atlanta

Act Two:

Are We Ready?

You Are Still My Boy

We Gotta Get Organized

We’re Gonna Live It While It Lasts

Jubilation

Dangerous Man

Jud

Hey, What’s Goin’ On

Thank God for Governor Pilate

One More Tomorrow

I Wonder

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KRAPP’S LAST TAPE:

“Perhaps my best years are gone.”

A COVID-conscious Pandemic-appropriate Theater Review by Julinda D. Lewis

At: The Firehouse Theatre, 1609 West Broad Street, RVA 23220

Performances: February 4-20, 2021, live and streamed.

Ticket Prices: In-Person Tickets: $30 in person; $25 live-streamed

Info: (804) 355-2001 or firehousetheatre.org. See the theater’s website for their COVID-19 precautions, drink orders, and more.

Two days, two plays. I would describe both as the type of play meant to make you think, more than just entertain you. (What a treat to even be able to see two live productions in a single week during a pandemic: THIS BITTER EARTH at Richmond Triangle Players and KRAPP’S LAST TAPE a little more than a mile away at The Firehouse.) And both were well done. But now, to get to the play at hand.

Alan Sader is Krapp. (I just had to say that!) But seriously, veteran actor Alan Sader steps into the role of Krapp, a 69-year-old man contemplating his life, as if he had been born for this role. I know Alan Sader, and watching this one-person one-act play, I didn’t see an actor I knew in a role; I saw Krapp.

Written by Samuel Beckett, known for his absurdist style, and directed by James Ricks, Artistic Director for Quill Theatre, KRAPP’S LAST TAPE is a perfect play for a pandemic. Solitary. Isolated. Defeated. The play takes place on Krapp’s 69^th birthday. I don’t think he has a first name. To celebrate, for lack of a more appropriate word, Krapp rummages through the archives of tapes he’s made over the years, chronicling his life.

The setting is important – it takes on the aspect of another character. There is a wall of file cabinets, stacked one atop another and interspersed with odds and ends and brick-a-brack. A reel-to-reel tape machine and a portable staircase are supporting actors.

There is an introductory struggle with the ancient tape player – a heavy monstrosity of a machine that nearly gets the best of the old man before he places it precariously on an old rickety desk that seems barely able to support its weight. But that’s not the end of it. Oh, no. The tape machine’s electrical cord falls short of reaching the wall outlet, necessitating not one but two duets with the staircase. Old age and misery are not without their moments of humor.

To access the 30-year-old reel-to-reel tape he needs, Krapp consults a ledger for the carefully cataloged location of the specific tape he needs. He then has to interact in a comedic duet with a moveable staircase to get to the right file cabinet where the electrical cords are stored. Sader makes climbing the steps a full-on drama, complete with grimaces and groans. In fact, it is quite a few minutes into the play before Sader actually speaks a legible word. The opening is entirely physical – sort of a combination of comedic actor Charlie Chaplin and mime Marcel Marceau.

Speaking of old age, I had to remind myself that this play premiered in 1958 when age 69 might have been considered ancient. Today, 69 is rarely seen as the end of life – except perhaps to people younger than 25. But I digress.

Before finally settling in to reminisce about his younger self, Krapp has one more trick to execute: an orgasmic experience with a banana – which he temporarily stores in his pocket – and an obligatory slipping on the banana peel. Oh, and let’s not forget the delight he takes in saying the word “spool,” drawing it out and repeating it several times.

Once Krapp has settled in, we hear his younger voice on tape (kudos to director James Ricks for his superb sound design), and Sader spends long periods in palpable silence. He hears the optimism of his younger self, aged 39, and doesn’t seem to react much but saves his regret for lost love. The people who passed through his life are ephemeral, but these recorded memories are his reality now.

Like most Beckett plays I’ve seen, this work is not for everyone – certainly not for those who crave action and movement and verbal sparring – but it seems to be the perfect vehicle for this trio: Beckett, Sader, and Ricks. I don’t know how Beckett would have felt about this production, but Sader and Ricks must certainly feel immense satisfaction in their flawless execution of KRAPP’S LAST TAPE.

