Category: Performing Arts

A Secluded British Cottage…A Dead Body…A Stranger at the Door

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

Performances: September 20 – October 11, 2025

Ticket Prices: $49-54. Ask about discounts for students, seniors, and veterans.

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

A Theater Review by Julinda D. Lewis

Emlyn Williams’ Night Must Fall is a 1935-era psychological thriller – considered by some to be one of the first to define this genre. What makes Night Must Fall stand out among other classics murder mysteries is its disturbing series of twists and turns that ultimately reveals the inner workings of truly a psychotic individual, the protagonist, Dan, as well as the people who fall under his spell. Things – and people – are not what they seem to be…

The story is set in the isolated country home of Mrs. Bramson (Jacqueline Jones). A woman of means, we are never told precisely where here supposed fortune came from, but we do know that she is spoiled and entitled, ruling over her small estate from the confines of her wheelchair. She keeps piles of cash in a safe in her home.

Mrs. Bramson is attended by her niece, the apparently oppressed Olivia Grayne (Sara Dabney Tisdale, a visiting nurse, Nurse Libby (Maggie Jordan), an outspoken, seasoned cook, Mrs. Terrence (Kathy Parker) who provides most of the play’s much needed humor, and a timid young maid, Dora Parkoe (Madison Cox) whose unplanned pregnancy sets the whole drama in motion.

Supporting characters also include Inspector Belsize (Adam Mincks) who provides the voice of reason in the midst of chaos, and Hubert Laurie (Michael Blackwood), Olivia’s safe but boring suitor whose proposals of marriage she repeatedly rejects.

And then there is Dan (Matt Hackman), an oddly charismatic but apparently undisciplined young man who charmed first Dora and then, in quick succession, wins over the grumpy and manipulative Mrs. Bramson and her wary niece Olivia. One thing I still find puzzling is how Dan wormed his way into the good graces of Mrs. Bramson. Is flattery all it takes to get a spoiled, entitled elderly hypochondriac to accept you into her home? Night Must Fall has been popular enough since 1935 to have been adapted into at least three filmed versions (1937, 1954, and 1964), but accepting Dan requires more of a suspension of belief than I am willing to give up. Nevertheless…here we are.

Dora is pregnant. She names Dan as the father. Mrs. Bramson summons Dan to her home with the intention of persuading him to immediately marry Dora. But then we learn of a woman who turned up missing from a nearby hotel – the same place where Dan was working. It isn’t long before “missing” becomes “murdered” and the headless body is soon found in a rubbish bin on the edges of Mrs. Bramson’s property. Suspecting Dan may be involved, Olivia, Hubert, and the servants search through Dan’s belongings, coming up empty handed – except for a hatbox that is sealed shut, and whose contents are never revealed.

What follows the search is a cat and mouse game of manipulation, mind control, and misdirection. The final scene, in which Dan comes completely unraveled, leaves the audience shaken and many questions unanswered. What did the main characters know and when did they know it? What was Olivia’s role in what happened to her aunt? How is it that everyone left Mrs. Bramson alone on that fateful night? What did Mrs. Terrence and Dora know? Why did they come back? What was the significance of that final embrace? And was Dan’s maniacal laugh for show or a genuine manifestation of madness?

There is a lot to unpack in this show, and one can sit back and enjoy the ride or get lost in the labyrinth – or both. Jacqueline Jones was the perfect choice to play Mrs. Bramson. I immediately thought of her when I first heard the title and learned a little bit about the play. She is one of the few people who can make us feel compassion for this otherwise unlikeable and worrisome character.

Sara Dabney Tisdale caught me off guard with her character’s turn, and Kathy Parker’s droll humor kept things from descending too deep into the pits of hell where morality and mental stability seemed to have lost all touch with reality.

Matt Hackman’s turn as Dan was the most profoundly disturbing of all. Granted, he was under suspicion from the beginning, but he exposed new levels of depravity. Hackman’s portrayal of Dan reminds me of one of my favorite lines of all time, when I heard the late comedian Richard Pryor say, “Who are you gonna believe, me or your lying eyes?” After seeing Night Must Fall, you may question everyone and everything for a few days or weeks…

Oh, just one more thought: the title. Night Must Fall implies a sense of the inevitable, a sense of impending doom. It foreshadows an ominous warning of evil and darkness and reveals the psychology of fear and the night. And rightfully so. For all you thrill-seekers: a secluded British cottage; a dead body in the woods; a strange visitor at the door…and night must soon fall.

