Category: Performing Arts

HONKY TONK ANGELS

Nashville Dreams

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

Performances: November 16 – December 28, 2024

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

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

Written by Ted Swindley, who also gave us Always…Patsy Cline (1988), Honky Tonk Angels (2002) is a heart-warming and amusing musical about a trio of  aspiring female country singers. Swift Creek Mill last produced this show 11 years ago, with Robyn O’Neill, Debra Wagoner, and Robin Arthur who are credited in the current program as Angels Emerita. 

The current cast consists of three talented women who are all making their Swift Creek Mill Theatre debut. Kimberly Strother an afternoon host for a local NPR affiliate radio station, has the role of Angela Bodine, a Texas homemaker with six kids, a philandering husband, a love for comedian Roseanne Barr, a penchant for seeing the brighter side of things, and a need to claim her identity before it’s gone forever.

Chelsea Shaul, a recent graduate of Randolph Macon College with a degree in Theatre and Psychology, is making her professional debut as Darlene Purvis , a beautiful and innocent young woman who lives with her widowed father in a West Virginia coal mining town. She has a guitar and no prospects, since her boyfriend, Billy Joe McAllister, jumped off the Tallahatchie Bridge.

Savanah Ragland, a Chesterfield County Public Schools employee, fills out the cast as Sue Ellen Smith Barney Fife, a twice divorced, Texas-born, Los Angeles-based secretary to a “hands-on” boss. She has unfinished business and unfulfilled dreams.

The lives of the three women intersect on a Greyhound bus as the three independently start their journeys to Nashville and stardom. The fun begins on the bus as Sue Ellen feigns disinterest, Darlene oozes naiveté, and Sue Ellen plies everyone with a seemingly endless supply of baloney sandwiches. The scene concludes with Sue Ellen celebrating the newly united trio with a shower of pork rind confetti.

Act Two is pretty much a farewell concert as the newly christened Honky Tonk Angels conclude a successful six-week run at a Nashville venue, the appropriately named, Honky Tonk Heaven. The two-act musical is filled with approximately thirty songs, many of them familiar, such as “Stand By Your Man,” Loretta Lynn’s “Coal Miner’s Daughter,” Dolly Parton’s “9 to 5” and “I Will Always Love You,” Bobbie Gentry’s “Ode to Billie Joe,” and more.

A highlight, for me, was Kimberly Strother’s campy rendition of “Harper Valley PTA” in Act Two. Near the top of Act One, Savanah Ragland angrily sang her way through “Stand By Your Man” as her character, Sue Ellen, resolved to claim her independence, while Chelsea Shaul (Darlene) reveals what it was that she and Billie Joe threw off the Tallahatchie Bridge. All three of the Angels proved entertaining with song-related backstories and endearing qualities expressed through both familiar and novelty songs, for the most part beautifully rendered, both individually and together.

Audience engagement was apparent – and encouraged – with sporadic periods of handclapping and a few moments when the cast invited audience participation, but there weren’t many takers, at least not on opening night. This may be part of the reason why it seemed that, while the second act featured a more cohesive set and multiple costume changes, I thought the strongest performances occurred in the first act.

Act Two seemed to run out of steam before they ran out of songs to sing. This was even reflected in the script as the Angels attempted to change their song repertoire and their style to reflect a more conservative image. Darlene’s femme fatale number, “Help Me Make It Through the Night” didn’t quite seem to convey the required depth of feeling and the collaborative “Cleopatra: Queen of Denial” somehow fell short of humor or parody but instead took an unexpected turn and drifted towards the shore of the murky sea of offensiveness.

Honky Tonk Angels is mostly fluff. It makes us feel confident that we all know more country music than we ever thought we knew. It’s a feel-good musical, with a paper-thin plot that serves as a vehicle to deliver the songs. It doesn’t require us to focus on the twists and turns of a plot or the nuances of the acting or to remember significant details that might be necessary to understand the denouement later on. With this in mind, go, have a no-stress good time – and don’t forget to sing along when asked.

———-

Julinda D. Lewis, EdD is a dancer, teacher, and writer who was born in Brooklyn, NY and now lives 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. Her most recent (ad)venture was the premiere of a solo work, The Waters of Babylon or Psalm 137 Revisited: a Post-Exodus Reflection in Movement Choreographed From Collective Memories for the debut of the Critical Race Theatre Project.

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HONKY TONK ANGELS

By Ted Swindley

Directed by Tom Width

CAST

Kimberly Strother as Angela

Chelsea Shaul as Darlene

Savanah Ragland as Sue Ellen

ORCHESTRA

Piano/Conductor…Paul Deiss

Guitar………………Ed Drake

Fiddle………………Drew Perkins

Bass…………………Sheri Oyan

Drums………………Julie Fulcher-Davis

CREATIVE TEAM

Directed by Tom With

Musical Direction by Paul Deiss

Scenic Design by Tom Width

Lighting Design by Joe Doran

Costume Design by Maura Lynch Cravey

Technical Direction by James Nicholas

Setting:

Act One: Los Angeles, CA; Waxahatchie, TX; somewhere in the Mississippi Delta; and a Greyhound bus.

Act Two: Honky Tonk Heaven in Nashville, TN

Run Time:

About 2 hours with 1 intermission

Tickets:

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

Photographer: Darryl Morgan

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WATER BY THE SPOONFUL

When Your Brain is Your Biggest Enemy

A Theater Review by Julinda D. Lewis

Presented By: The Firehouse Theatre on the Carol Piersol Stage

At: 1609 W. Broad Street, RVA 23220

Performances: November 6-24, 2024

Ticket Prices: $5.00 – $35

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

Water By the Spoonful by Quiara Alegría Hudes (who also authors the book for the musical In the Heights) is the second work in a trilogy centered around a young Puerto Rican veteran named Elliot Ortiz. Water By the Spoonful is set Elliot’s hometown of Philadelphia, as well as Japan, Dan Diego, and Puerto Rico, several years after Elliot has returned home, limping from a wounded leg, and haunted by a mysterious apparition.