The live performance, limited to no more than 10 in the audience, was preceded by a live performance by Ryan Phillips on solo acoustic bass – a perfect introduction to KRAPP’S LAST TAPE. The live program runs through February 20 (if there are any tickets left).

Photos by James Ricks:

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The COMMON wealth & The COMMON debt

Stories in the Soil by The Conciliation Project

Observations on a Research-based Performance by Julinda D. Lewis

At: Pre-recorded at the VCU’s ICA (Institute for Contemporary Art) and on location in Richmond; live-streamed on YouTube

Performance: Sunday, November 15, 2020 at 3:00 PM; available for a limited time thereafter (see link below)

Ticket Prices: free

Info: https://youtu.be/yrbIGTA0WYg

There is no getting around the fact that 2020 has been a most unusual year. It has brought unprecedented challenges to our arts. Yet, as history confirms, art always prevails. Theater and dance has found new ways to exist and mined new ways to create.

The Conciliation Project is a Richmond-based social justice theater company under the direction of Dr. Tawyna Pettiford-Wates (Professor of Graduate Pedagogy in Acting and Directing at Virginia Commonwealth University) and Dr. Ram Bhagat (educator, peace-builder, community healer, and co-founder of Drums No Guns). With heavyweights like these at the helm, it should come as no surprise that The Conciliation Project offers research-based programming that reveals, examines, and demands a response to racial stereotypes and racial injustice.

The script for “The COMMON wealth & The COMMON debt” was developed from conversations with Richmonders, with a focus on the history-defining events of 2020: the COVID-19 pandemic and the racial (in-)justice protests that resounded around the world in the weeks and months following the murder of George Floyd.

“The COMMON wealth & The COMMON debt” is not a play in the traditional sense. It is reminiscent of Ntzoke Shange’s self-described “choreo-poems” or the eye-opening work I saw as a teen-ager at what was then the mecca of Brooklyn’s Black culture, The East. (For a description of The East, look at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_East_(Brooklyn) and http://www.corenyc.org/omeka/items/show/320). In other words, this is work that exists to educate and enlighten as well as to entertain.

Conciliation: The process of winning over from a state of hostility or to gain the goodwill of. The building of bridges to connect two points that are distant, and/or disconnected from one another.

Among the topics presented by the voices in “The Common wealth & The Common debt” are the definition of the word “commonwealth,” diverse perspectives on the history of the Commonwealth of Virginia (the middle passage, slave markets, Jim Crow and other racial injustices), the value of Richmond monuments, the Civil War, racism, power, segregation, urban farming, and more. In one moving scene, Keaton Hillman has a conversation with an ancestor, Callie, a woman sold into slavery and later freed. “Help break the cage for someone else,” she says before returning to the ancestral plain. The next scene shows a group of protesters marching in cadence to “no justice, no peace.”

Against the backdrop of a chain link fence and passing traffic, masked performers sing, “We Wear the Mask.” Contemporary voices blend with traditional fables, history, and storytelling in a non-linear way that the modern western mind might struggle to comprehend. Experiencing “The COMMON wealth & The COMMON debt” is a bit like being inside the production while watching it; similar to the way one might dream and awaken to wonder where the dream state ends and reality begins.

“I think we could definitely do a better job at creating monuments that glorify actual heroes instead of being used as an intimidation tactic, which is what they were originally put there for.”

The creative team organized a solid ensemble consisting of Calie Bain, Juliana Caycedo, Keaton O’Neal Hillman, Zakiyyah Jackson, Dylan Jones, Jamar Jones, Todd Patterson, and Mariea Terrell. The acting ensemble is supported by Drummers lead by Ram Bhagat and dancer Alfumega Enock. In a live post-performance discussion, we learned that the stories and interviews were collected by the Graduate Applied Theatre Class at VCU as well as members of the Ensemble, with support from the ICA. “The COMMON wealth & The COMMON debt” should be accessible for the remainder of the week of November 15. Catch it, if you can.