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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 gentle impact dance fitness classes to seasoned movers like herself and occasionally performs. Julinda was recently awarded the Dean’s Distinguished Adjunct Faculty Award 2023-24 Academic Year by VCU School of the Arts and the 2025 Pioneer Award in Dance Ministry by Transformation International Worship Ministries, Newport News, VA.

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NIGHT MUST FALL

By Emlyn Williams

Directed by John Moon

CAST

Mrs. Bramson – Jacqueline Jones

Olivia Grayne – Sara Dabney Tisdale

Nurse Libby – Maggie Jordan

Hubert Laurie – Michael Blackwood

Mrs. Terrence – Kathy Parker

Dora Parkoe – Madison Cox

Inspector Belsize – Adam Mincks

Dan – Matt Hackman

CREATIVE TEAM

Directed by John Moon

Scenic Design by Frank Foster

Lighting Design by Joe Doran

Costume Design by Maura Lynch Cravey

PRODUCTION STAFF

Producing Artistic Director – Tom With

Technical Director – Paul Howle

Scenic Carpenter – Peter Prout

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 Deekens, Hunter Keck

Lighting Crew – Brent Deekens

Photographer – Photographer – Daryll Morgan

Costume Assistant – Alia Radabaugh

Time and Place:

The play takes place in the sitting room of Forest Corner, Mrs. Bramson’s bungalow in Essex, in 1935.

Run Time:

About 2.5 hours with 1 15-minute intermission

Tickets:

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

Photographer: Darryl Morgan

“Death or Liberty”

A Reflection on a History-filled Theater Experience by Julinda D Lewis

Produced by: ATLAS Partnership

At: Hanover Tavern, 13181 Hanover Courthouse Rd, Hanover VA 23069

Performances: September 26 – November 9, 2025

Ticket Price: $49

Info: (804) 310-3493 or https://www.atlaspartnership.org/projects/gabriel or gabrielticket.com

No Justice, No Peace

I Can’t Breathe

Say Their Names

Black Lives Matter

Lost, Buried, Forgotten

Gabriel: The True Story You Were Never Told, is a powerful deterrent to Lost, Buried, Forgotten. To borrow a tagline from another historically oppressed group of people, Never Forget! Gabriel’s Rebellion of 1800 was such a devastating event that, as co-author and director Foster Solomon says in his Director’s Note, “in its aftermath the government began an active campaign to wipe all knowledge of it from history.” And as we all know, history repeats itself…

Near the end of this fleshed-out and wonderfully revised musical, James Monroe, Governor of Virginia from 1799-1802, insists that Gabriel – pardon me, General Gabriel – needs to be silenced, not because he is dangerous, but because he is right. Just let that sink in a moment – and then reflect on current headlines…In a powerful scene that is as hilarious as it is tragic, a shackled General Gabriel recites Monroe’s own words, striking him with reason and the evidence of his own contradiction.

Monroe, you see, was a staunch advocate of liberty, independence, and a free and educated populace. He served under General George Washington and took a bullet in the shoulder during the Battle of Trenton in 1776. But he, like other founding fathers, believed these ideals applied only to white people. Enslaved people made it possible for him and his family to live in prosperity.

After Gabriel’s Rebellion in August 1800, Monroe encouraged the passage of harsh laws that severely restricted educational opportunities for Black people, the ability of Black people to assemble together, and the movement of free and enslaved Black people within the Commonwealth of Virginia. As a two-term US President (1817-1825) and with the help of the American Colonization Society, Monroe encouraged the “resettling” of free Black Americans to West Africa and used government funds to establish a settlement there which became the nation of Liberia. The capital, Monrovia, was named for him. There’s more, so much more, but let’s talk about Gabriel: The True Story You Were Never Told.

Bracketed by opening and closing scenes of people wearing Black Lives Matter tee-shirts and carrying protest signs, Gabriel resurrects and honors the story of General Gabriel, leader of the largest insurrection of enslaved people in the Commonwealth of Virginia. It was surpassed in size and effect, I believe, only by the Haitian Revolution in the Colony of Saint-Domingue on the island of Hispaniola (1791-1804) and the German Coast Uprising of January 1811 in Louisiana. The Haitian Revolution successful abolished slavery, but at great cost; the people of Haiti have yet to recover from the economic devastation visited upon them by the government of France. A militia and the US Army suppressed the Louisiana Rebellon, leaving the heads of some of the insurrectionists displayed on poles as a warning against future rebellion.