But it is more than a PTSD play. It is a play about addiction, recovery, mental health, and perhaps most of all, it is about family – the kind we are born into and the kind we choose. There’s the close relationship between Elliot and his cousin Yazmin, an adjunct professor of music at Swarthmore. There’s his estranged relationship with his biological mother Odessa aka Haiku-Mom, the administrator of an online forum for recovering crack addicts, and his close relationship with his aunt, Mami Ginny/Eugenia, who raised him due to his mother’s addiction. There is his relationship to his past, which sometimes manifests as hallucinatory images. There are also the relationships between Odessa and her online community, and between the members of the forum, known at first only by their screennames: Chutes&Ladders, Orangutan, and Fountainhead.

Director Katrinah Carol Lewis, Associate Artistic Director of the Firehouse Theatre, together with Co-Scenic Designers Vinnie Gonzalez and Todd LaBelle and Projection Designer Tennessee Dixon give life and visual impact to the multi-layered relationships and sometimes overlapping action. And I hope it is safe to assume that Jeremy Morris, who is credited with “Sound Consultancy” is largely responsible for the aural saturation with the creative discordance of John Coltrane-infused free jazz  

that underscores the production, most notably when Yazmin (played by Juliana Caycedo) is presiding in her professorial role.

Erich Appleby is gripping and authentic as Elliot, the protagonist. There are so many instances when he could have over-acted, but he approaches the brink and never takes that irretrievable leap. The interplay between the cousins, Elliot/Appleby and Yazmin/Caycedo is a thing of beauty; one often forgets they are acting.

When a crisis comes, in the form of the death of Mami Ginny, who never appears on stage, it simultaneously pulls the family together and tears them apart. Who’s going to pay for the funeral? Who’s going to deliver the eulogy? Will she be buried or cremated? Who gets her jewelry? What about the house? These are real questions that may, in fact, be quite triggering for some viewers.

Alana Dodds Sharp is often center stage in her role as Elliot’s biological mother, Odessa. (Why does that name sound so similar to “overdose” to me? Weird? Or premonition?) Her role as a nurturer and mentor is called into question on the death of her sister, and family secrets are revealed that shift perspectives and affect the outcome. Elliott spends most of his onstage time throughout the two powerful acts with his cousin Yazmin, but when it is time for the final bows, it is Appleby and Sharp who are featured as the leads.

Eric “Mr. Q.” Quander and Anne Michelle Forbes bring both levity and insight to their supporting roles as Chutes&Ladders and Orangutan, while John-Michael Jalonen as the late-comer, Fountainhead, plays a pivotal role in the dynamics of the relationships of the recovering crackheads. Finally, there is the versatile and mysterious Mahlon Raoufi who plays three roles, which require him to speak at least that many languages!

Water By the Spoonful takes its name from an incident in Odessa’s past, but it also represents the life-giving qualities of water. Sometimes even small sips – or a spoonful every five minutes – are enough to sustain life, while the lack of it guarantees death.

Not enough can be said about the modular set with its moving platforms and colorful strips of lighting, like directional signals on a runway or of the layered projections sometimes as subtle as an almost abstract map, sometimes as literal as moving images that support the onstage action, and sometimes as blatant as signage indicating the location of the actors.

It all comes down to an immersive theatrical experience that is intimate and familiar, instructive as a parable, and haunting in a way that you will not soon forget. You have until November 24th to see it.

—–

Julinda D. Lewis is a dancer, teacher, and writer who was born in Brooklyn, NY and now lives in Eastern Henrico County, VA. 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. Her most recent (ad)venture was the premiere of a solo work, The Waters of Babylon or Psalm 137 Revisited: a Post-Exodus Reflection in Movement Choreographed From Collective Memories for the debut of the Critical Race Theatre Project, right here in Richmond at RTP in August 2024.

—–

WATER BY THE SPOONFUL

Written by Quiara Alegría Hudes

Directed by Katrinah Carol Lewis

Cast

Odessa Ortiz                         ……….           Alana Dodds Sharp

Elliot Ortiz                             ……….           Erich Appleby

Yazmin Ortiz                         ……….           Juliana Caycedo

Fountainhead                      ……….           John-Michael Jalonen

Chutes&Ladders                 ……….           Eric “Mr. Q” Quander

Orangutan                            ……….           Anne Michelle Forbes

Professor/Ghost/Policeman  …….           Mahlon Raoufi

Production Team

Direction                               ……….           Katrinah Carol Lewis

Asst Direction/Dramaturgy……….          Kyle Trice Zabala

Co-Scenic Design                ……….           Vinnie Gonzalez/Todd LaBelle

Costume Design                  ……….           Keith Walker

Lighting Design                   ……….           Andrew Bonniwell

Projection Design                ……….           Tennessee Dixon

Sound Design/Stage Mgt  ……….           Grace Brown LaBelle

Asst Stage Management   ……….           Kennedy Shahan

Sound Consultancy             ……….           Jeremy Morris

Fight Choreography           ……….           Aaron Orensky

Run Crew                              ……….           Mikayla MacVicar, Jacob Simmon, Marcely (Mar) Villatoto

Booth Operator                   ……….           Chewie Lo Moore

Run Time: About 2 hours 20 minutes; there is 1 intermission

Tickets: $5 to $35

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

Performance Schedule:

November 6 & 7: Previews 7:30PM

November 8: Opening Night 7:30PM

November 9: 7:30PM

November 10: Sunday at 2:00PM – Pay What You Will + Member Post-Show Mixer

November 15: 7:30PM

November 16: Saturday at 2:00PM & 7:30PM

November 17: Sunday at 2:00PM

November 21: 7:30PM

November 22: 7:30PM

November 23: Saturday at 2:00PM & 7:30PM

November 24: Closing performance Sunday at 2:00PM

Water by the Spoonful was originally commissioned by Hartford Stage, Michael Wilson, Artistic Director & Michael Scotts, Managing Director, through the AETNA New Voices Fellowship Program.