PHOTO CREDITS: The Ensemble and Scenes from “The COMMON wealth & The COMMON debt” from The Conciliation Project social media pages.

INDIAN INK THEATRE COMPANY: Mrs. Krishnan is Throwing a Party!

INDIAN INK THEATRE COMPANY: You’re Invited to Mrs. Krishnan’s Party!

A Brief Preview of an Immersive Theatrical Experience by Julinda D. Lewis

At: Alice Jepson Theatre, Modlin Center for the Arts at University of Richmond, 453 Westhampton Way, Richmond, VA 23173

Performance: January 25, 2020 at 7:30pm & January 26, 2020 at 3:00pm

Ticket Prices: $40 General Admission; $32 Subscribers; $20 Students / SOLD OUT!

Info: (804) 289-8980 or modlin.richmond.edu

One of the problems, well, actually, the only problem, actually, with the Modlin Center for the Arts – which is a lovely space for dance, which is what I usually see when I go there – is that their productions are usually scheduled for just one or two performances or one or two evenings. So, as much as I want to tell you about Mrs. Krishnan’s Party, which is coming in January, I am sorry to have to start off by informing you that both shows are already sold out! (I asked if there is any possibility of additional shows being added, and I am awaiting a response.)

The Indian Ink Theatre Company, based in New Zealand, was touring in Seattle, WA when I spoke with Kalyani Nagarajan who plays the role of Mrs. Krishnan in this two-handed comedy. Mrs. Krishnan’s Party was “in the works” for seven years and now tours the world attempting to bring happiness – and Indian culture – to audiences of all ages, genders, and ethnicities.

Mrs. Krishnan’s Party is a story about a “Mom and Pop” type store whose owner is looking to sell it. The story takes place in real time, “everything happens live” is the way Nagarajan explained it. There are two actors, Nagarajan and Justin Rogers. Nagarajan was very enthusiastic in describing the colorful nature of the play, not just in the costumes and set, but also in the culture, and even in the intergenerational characters: one is in her mid-50s, the other in his early 20’s. The “third character” is the audience.

As the story unfolds, secrets are revealed, and the audience becomes immersed in the action. Nagarajan was very specific in rejecting the word “interactive,” believing it might push some people away, but seemed comfortable with the idea of a cultural and theatrical immersion. It’s about people going through familiar things. Set in the back room of Mrs. Krishnan’s store, the audience is invited to the party where they will “interact and talk with people you might never have talked with.” At the end of the show, Nagarajan wants the people dancing, singing, and laughing together. And eating! There is live cooking done onstage, and at the end the audience – excuse me, the invited guests – get to sample the meal.

Mrs. Krishnan’s Party builds community, and the audience is urged to come ready to be surprised. “Come with an open heart,” Nagarajan urges, “and don’t eat too much dinner before-hand.”

Mrs. Krishnan’s Party, written by Jacob Rajan and Justin Lewis, combines acting, dancing, singing, music, cooking, and laughter. No two performances are the same. Even the ticketing for the show is varied. The Indian Ink Theatre Company’s website described five levels of tickets: (1) the Top Table or VIP seat at the table in the center of the room with first class treatment; (2) the Inner Circle, which is still close; (3) the Wall Flower, up high with a perfect view; (4) the Cheeky Seat, close but not too close; and (5) the Party Animal, which is no seat at all, but spot that allows you to move and dance. I hope to be able to report back detail if it’s as awesome as it sounds!

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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Photo Credits: Nimmy Santhosh & the Indian Ink Theatre Company website

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BROKEN BONE BATHTUB: Therapeutic Theater Richmond Remount

BROKEN BONE BATHTUB: An Immersive Experience

A Few Notes and Observations by Julinda D. Lewis

A Firehouse Theatre Fringe Production

At: Secret site-specific bathtub locations; the address will be revealed upon purchasing a ticket*

Performances: October 16-20, 2019

Ticket Price: $25

Info: (804) 355-2001, firehousetheatre.org or https://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/4357334

We often say or hear that a particular performance is totally unlike any other. Well, Broken Bone Bathtub is truly unlike any theater I have ever experienced. Based on Siobhan O’Loughlin’s real-life experience of a traumatic bike accident that left her with a broken left hand, Broken Bone Bathtub takes place in a bathtub in someone’s home. Each performance is hosted in a different home (dates and neighborhoods are listed below; addresses are emailed after you purchase a ticket, and attendees are required to sign a waiver).