This is not a happy, care-free musical. This is the story of how an enslaved blacksmith – a literate Black man who had learned to read and write alongside the son of his master – became the leader of a movement to end slavery in Virginia. Gabriel’s plan extended over ten counties and the cities of Richmond, Norfolk, and Petersburg. His people had weapons – handmade scythes and muskets they planned to obtain from the prison armory in Richmond. If not for a torrential rainfall the night the plan was to executed and the betrayal of two enslaved men, hoping to obtain leniency and their own freedom, who knows how the history of slavery in Virginia and the US might have been changed on that fateful night.

One of the authors, Jerold E. Solomon, plays the role of General Gabriel, an initially reluctant leader whose story, once lost, buried, forgotten, is being retold and taking on even greater significance in light of the chaotic political climate of 2025. One thing of many that stands out is that Solomon does not strut about and puff out his chest as the leader. Instead, he is humble, reluctant, reflective, and admittedly imperfect. This stands in stark contrast to the role of Thomas Prosser, Jr., owner of the Henrico County plantation where Gabriel resides. Joshua Mullins plays the role of Prosser, Jr. with a permanent smirk on his face.

While, at first, we are led to believe that the young Prosser, unlike his father, has some sympathy for the enslaved people under his care, it gradually becomes clear that he was not only weak but complicit and a supercilious liar. Coupled with the portrayal of young Prosser’s fiancée, Lucy (Rebekah Nogueira) as more of a “man” in the patriarchal, arrogant meaning of the word than he will ever be, the white characters are portrayed almost as caricatures, while the enslaved people are more rounded, more nuanced.

Young Prosser is obligated to please first his father then his fiancée and future father-in-law, a judge who presides over the slave courts. Lucy is entitled and steeled for battle; she always gets her way, and her way, as a woman who had barely more legal standing than a Black man in 1800, was to bully her father and fiancé. Both Nogueira and Mullins give excellent performances, but neither character has any redeeming qualities and while separately they are despicable, together they are unbearably cruel. The irony of Mullins singing abut being free was not lost on me – or the rest of the audience for that matter. Great acting, because at the end of the show, I did not want to see either of them; I am sure I would have reacted with disgust!

Among the show’s standouts is David Watkins who played the role of Jack Ditcher, Gabriel’s second-in-command. Watkins is no stranger to Richmond stages, having appeared in Detroit 67 (Firehouse) and Satchmo at the Waldorf and War in Pieces (both Virginia Rep), but something about him seemed so familiar. His fire-stirring speeches to the initially reluctant Gabriel, whom he meets in prison, are essential to the movement of the plot – both literally and figuratively. His admonition to Gabriel to “stoke the fire, feed the flames” was soul-stirring.

But the performance that was really earth-shaking, for me, was given by Zakiyyah Jackson, who plays Gabriel’s love interest and helpmeet, Nanny. Jackson, who did herself proud in both the Artsies-award winning How Black Mothers Say I Love You (2023) and the more recent Strange Loop (2025), both at Richmond Triangle Players truly outdid herself. Her singing was clear, shattering, heartfelt. She did say, during the opening night reception, that she had been under the weather during A Strange Loop, but this is one of her strongest performances ever. Bravo!

The cast was rounded out by Dale R. Heiskill as Gabriel’s brother Martin, Sydney Graves as Nanny’s siter Delia, and Cameron Caple and Taesean Blanding as Ben and Billy, respectively – young Black men on the plantation. Robert Fix filled the aristocratic shoes of Gov. Monroe while Michael (Mac) McMullen filled the roles of Absalom Johnson (the white man Gabriel was tried for assaulting) and Captain Taylor (who carried Gabriel to a short-lived safety in Norfolk after the failed insurrection) while Rachel Rose Gilmour played the role of Lucy’s (only?) friend and Richmond theater veteran Bev Appleton covered the roles of Thomas Prosser Sr and Lucy’s father, the Judge.