World Premiere by Hartford Stage, October 28, 2011

———-

Photo Credits: No photos available at the time of publication

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LORD OF THE FLIES

There’s No Escaping the Ravages of War

A Theater Review by Julinda D. Lewis

 Presented by: Richmond Shakespeare

At: Libby S. Gottwald Playhouse Dominion Energy Center, 600 East Grace Street, RVA 23219

Performances: October 17 – November 10, 2024

Ticket Prices: $15-$47 [Adults $47; Seniors 65+ with ID $42; Military with ID $27; College Students & Children $22; VTA $15 with Password] Seating is General Admission.

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

Lord of the Flies is one of those productions that’s hard to write about because there’s good, bad, and ugly. The good things are all about the production. The bad and ugly things all have to do with the things the book and this production reveal about humankind. This is not a production you can say that you liked or enjoyed, but it is a production you need to see.

If it’s been a long time since you’ve read William Golding’s book, Lord of the Flies – or if you’ve never read it – the story is about a group of boys and young men who, while being evacuated from a nuclear attack, experience a plane crash and become marooned on a tropical island. With only eleven young survivors and no adults or other authority figures in sight, they are left to figure out how to survive and soon divide into two groups. Those who follow Ralph want some semblance of order and civilization, while those who follow Jack prefer a more chaotic life of hunting and tribal dancing. They hunt wild pigs and a malevolent force known as “the beast” that they believe jumps from body to body – meaning that no one is safe from being hunted.

The boys in the original story were upper class British boys from several different prep schools. That detail seems to have fallen by the wayside, as only one or two of the boys in this cast have adapted a British accent or mannerisms. They are a diverse bunch – in real life as well as onstage – thus giving the tale a more universal appeal.

Interestingly, author Harding’s 1954 publication was based on a children’s novel that promoted the civilizing influence of British colonialism. [Not my words, I’m just reporting here.] Golding apparently found that novel unrealistic and wanted to write a book about children marooned on an island who behaved as he believed children would really behave in such circumstances. As you might suspect – it isn’t a pretty sight.

A cast of 11 young actors, ranging from a sixth grader (Hank Astoria, who already has an impressive bio with several productions under his belt – if young people still wear belts) to college students, recent graduates, and young professionals commandeers the unnamed island and captures the hearts of the audience at the Libby S. Gottwald Playhouse – the temporary location of this island. Lindsey Kelley has designed a simple, two-level set that transforms the theater space into a tropical paradise gone rogue. There’s a beach, a mountain, and a forest. Special effects include lighting, a soundscape, a realistic looking fire, smoke, and an eerie projection that the boys believe is the dreaded “beast.”

I attended on the second night of the run, and already it seemed that a high level of camaraderie and commitment to the ensemble had begun to emerge among the “boys.” This is something very necessary for a show that delves into depravity, chaos, and anarchy, a show that upends morals and tosses rules off a cliff into a swift-flowing current. If the audience is silent and contemplative while leaving (as many were), I can only imagine how much Lord of the Flies weighs on its young cast.

(BTW, I couldn’t help but think of how on the previous Sunday the RTCC or Richmond Theater Community Circle celebrated youthful energy in theater, and not one week later I viewed two plays about young people!  I also saw H*tler’s Tasters on Thursday night. You can read my thoughts on that show here: https://jdldancesrva.com/2024/10/18/htlers-tasters/ But I digress.)  

Tavares Taylor and Liam Storm quickly established an uneasy rapport as Ralph, the winner of the popular vote, and Piggy, his advisor and confidant. Sawyer Williams emerged even more quickly as the island’s resident bully, Jack, a section leader of his school choir who soon turned rogue leader of a band of hunters and marauders.

Anthony Hernandez owned the role of Simon, the misunderstood spiritual leader of the group whose natural discernment was both indispensable and disparaged. Abe Timm straddled the line as Jack’s seemingly reluctant sidekick, Roger. Perhaps, in Roger’s internal war between morality and immorality, survival won.

Hank Astoria won hearts, on and off the stage, as the youngest castaway, Perceval. Aiden Denton and Eli Davis mastered the roles of the twins, Sam and Eric, who often completed each other’s sentences in that simultaneously annoying and weird manner some twins exhibit. The cast was completed with Maahin Kumar as Bill, Talon Bleacher as Maurice, and Ishaan Kulkarni as Henry, all in supporting roles as a part of Jack’s band of bare-chested, face-painted, and far-from-merry men.

Jeffrey Cole directed. What en experience that must have been for both Cole and the cast. Here are his own words from his director’s notes: “Deep down, we all feel the need to belong to something that’s bigger than ourselves.” In this story, on this island, “it’s important for us in the audience to remember that, at all times, in all situations, these are children…. With no training, no preparation, and no guidance, these boys must follow their basest biological imperative: survive.” Could you have done any better? Would you have done anything different? Do you think you would have lived to tell the tale? And if you did survive, who would you be after that ordeal?

Lord of the Flies asks the hard questions. It explores the effectiveness of different leadership styles: intimidation versus compassion. It examines the consequences of war – nuclear war in particular; that’s how these boys ended up on this island, unsure if their families and friends had survived, or if they were the only ones left on earth. What would you be willing to do to survive? Do you have what it takes to keep the fire burning?