Siobhan (and I am breaking with convention here and using her first name, because I spent a little more than an hour with her as she sat, covered only with bubbles, in a bathtub – so I think we are now on a first name basis), interacts with the audience, so each performance will be quite different; even the timing will vary, based on the participants’ responses. After helping Siobhan shampoo her hair, I don’t even feel it would be responsible to call these sentences a review.

Broken Bone Bathtub is the most intimate piece of theater I have ever experienced. One Sunday afternoon this past March I attended David London’s production – part history, part storytelling, part séance – Humbug, the Great P.T. Barnum Séance at the Branch Museum of Architecture and Design. The audience was limited to those who could fit around the custom-made séance table, with room for about 4 observers. In August, I attended Dante Piro’s one-man show, The Verge, in that same space. Piro’s play was limited to those who could fit around a conference table. Both of those shows – also produced by The Firehouse, under the artistic direction of Joel Bassin – were intimate, and performed before a limited audience. But both were performed in a public space – and both London and Piro kept their clothes on!

Make no mistake, Siobhan’s bathtub drama has form and structure, meaning and purpose. She recounts her bike accident in carefully segmented portions, interspersed with questions to the audience – the 6 or 7 people gathered in an average-sized bathroom, seated shoulder-to-shoulder, or knee-to-tub on stools of varying heights. Several helpers were enlisted to help her perform tasks one cannot do alone when one’s hand and wrist are encased in a plaster cast. Everyone participated in the dialog on Wednesday night, sharing personal experiences ranging from expressions of childhood jealousy to crying in public, from shared showers to the dimensions of personal space and the difficulty of asking for help when you really need it.

These are genuine topics, and participants offered authentic responses. One woman was brought to tears when a question – and her response – triggered a sensitive memory. There was lots of laughter and, from my vantage point, I could see Siobhan’s eyes welling up more than once. Broken Bone Bathtub is experimental theater, but it is also a healing experience, equal parts theater and therapy. First, the project was Siobhan’s personal journey to physical recovery. Second, it was a way for her to connect with others – who do you call on in time of need? And finally, it is a cathartic experience for the audience-participants who were surreptitiously encouraged to tap into their own feelings, fears, and personal experiences, in the guise of a theatrical performance. At the end, Siobhan concluded her story, weaving in bits and pieces of the shared experiences, including the names of the contributors. Make no mistake, Broken Bone Bathtub may be experimental theater, but it is not random; it is organized and smart. Broken Bone Bathtub is also warm, intimate, and ultimately it is a liberating experience that links the participants with an indelible bond of humanity.

*Note Performances and Locations for Broken Bone Bathtub:
Wed., Oct 16 @ 7pm, Richmond Fan District, NO PETS
Thurs., Oct 17 @ 7pm, Gum Spring/Goochland, YES PETS
Fri., Oct 18 @ 7pm + 9pm, Bonair, YES PETS
Sat., Oct 19 @ 7pm + 9pm, Glen Allen, NO PETS
Sun., Oct 20 @ 2pm + 4pm, Midlothian/River Downs, YES PETS

Some of the locations have pets on the premises. Please be aware if you have allergies. If you are dangerously allergic to animals, we do not recommend purchasing tickets for those locations.

Unfortunately, none of these venues are wheelchair accessible. If you live in Richmond and have any ideas about making the show happen in an accessible space, please reach out to hello@brokenbonebathtub.com.

By the Way: Siobhan is, indeed, naked in the bathtub, but keeps herself covered with a thick layer of bubbles. There were men and women present, and at no time was any part of the show sexual or suggestive. Broken Bone Bathtub is, in fact, quite suitable for audiences of all ages!

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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Photo Credits: Firehouse Theatre and Broken Bone Bathtub website