Chris Raintree created a simple, functional set of rough wooden slats that defined Gabriel’s blacksmithing shop and boxes that transformed into all the other furniture needed. This set was beautifully lit by Alleigh Scantling, enhanced Dasia Gregg’s projections, and ensconced in a soundscape designed, I presume, by audio advisor Ron Sinko. Leslie Owens-Harrington, whose choreography has been too-long absent from Richmond stages, contributed movement that was at times organic, at times warrior-like, and sometimes – as when the host of ancestors appeared, entering through all the aisles – reverent.

But this is a musical, and the music was a key component. As I have already stated, the vocals were often memorable, sometimes soaring into the operatic range, but the instrumentals were a constant support and, at times, I wish the band had been visible.

Keith Walker and Sue Griffin dressed the cast to emphasize the sense of opposition. The white people wore beautiful fabrics with neat stitching while the enslaved population wore plain, drab, rough-hewn fabrics. In scenes where the African ancestors appeared, however, the cast was adorned with Kente and brightly colored African prints accessorized with gold jewelry, elaborate head wraps, and even crowns.

The location of the production became an integral part of the show when it was revealed that Hanover Tavern had once housed seven of Gabriel’s followers. Historic signs in the lobby provide additional background, including details of Gabriel’s betrayal by another enslaved man on board the three-masted schooner, Mary, en route to Norfolk on the night of August 30, 1800, the subsequent trials, resulting in twenty-six of the conspirators being condemned to death by hanging – for which the enslavers required reimbursement! – and the steps taken to suppress any further attempts to end slavery. Before his death, one said: “I have nothing more to offer than what General Washington would have had to offer, had he been taken by the British and put to trial by them. I have adventured my life in endeavouring to obtain the liberty of my countrymen and am a willing sacrifice in their cause: and I beg, as a favour, that I may be immediately led to execution. I know that you have pre-determined to shed my blood, why then all this mockery of a trial?”

Death or Liberty.

They meant what they said, and they said what they meant.

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NOTE: Read my article, “Gabriel’s Song” for Richmond Magazine, September 9, 2022 https://richmondmagazine.com/arts-entertainment/stage-screen/gabriel-firehouse-theatre/

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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. Julinda was recently awarded the Dean’s Distinguished Adjunct Faculty Award 2023-24 Academic Year by VCU School of the Arts and the 2025 Pioneer Award in Dance Ministry by Transformation International Worship Ministries, Newport News, VA.

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GABRIEL: The True Story You Were Never Told

Book by Jerold Solomon, Foster Solomon, and Ron Klipp

Music and Lyrics by Ron Klipp and Jerold Solomon

CAST

Gabriel – Jerold E. Solomon

Thomas Prosser, Jr. – Joshua Mullins

Nanny – Zakiyyah Jackson

Ditcher – David Watkins

Lucy – Rebekah Nogueira

Martin, u/s Gabriel – Dale R. Heiskill

Delia, u/s Nanny – Sydnee Graves

Gov. Monroe – Robert Fix

Ben, u/s Billy – Cameron Caple

Absalom Johnson/Captain Taylor, u/s Thomas Jr – Mac McMullen

Thomas Prosser Sr/Judge – Bev Appleton

Ensemble, u/s Lucy – Rachel Rose Gilmour

u/s Gov Monroe, Prosser Sr, Absalom, Captain Taylor – Matt Bloch

u/s Delia – Jianna Hurt

MUSIC

Music Director, Conductor, Keyboards – Ron Klipp

Assistant Music Director – Billy Dye

Drum/Percussion – Bentley Cobb

Guitar – Jeff Lindquist

PRODUCTION TEAM & CREW

Director – Foster Solomon

Resident Historian – Prof. Ana Edwards

Pastoral Advisor – Rev. Dr. Rodney D. Waller

Set Design – Chris Raintree

Co-Costume Design – Keith Walker & Sue Griffin

Lighting Design – Alleigh Scantling

Audio Advisor – Ron Sinko

Choreography – Leslie Owens-Harrington

Music Direction – Ron Klipp

Projection Design – Dasia Gregg

Technical Director/Production Management – Bill Jenkins

Stage Management – Shawanna Hall

Assistant Stage Management – Tariq Karriem

For This Production:

Light Board Operator: Shawanna Hall

Sound Board Operator: Steve Jones

Sound Board Operator Standby: Mike Jones

Wardrobe Assistant: Tariq Karriem

House Manager: Gina Maria McKenzie, Aubrey Mitten

Hanover Tavern Executive Director: David Deal

Hanover Tavern Associate Director: Brooke Adams

Performance Schedule:

September 26 – November 9, 2025. Previews Sept 26, 28 & Oct 2. Opening Night October 3. Performances Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays @7:30PM and Sundays @3:00PM. Pay What You Will October 9. Wednesday Matinee October 22 @2:00PM

Tickets: $49. Group Discounts available.