—–

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. Her most recent (ad)venture was the premiere of a solo work, The Waters of Babylon or Psalm 137 Revisited: a Post-Exodus Reflection in Movement Choreographed from Collective Memories for the debut of the Critical Race Theatre Project, right here at RTP in August 2024.

—–

Lord of the Flies

Written by William Golding

Adapted for the Stage by Nigel Williams

Directed by Jeffrey Cole

Cast

Ralph              ……………    Tavares Taylor

Jack                ……………    Sawyer Williams

Piggy              ……………    Liam Storm

Simon            ……………    Anthony Hernandez

Roger             ……………    Abe Timon

Sam                ……………    Aiden Denton

Eric                 ……………    Eli Davis

Bill                   ……………    Maahin Kumar

Maurice         ……………    Talon Bleacher

Henry             ……………    Ishaan Kulkarni

Percival          ……………    Hank Astoria

Production Team

Artistic Director                   ……………    James Ricks

Managing Director             ……………    Jase Smith Sullivan

Director                                 ……………    Jeffrey Cole

Assistant Director                ……………    Sim Nakamura Rivers

Production Stage Manager           ……………    Nata Moriconi

Assistant Stage Manager/Props Design …        Jordan Dively

Costume Design                  ……………    Lindsey Ladnier

Lighting Design                   ……………    Tristan Ketcham

Scenic Design                                  ……………    Lindsey Kelley

Sound Design                                  ……………    James Ricks

Scenic Builder                                  ……………    Brok Décor

Run Time: approximately 2 1/2 hours, including two 10-minute intermissions

———-

Photo Credits: Aaron Sutten

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Your contribution is appreciated. – Julinda AKA Dr. Yaya AKA MommaJ

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H*TLER’S TASTERS

Making the World Safe for a Totalitarian Dictatorship, One Bite at a Time

Presented by 5th Wall Theatre in Partnership with Virginia Rep

A Theater Review by Julinda D. Lewis

At: Theatre Gym at Virginia Repertory Center, 114 W. Broad St., RVA 23220

Performances: October 17 – November 2, 2024

Ticket Prices: $30/Adults, $15/Students

Tickets & Info: https://5thwalltheatre.ludus.com or https://www.5thwalltheatre.org/ or email info@5thwalltheatre.org

The 5th Wall Theatre’s 2024/2025 season is billed as a celebration of empowering stories that inspire change. The “theatre beyond boundaries’” first production of the season, H*tler’s Tasters fulfills this promise on several levels.

This highly triggering tale is based on the true story of the young women who were honored with the dubious patriotic duty of tasting Adolf Hitler’s food to make sure it wasn’t poisoned. Somewhere, I think I saw this play described as a comedy, but while there are precious moments of humor between the three young women on stage at any given moment, it is not comedic. Rather, it is the kind of humor that is born of a need to survive by any means necessary. I wouldn’t describe H*tler’s Tasters as a drama, either. No…it’s more of a case study, and a cautionary tale that reminds us that “complacency is a dangerous meal.”

Anachronistic touches make this bitter pill just a bit more palatable. Set in an unknown location in war-torn Germany during the height of the Third Reich, the young women have cell phones and are given to breaking out into bursts of abstract modern dancing. Their cell phones are for recording selfies during their long periods of boredom, and for timing the period after eating. They have one hour after each meal to be observed for symptoms of poisoning. The dancing serves as a stress reliever – for the audience. The actors perform a weird movement ritual three times a day, before each meal. The ritual, one of several movement segments choreographed by Kayla Xavier, is part interpretive dance, part visualization of their inner turmoil, and part religion – in the sense that it represents their only authentic representation of and communication with the truth of their reality.

Each of the young women has a distinct personality. Hilda (Rebecka Russo) is the mean girl. Unable to face reality, she lashes out at the others. “I don’t want to know about truth,” she says, and who can blame her. Liesl (Preston Bradsher) is inquisitive – dangerously so. She wants to know what is going on even if it hurts to know. Anna (Eva Linder) is innocent and asks the wrong questions and speaks too freely. The interaction between Anna and Hilda ends predictably. And then there is Margot (Kylee Márquez-Downie). The closest thing to a breath of fresh air in this psychologically dark world, Margot brings innocence and laughter and dancing into the young women’s bleak world. But the ritual that first stunned us with raw energy gradually dulls until the final performance is decidedly lackluster and uncoordinated.

The ensemble is a tight knit organism that tells the story with a combination of acting, dancing, and non-verbal cues such as glances, body position, posture, and use of space. Longoria, who tells us in the Director’s Note that she has previously spent six years as an actor and producer for this show, directs with a sense of energy and inevitability that is urgent, and manages to somehow suggest that hope never dies.

 H*tler’s Tasters encompasses many important issues that are as relevant today as they were in 1932: the treatment of women and girls; politics; economics; sexuality; sexual assault; the exploitation of women and the poor and immigrants and Jewish people and Black people and anyone who could possibly be seen as “other.” As if this doesn’t sound familiar enough, Hilda says, “Jews cannot replace us,“ and “our lives will be so much better when he makes Germany great again.” Margot innocently shares a vision of the Führer arriving on a beautiful horse, with his shirt off, that

sounds a lot like a photo of another world leader that made the rounds just a few years ago.

Brooks’ play premiered in New York in 2018. She could not possibly have conceived then that H*tler’s Tasters would grow in relevancy rather than fade into the obscurity of historical fiction and artistic archives. It is triggering – so much so that the author did not even spell out the name. It drives home the truth that if we turn our heads when anyone is being exploited, we will inevitably become targets ourselves – if we aren’t already…

This is not the type of play that deserves an answer when someone asks, “did you enjoy it?” It is not meant to be enjoyed. It is meant to be experienced. It is meant to be discussed. It is meant to be absorbed, and it is meant to make better, because when you know better, you must do better.

———-

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. Her most recent (ad)venture was the premiere of a solo work, The Waters of Babylon or Psalm 137 Revisited: a Post-Exodus Reflection in Movement Choreographed From Collective Memories for the debut of the Critical Race Theatre Project, right here at RTP in August 2024.

———-

Written by Michelle Kholos Brooks

Directed by Kaitlin Paige Longoria

CAST

Rebecka Russo          ……….           Hilda

Preston Bradsher     ……….           Liesel

Eva Linder                  ……….           Anna

Kylee Marquez-Downie  ….      Margot

Tory Davidson          ……….           u/s Hilda & Margot

Emma Rivet               ……….           u/s Liesel & Anna

PRODUCTION TEAM

Directed by               ……….         Kaitlin Paige Longoria

Choreography by       ……….          Kayla Xavier

Lighting Design by  ……….         Gretta Daughtry

Sound Design by       ……….         Candace Hudert

Costume Design by   ……….         Maggie Ronck & Ashleigh Poteat

Fight Choreography by  ……        Marr Hovastak

Production Associate   …..        Emily Adler

Stage Management by ….        Tariq Karriem

Photos by                  ……….       Tom Topinka

Performance Schedule:

Thursday, October 17, 2024, 7:30 PM | Opening Night

Friday, October 18, 7:30 PM

Saturday, October 19, 7:30 PM

Sunday, October 20, 2:30 PM

Thursday, October 24, 7:30 PM

Friday, October 25, 7:30 PM

Saturday, October 26, 2024, 7:30 PM

Sunday, October 27, 2024, 2:30 PM | Talkback

Tuesday, October 29, 2024, 7:30 PM | Industry Night | Pay What You Will

Friday, November 1, 2024, 7:30 PM

Saturday, November 2, 2024, 7:30PM | Closing Night

Tickets: $30/Adult; $15/Student

Run Time: 90 minutes, no intermission

Content Warning: This production contains mature themes and potentially sensitive or controversial content, including discussions of sexual assault, politics, war, and race. Viewer discretion is advised.

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COMING OF AGE

Gyn Phyzz Heyr of the Dogg(y) and All That Jazz

KDance, a Company-in-Residence at Firehouse Theatre on the Carol Piersol Stage

A Theatrical Dance-Music Collaboration Review by Julinda D. Lewis

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

Performances: October 8 & 9, 2024

Ticket Prices: $10-$25

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

Sublime! This new work by KDance – a collaboration between choreographer Kaye Weinstein Gary, composer John Winn, and the string ensemble Trio 826 is a perfect gem combining Gary’s deliciously peculiar brand of movement exploration with spoken word – in this case, quotes about aging – and live music that speaks all the unspoken words. Ahhhh.

The trio is placed downstage right (the audience’s left) so we can really see their interactions – the violinist glances at the viola player, the cellist smiles at the violinist. The only problem is that from some seats, the musicians partially obscure the dancers. (Maybe if they sat a bit farther back, or at an angle?)

The four dancers enter dressed in wigs and hats, sweaters and shawls that indicate advanced age, but quickly toss off all the restricting accoutrements to reveal their agile, flexible, energetic, enthusiastic mature selves. Yes, this is a dance about aging, and it is done with thoughtfulness, humor, elegance, inspiration, and hope.

They cavort in folk-type dances in lines and circles. They play ball, jump lightly off the edge of the (low) stage and bow towards the musicians before making an exit – leaving the musicians to play for a lusciously long interlude. The music is contemplative, meditative, playful, stately, elegant, harmonious, and discordant. It is all the things it needs to be to tell this story. You can hear the violin talking, bubbling over at a party. You can see and hear the playfulness of the pizzicato section.

Two dancers wrap themselves in a single shawl while the other two share a sweater, each putting an arm in a sleeve. They play musical chairs with only two chairs, striking poses when they freeze. And it all ends with a nostalgic sing-along with the audience. The lyrics to John Lennon and Yoko Ono’s “Imagine” are printed on the back of the program. Coming of Age is short and sweet – like just the right amount of a tasty, rich dessert.

———-

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. Her most recent (ad)venture was the premiere of a solo work, The Waters of Babylon or Psalm 137 Revisited: a Post-Exodus Reflection in Movement Choreographed From Collective Memories for the debut of the Critical Race Theatre Project, right here at RTP in August 2024.

———-

COMING OF AGE

A music and dance collaboration between K Dance, John Winn, and Trio 826

TRIO 826

Susanna Klein           …………………….   Violin

Julia Bullard              …………………….   Viola

Stephanie Barrett    …………………….   Cello

DANCERS

Andrew Etheredge

Gina Maria McKenzie

Melanie Richards

Kaye Weinstein Gary

DIRECTOR/CHOREOGRAPHER …….   Kaye Weinstein Gary

Hat/Wig Consultant            ……….           Heidi Rugg

Lighting Designer                ……….           Gretta Daughtrey

Stage Manager                     ……….           Jake Buccella

Production Assistants       ……….           Todd LaBelle, Grade LaBelle, Emily Vial

Photo Credits                        ……….           Jason Collins Photography

RUN TIME

About 40 minutes; there is no intermission

PERFORMANCE SCHEDULE

Tuesday, October 8, 2024, 7:30PM

Wednesday, October 9, 2024, 7:30PM

TICKETS $10-$25

Photos by Tom Topinka

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PAINTING CHURCHES    

Where Humor Meets Heartache

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: October 4-19, 2024

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

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

Fanny Church wears a wide-brimmed hat as she reminisces over each familiar object before she  wraps it in bubble wrap and places it in a box. Fanny, the wife of a well-known poet, Gardner Church, is packing up to move out of their long-time Boston home. The Church’s are getting older, Gardner’s memory is not what it once was, and it is time to downsize.