Information: (804) 310-3493 or https://www.atlaspartnership.org/projects/gabriel or gabrielticket.com

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

Setting: Thomas Prosser’s Plantation in Henrico County, VA and in and around Richmond, VA and Norfolk, VA, 1799-1800

Premiere: Gabriel the Musical was originally developed and produced at Firehouse Theatre, Richmond, VA, September 2022. https://richmondmagazine.com/arts-entertainment/stage-screen/gabriel-firehouse-theatre/

Photos: Aaron Sutton

Passion & Power

A Dance Review  

Program By: The Richmond Ballet 

At: Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, Leslie Cheek Theater, on the Armstrong Family Stage in Honor of Richmond, 200 N. Arthur Ashe Boulevard, RVA 23220 

Performances: September 11-21, 2025 

Ticket Prices: $29 – $89 (more on opening night) 

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

THE PROGRAM 

WILD SWEET LOVE 

Choreography by Trey McIntyre 

Music by The Zombies, Felix Mendelssohn, The Partridge Family, Lou Reed, José Alfredo Jiménez, Roberta Flack, Queen 

Staged by Iliana Goldman 

Lighting Design by Nathan W. Scheuer after Original Design by Steve Odehnal 

World Premiere: March 27, 2007, Sacramento Ballet, Sacramento Community Center Theater, Sacramento, CA. Virginia Premiere: September 11, 2025, Richmond Ballet, Leslie Cheek Theater, Virginia Museum of Fine Arts Richmond, VA. 

PIENSA EN MI (THINK OF ME) 

A World Premiere inspired by the life and art of Frida 

Choreography by Ma Cong 

Music voy Lila Downs, Elliot Goldenthal, Chavela Vargas, Los Cojolites, Camilla Griehsel, Mariachi Juvenil de Tecalitán 

Costume Design by Emma Kingsbury 

Lighting Design by Nathan W. Scheuer 

Projection Design by Dave Watkins 

World Premiere: May 15, 1996, by Richmond Ballet at Leslie Cheek Theater, Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, Richmond, VA 

The Richmond Ballet aptly titled their season opening Moving Art One program at the VMFA’s Leslie Cheek Theater “Passion & Power.” 

The evening opened with the Virginia premiere of Trey McIntyre’s 2007 Wild, Sweet Love – which also happens to be part of the lyrics to one of the songs, Roberta Flack’s “Do What You Gotta Do.” In addition to the soulful tunes of Ms. Flack, McIntyre has set the work to a veritable wedding playlist of pop tunes and love songs. Lead dancer Celeste Gaiera wears a white dress with a layered classic tutu for a skirt, and elbow length white gloves. The only thing missing is a veil, because sure enough, that was Mendelssohn’s “Wedding March” we heard. After her opening solo, set to The Zombies’ “The Way I Feel Inside” Gaiera walks off in a slouch with her head bowed, shoulders rounded. It’s interesting that the bride is the only character who has no partner. 

Four couples – Isabella Franco and Ira White, Eri Nishihara and Jack Miller, Annika Kuo and Aleksey Babayev, Josiah Lax and Kennady Jackson – accompany Gaiera on her journey to…find love? …recover from a lost love? We’re not sure. Wild, Sweet Love is a non-traditional, contemporary ballet. There’s not a pointe shoe in sight. My seatmate commented on how accessible the choreography was – noting that it appeals to a wide audience. 

Another remarkable element in Wild, Sweet Love is the cast of a dozen or so “shadow performers,” who act as a sort of Greek chorus. Main characters sometimes intermingle with the shadows – who are dressed in black and mostly shown in silhouette. Lead dancers emerge from the ranks of the shadows for a duet, a trio, or a full cast movement, then blend back in with the shadow performers. 

This, along with the often everyday movements of the dancers, adds to the relatability of the work. It suggests unity as well as the possibility or hope that at any moment any one of us may rise from obscurity into the spotlight. A duet by Isabella Franco and Ira White to The Partridge Family’s “I Think I Love You” is powerful and intriguing, followed by Eri Nishihara and Jack Miller is a quirky and carefree “Perfect Day.” 