In the first scene Fanny eagerly awaits the arrival of their daughter, Margaret or Mags, who is coming to help her parents pack and sort through the memorabilia of a life well lived. But the arrival of Mags, a successful artist who lives in New York, brings its own revelations and complications.

Author Tina Howe and director Kerrigan Sullivan skillfully guide us through this challenging rite of passage with an unpredictable itinerary of heart-wrenching loss, thirst-quenching humor, poignant insights on growing older, and shocking moments of cruelty.

At times, Painting Churches reminded me of Ronan Carr’s Th Barber of Moville in which the barber, Molly, realizing she has declining mental capacities, has made elaborate end-of-life plans that do not take into account her husband’s ability to carry them out. (See my review of that play when I saw it at the Firehouse in June 2022: https://jdldancesrva.com/2022/06/28/the-barber-of-moville/)

Here in Painting Churches, apparently named for Mags’ obsession with painting her parents’ portrait, the versatile Jacqueline Jones takes on the role of the mother, Fanny Sedgwick Church. It is a role that requires Jones to ride an emotional roller coaster, onemoment reminiscing about the family silver and the next joining her husband in recreating scenes from classic paintings, one moment stumbling in the darkness of forgotten memories, and the next waltzing gaily with her husband, one moment watching over her declining husband like a hawk, and the next cruelly demeaning him because of his memory and health issues. Fanny copes with laughter and copious amounts of alcohol.

Daniel Moore plays the role of Gardner Church, the poet and patriarch who appears to be blissfully unaware of his cognitive challenges as he ignores Fanny’s slights and jabs, happily reciting the poetry of William Butler Yeats and Robert Frost from memory. In a tender moment with his daughter Mags, we discover that even his pet bird can recite poetry. Gardner comes across as the “good cop” parent to Fanny’s “bad cop,” but even though he seems to be the kinder gentler parent, we eventually find that neither Gardner nor Fanny ever truly understand their daughter.

The first thing that struck me when Mags arrived, late and flushed, is that she and her parents never seem to communicate. They talk at each other, and about each other, but while speaking in the same room, it’s almost as if the audience is witnessing small snippets of several unrelate conversations. Constance Moreau, as Mags, has mastered this disconnect to the extent that it alerts us to the possibility that something is not quite right. When we finally hear the story of Mags’ childhood masterpiece, I felt – uncomfortably – that we had just been introduced to a whole new level of family dysfunction.

At its heart, Painting Churches is a well-crafted, poetically structured tale about the stresses of an evolving parent-child dynamic in which there are no winners and no losers – there is just life. Each of these characters is given the time and space to develop into full-fleshed beings, neither all good nor all bad. That makes us laugh even harder at their antics and hurt even more deeply for their failings. Oh, and on a lighter note, special mention for the number of times Jones and Moore have to get up and down from the floor! I hope supplies of Tiger Balm for the run of the show were written into their contracts.

And finally, I would be remiss to end without mentioning that this is the Chamberlayne Actor’s Theatre’ 60 year of producing, first as a community theater company and later joining the ranks of Richmond’s professional theater community, and it is their first year in their new home at Hanover Tavern after several years as Richmond nomads after losing their long-term space in the Chamberlayne Farms area on N. Wilkinson Rd.

Painting Churches, produced by Zack Owen, with lighting design by Alleigh Scantling, Costumes designed by Lindsey Ladnier, Scenic and Properties design by Hailey Bean and Sound design by Kerrigan Sullivan, who also directed, runs through October 19.

———-

Julinda D. Lewis is a dancer, teacher, and writer who was born in Brooklyn, NY and now lives in Eastern Henrico County, VA. 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. Her most recent (ad)venture was the premiere of a solo work, The Waters of Babylon or Psalm 137 Revisited: a Post-Exodus Reflection in Movement Choreographed From Collective Memories for the debut of the Critical Race Theatre Project, right here in Richmond at RTP in August 2024.

PAINTING CHURCHES

Written by Tina Howe

Directed by Kerrigan Sullivan

Cast

Jacquline Jones – Fanny Sedgwick Church

Daniel Moore – Gardner Church

Constance Moreau – Margaret Church

Mary Huhmann U/S – Fanny Church

Foster Solomon U/S  – Gardner

Kathrine S. Wright U/S – Mags

Creative Design Team

Producer – Zack Owen

Director – Kerrigan Sullivan

Stage Manager – Jennipher Murphy

Lighting Design – Alleigh Scantling

Costume Design – Lindsey Ladnier

Scenic & Properties Design – Hailey Bean

Sound Design – Kerrigan Sullivan

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TRUE WEST

A Tale of Dualities

by Sam Shepard

Cadence Theatre in association with Onomatopoeia Productions at Firehouse Theatre on the Carol Piersol Stage

A Theater Review by Julinda D. Lewis

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

Performances: September 20 – October 5, 2024

Ticket Prices: $35-$40; Suggested for audiences 16+

Info: (804) 355-2001 or firehousetheatre.org or CadenceTheatre.org/True-West

Duality: duality refers to having two parts, often with opposite meanings, like the duality of good and evil. If there are two sides to a coin, metaphorically speaking, there’s a duality. War and peace. Love and hate. Up and down. Black and white

“Americans make movies; the French make films.”

We first encounter Lee and Austin engaged in a contentious discussion in their mother’s kitchen in her California home. The brothers have not seen one another in five years. Austin is house-sitting for their mother who is on vacation in Alaska. Their father is, apparently, living somewhere in the Mojave desert in dire straits. Austin, a screenwriter, is trying to work on a script – by candlelight – while Lee, a drifter who makes a living by nefarious means, sits on the counter drinking beers one after the other and interrupting Lee’s work. Nothing unusual about that. At first. But oh, it quickly becomes apparent that this sibling relationship is deeply, disturbingly dysfunctional.

“I come in through the window; I go out through the door.”

Landon Nagel and Stevie Rice alternate in the roles of the brothers, and on this Saturday afternoon Nagel wore the button down khaki role of Austin while Rice stepped into Lee’s scruffy black and white wingtips and battered trench coat. Both actors seemed to be in the exact right roles, so I’d love to have an opportunity to see this show again with the two in the opposite roles.

“Toast is kind of like salvation.”

Nagel and Rice both gave riveting performances to the sparse but attentive Saturday matinee audience in this iteration, with Rice’s character double-crossing his brother by pitching a story to his brother’s agent, effectively usurping his brother’s deal – along with his fragile self-esteem. While Act One is contentious, Act Two is nothing short of a dumpster fire (not the writing the situation), with the two brothers switching roles (not the roles they were cast in but their hierarchical roles, their roles in the family, their relationship to one another). The psychological wreckage echoes the physical wreckage of their mother’s pristine kitchen. And wouldn’t you know it – just when you think things have hit rock bottom, Mom returns unexpectedly. But her response to the emotional and material upheaval that greets her gives new meaning to the word dysfunctional.

On his website, Shepard says of  True West:

“I wanted to write a play about double nature, one that wouldn’t be symbolic or metaphorical or any of that stuff. I just wanted to give a taste of what it feels like to be two-sided. It’s a real thing, double nature. I think we’re split in a much more devastating way than psychology can ever reveal. It’s not so cute. Not some little thing we can get over. It’s something we’ve got to live with.”  

In the blink of an eye True West flips from the violent (e.g., Lee smashing a typewriter with a golf club or a vicious fight between the two brothers involving a garroting) to the humorous (e.g., a tale of lost teeth or an award-worthy drunken ramble involving toast – lots and lots of toast). The normalcy of the serene kitchen with its white cupboards and abundance of plants (keep your eye on the plants!) and the reassuringly normal ambient sounds of chirping crickets and barking dogs amplify the outrageousness of the brothers’ interactions, of their very relationship.  

True West is a dark comedy, and so much more, The seemingly simple title is a commentary on the wild west, the American dream, and a reality check on what is real and what is mere illusion. Even though Austin and Lee are exaggerated, they are real people with real issues; they are authentic in their dysfunction.  

Supporting roles were capably filled by Otto Konrad as the disingenuous agent, Saul and Jane Petkofsky as the elusive Mom – but this is basically a two-hander, and both Nagel and Rice shine in their respective roles.   Rusty Wilson’s direction keeps things moving so that I was startled when intermission arrived and appropriately stunned at the ending. There’s truly no way to prepare, just hang onto the edge of your seats and go along for a truly wild ride.  

NOTE: A 2020 production of True West by Cadence was postponed due to COVID. For historical reference you can find Susan Haubenstock’s review of a 2009 production of True West by Henley Street Theatre in the Richmond Times Dispatch archives: https://richmond.com/entertainment/true-west-brings-genuine-delight/article_a3b4fe56-799b-53cc-8aa9-70e7e39307e2.html . See this Style Weekly article for the backstory of director Rusty Wilson’s involvement with True West: https://www.styleweekly.com/tag/true-west/

———-

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. Her most recent (ad)venture was the premiere of a solo work, The Waters of Babylon or Psalm 137 Revisited: a Post-Exodus Reflection in Movement Choreographed From Collective Memories for the debut of the Critical Race Theatre Project, right here at RTP in August 2024.

———-

TRUE WEST

by Sam Shepard

Directed by Rusty Wilson

This performance is dedicated in memory of Carol Piersol, the beloved Founding Artistic Director of Firehouse

CAST

Austin/Lee     …………………….               Landon Nagel

Austin/Lee     …………………….               Stevie Rice

Saul                …………………….               Otto Konrad

Mom               …………………….               Jane Petkofsky

PRODUCTION TEAM

Direction                               ……….           Rusty Wilson

Scenic Design                       ……….           Joseph Lavigne

Costume Design                  ……….           Sarah Grady

Production State Manager ……….           Sharon Gregory

Sound Design                      ……….           Grace Brown LaBelle

Lighting Design                   ……….           Andrew Bonniwell

Fight Choreography           ……….           Aaron Orensky

Composer                             ……….           Drew Perkins

Properties Design                ……….           Emily Vial

Photo Credits                       ……….           Jason Collins Photography

RUN TIME

1 hour 45 minutes; there is one intermission

PERFORMANCE SCHEDULE

Opening Night – Friday, September 20 at 7:30PM

Running Fridays and Saturdays, September 20, 21, 27, 28, October 4, 5, at 7:30PM;

Thursday, October 3, 7:30PM; Saturdays and Sundays, September 21, 22,  28, 29, & October 5 at 2:00PM.

TICKETS

$35 – $40

Landon Nagel
Landon Nagel
Stevie Rice
Landon Nagel, Stevie Rice
Landon Nagel, Otto Konrad
Stevie Rice, Landon Nagel
Otto Konrad, Stevie Rice
Jane Petkofsky
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PETER AND THE STARCATCHER

“To Have Faith is to Have Wings”: The Backstory – or – A Prequel To the Tale of the Boy Who Would Not Grow Up

A Theater Review by Julinda D. Lewis

Presented By: Firehouse Theatre

At: 1609 W. Broad Street, RVA 23220

Performances: August 16 – September 1  2024

Ticket Prices: $1.00 – $35

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

While it is based on a children’s book, Peter and the Starcatcher, a play with music (as opposed to a musical) is filled with innuendo and powered by linguistic and cultural references that are aimed at adults. So, yes, it is family friendly. It is also a fantastic fantasy adventure that delights the eye and ear and keeps the audience laughing. I don’t want to spoil it for you, but the Act 2 opening is one of the most memorable scenes ever; sit in the first row if you can.