All-in-all, Wild, Sweet Love was an excellent choice to open the 2025-26 season. 

The second half of the program introduced the World Premiere of Ma Cong’s Piensa en Mi (Think of Me), a contemporary ballet inspired by the life and art of Frida Kahlo (whose VMFA exhibit runs through September 28).  

The opening is beautifully staged with one of the four Fridas dancing downstage while three costumes are suspended from the ceiling. Two more Fridas enter and are helped into their dresses by their partners, while the fourth dress – a red one – remains suspended for the remainder of this section. 

Dave Watkins has designed projections, like a pattern that suggests footprints that leads the Fridas along a “Journey,” complete with hand luggage.  Ma has done his research and created a work that honors the spirit of Frida Kahlo without mimicking her paintings or the photographs in the museum’s collection. We see this in little touches like the flowers in the four Fridas hair, and in the carefully stitched bodices of their dresses – each a different color – designed by Emma Kingsbury.  

The women, Naomi Robinson, Mikell Graf, Eri Nishihara, and Izabella Tokev represent Frida at different ages, different stages: youthful, after her devastating bus accident, in love. 

Ma describes his work as intended to inspire people to be honest, brave, and expressive. It is not as extroverted as McIntyre’s ballet. At times it is more introspective, as is befitting a work inspired by Frida Kahlo, but at the times it seems to lag behind. This could be the effect of placing such a high-powered work at the top of the program and the more intimate work at the end. Nevertheless, “Passion & Power” is a deeply satisfying program that seemed to be over all too soon. 

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The Richmond Ballet’s 2025-2026 season began with Moving Art One, September 11-21 featuring Wild Seet Love by Trey McIntyre and Piensa en Mi (Think of Me) a world premiere by Ma Cong. 

Moving Art Two, October 16-26 is scheduled to present Slice to Sharp by Jorma Elo, a world premiere by Andrea Scher moly, and French Twist by Ma Cong. The Nutcracker will be performed at Dominion Energy Center December 6-23 and Giselle will be performed there February 13-15. The season will continue with Moving Art Three, the company’s New Works Festival with works by Natasha Adorlee, David Morse, Price Suddarth, and Serkan Usta from March 19-29, and conclude May 14-24 with Moving Art Four with George Balanchine’s Apollo, John Butler’s After Eden, and a world premiere by Val Caniparoli. 

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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. Julinda was recently awarded the Dean’s Distinguished Adjunct Faculty Award 2023-24 Academic Year by VCU School of the Arts and the 2025 Pioneer Award in Dance Ministry by Transformation International Worship Ministries, Newport News, VA. 

“There are facts, and there’s what’s true.”

It’s a Case of Facts vs Truth and There is No Clear Winner

A Theater Review by Julinda D. Lewis

Presented by CAT – Chamberlayne Actor’s Theatre

At: Hanover Tavern, 13181 Hanover Courthouse Rd., Route 301, Hanover, VA 23069

Performances: September 6, 2025

Ticket Prices: $34.00 General Admission. $30.00 Seniors 60+

Info: (804) 362-2950 or www.cattheatre.com

It’s always an adventure going to a show whose title is unfamiliar and whose plot is unknown to you. This was the case when I ventured out once again to the historic Hanover Tavern to see CAT’s 61^st season opener, The Lifespan of a Fact, written by Jeremy Kareken & David Murrell and Gordon Farrell.

The Lifespan of a Fact is based on a true story, an essay published in 2012 by author John D’Agata and fact-checker Jim Fingal. The book is about the suicide of a teenager, Levi Presley, who jumped to his death from the Stratosphere Hotel. The play is just a snippet of the seven-year process of fact-checking that went into the work from the time D’Agata’s essay was first accepted for publication until it finally made it into print. The 90-minute play is intense. It starts off fairly innocuous, with Fingal, fresh out of school – a Harvard man – chomping at the bit for his first professional fact-checking job. The problem is, Fingal is a bit too thorough for his own good.

Fingal and D’Agata butt heads, with the author initially refusing all edits and Fingal refusing to let any discrepancy slide. Emily Penrose, D’Agata’s editor and Fingal’s boss, is caught in the middle, balancing the need for truth and accuracy with the need to publish a good story. The lines soon blurred around truth versus fact, with both sides making strong arguments.

This is a most unusual play. Director Andrew Gall writes, in his Director’s notes, “This play takes a question we think we already know the answer to – what is truth? – and refuses to let us off the hook.” It’s timely. It’s relevant. There are moments of pure hilarity balanced by moments of moral anguish. At some point, it becomes personal.

I thoroughly enjoyed this debate. James gradually settled into his character, who was initially arrogant and unbending, but eventually softened enough to lay out a debate worthy argument that explained why it was important to bend the facts to reveal the truth of the story. Mincks brought most of the humor, often delivering a very physical performance that, at one point, had him laid out on the floor in what might be described as an adult version of a temper tantrum. Mincks brought a delightful balance of passion and humor to his role as the overly enthusiastic young fact-checker. Jennipher Murphy was the most conservative as the over-worked editor, Emily Penrose. One could almost hear her mind shifting as the reality of the situation set in.

The right story at the right time can make people rethink the events of their own lives, but the wrong facts can get in the way of the story. Yikes! So, does it really matter how long young Levi sat on the ledge of the observation tower? Does it matter whether the other young person who took their own life the same day jumped off a building or hung themselves? Does it matter whether the oldest known Tabasco sauce bottle was found under the Boston Saloon or the more interestingly named Bucket of Blood Saloon? On what day did the lady play tic-tac-toe with a chicken, and exactly how many strip clubs were in Las Vegas on the day of the suicide? Fingal’s notes took up more pages than D’Agata’s essay. Oh, and make sure you call it an “essay” rather than an “article.”

Would this story be published on time? Would it be published at all? If published, what version of the truth would win out? At the end, the audience is left without any definitive answer – but a lot to ponder.

What an interesting choice to open CAT’s 61^st season. I can say with assurance that the acting and direction were well-paced and highly engaging – enough so that I temporarily forgot about the struggle bus set of stark white walls and a bare minimum of seemingly random, cast-off furnishings. That was initially distracting – and again when the hard white bench Fingal stretched out on to sleep was identified as D’Agata’s couch. Ouch. But…the words and their delivery were enough.

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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. Julinda was recently awarded the Dean’s Distinguished Adjunct Faculty Award 2023-24 Academic Year by VCU School of the Arts and the 2025 Pioneer Award in Dance Ministry by Transformation International Worship Ministries, Newport News, VA.

THE LIFESPAN OF A FACT

Written by Jeremy Kareken & David Murrell and Gordon Farrell

Directed by Andrew Gall

Cast

John D’Agata           …..      Paul S. James

Emily Penrose          …..      Jennipher Murphy

Jim Fingal                 …..      John Mincks

                        Understudies

John D’Agata           …..      Skye Whitcomb

Emily Penrose          …..      Constance Moreau

Jim Fingal                 …..      Joshua Shay

Producers, Creative Design Team & Crew

Producers –  Zachary Owen & Kerrigan Sullivan

Hanover Tavern Executive Director – David Deal

Lighting Design – Alleigh Scantling

Scenic Design & Properties Design – Hailey Bean

Costume Design – Sheila Russ

Sound Design – Nic Creery

Backstage Crew – Piper Stewart

Production Assistant – Russell Paulette

Lights, Sound, and Projections Operator – Kellan Garka

Publicity – Jason Lucas

Photography – Tom Topinka

Set Construction – Michael Sullivan, Rob Moose, Hunter Keck, Piper Stewart, Kellan Garka, Jenipher Murphy, Russell Paulette, Charles Wax

Settings

1.The home of John D’Agata, Las Vegas, Nevada.

2. Editorial offices of an upscale magazine, New York City, New York.

3. The home of Emily Penrose, New York City, New York

Run Time

90 minutes with no intermission

Performance Schedule

Fri. Aug 29th 2025, 7:30 pm

Sat. Aug 30th 2025, 2:30 pm

Sun. Aug 31st 2025, 2:30 pm

Fri. Sep 5th 2025, 7:30 pm

Sat. Sep 6th 2025, 7:30 pm

Sun. Sep 7th 2025, 2:30 pm

Fri. Sep 12th 2025, 7:30 pm

Sat. Sep 13th 2025, 2:30 pm

Sun. Sep 14th 2025, 2:30 pm

Tickets:

$34 General; $30 ages 60+

Information:

(804) 362-2950 or www.cattheatre.com