Peter and the Starcatcher provides the backstory to Peter Pan as well as Captain Hook and Tinker Bell. Based on the 2004 novel of the same name, written by Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson, Rick Elice adapted the story for the stage. The play premiered in California, opened Off-Broadway in 2011 and on Broadway in 2012. Some may recall that the play was produced by Va Rep in 2015.

Chase Kniffen has designed an appropriately fantastical set that helps provide a big stage feel and Kasey Brown’s costumes are whimsical and extremely creative. Nathaniel Shaw’s direction is seamless, all the best lines are perfectly times and the pacing is swift enough to keep the audience on our toes but paced to keep us from getting lost. There is music, but not the kind where characters burst out into song for no reason, and at one point we are treated to a near-show stopping Rockettes-style high kick line. Kudos to the entire production team for making this production look and sound great.

This is one of those productions where, in addition to working their butts off, it also looks like the cast had as much fun as the audience. The casting was perfection. It’s hard to think where to begin, so I’ll just follow the program order. And yes, this is one of the few times I will make mention of each and every cast member – because they deserve it.

It was great to see Scott Wichmann back on stage and his role of the Black Stache, who is affected by chronic malapropism, is undeniably and devilishly over the top. Shannon Schilstra plays Molly, a young woman liberated ahead of her time, with youthful exuberance and a level of confidence most of us wish we had at that age (her character is 13 years old). Lukas D’Errico is the Boy (also 13) who eventually earns the name Peter and the right to wear the Hero’s hat. The scene in Act 2 where Boy first sees sunlight is heartwarming.

Peter’s companions, Ted and Prentiss, also orphans who are sold into slavery along with him, are played by Madison Hatfield and August Hundley. There is a running joke about Ted’s obsession with food that culminates in a hilarious scene in which, after struggling to figure out how to eat a pineapple, one of the pirates accidentally slices a pineapple in half providing Hatfield the opportunity to finally satiate her character’s fixation. Hundley finds and maintains a delicate balance as their character Prentiss seesaws between declaring himself the leader and just wanting to be a boy. Both are starved – for both food and love – and Ted occasionally slips and,  endearingly, calls Molly Mother.

Paul Major plays Black Stache’s bumbling first mate, Smee, who actually spends much of his time correcting Stache’s wildly humorous misuse of words, and occasionally – an accidentally –  coming up with some life-saving ideas. Elle Meerovich takes on several roles, including the flask-toting headmaster of the boys’ orphanage, a pirate, Fighting Prawn (king of the Mollusk tribe), and a sailor but their most memorable moment was holding an unwavering note in a song for a thrillingly long time. Whew! But wait, there’s more…

Chewie Lo Moore really digs in as Bill Slank, the cruel captain of The Neverland who switches the treasure chest with the decoy trunk at the start of the adventure, thus activating the action adventure aspect of the play. He also plays Hawking Clam, the son of the Mollusk king, Fighting Prawn. Joshua Mullins plays a supporting role as the good Captain Scott, the captain of the Wasp, based on a real-life British Royal Navy Officer of the same name, as well as – ironically – an incompetent sailor named Mack.

It seems too long since we’ve seen Alexander Sapp onstage, yet here he is as Lord Astor, Molly’s father, a Starcatcher on a secret mission that endangers everyone to some extent or another. Some of the funniest scenes occur when Lord Astor has to communicate with his daughter Molly. Because of the nature of his mission, they communicate in Dodo – yes, the language of the extinct bird – or Norse Code, apparently an ancient Viking precursor of Morse Code. After causing all this havoc, Sapp just strolls off at the end with utter nonchalance that makes you wonder, did that just happen?

One of my favorite roles was that of Molly’s nanny, Mrs. Bumbrake, played by Robert Throckmorton in the role of the “pantomime dame,” a woman’s role traditionally written for a male actor. Throckmorton also played Teacher, a wise mermaid who is instrumental in changing the direction of the Boy for the better. This was not Throckmorton’s first time in this dual role in Neverland or Mollusk Island, but the intimacy of the Firehouse Theatre certainly made it the memorable for me. The pairing of Throckmorton with William Vaughn, in the role of the smitten Alf, was a winning combination, but let’s not forget that Alf’s first claim to fame is a really potent case of flatulence.

Peter and the Starcatcher has adventure, magic/fantasy, whimsy, humor – and pirates. It also touches on serious topics like love and loyalty, friendship, greed, perseverance, and commitment. It truly has something for everyone, and reminds us why we love to go to see live theatre.

—–

PETER AND THE STARCATCHER

Written by Rick Elise

Music by Wayne Barker

Directed and Choreographed by Nathaniel Shaw

Cast

Black Stache   ……….           Scott Wichmann

Molly               ……….           Shannon Schilstra

Boy                 ……….           Lukas D’Errico

Ted                  ……….           Madison Hatfield (Molly u/s)

Prentiss            ……….           August Hundley (Boy u/s)

Smee               ……….           Paul Major

Grempkin/       ……….           Elle Meerovich

   Fighting Prawn/

      Sanchez

Bill Slank/       ……….           Chewie Lo Moore

    Hawking Clam

Capt. Scott/     ……….           Joshua Mullins (Stache u/s)

    Mack

Lord Aster       ……….           Alexander Sapp

Mrs. Bumbrake/  ……..          Robert Throckmorton

    Teacher

Alf                   ……….           William Vaughn

Grempkin/Mrs. Bumbrake u/s……….           Gracie Berneche

Capt. Scott/Lord Aster u/s      ……….           Thomas Kaupish

Ted/Prentiss u/s                       ……….           Jovan Long

Alf/Smee/Bill Slank u/s          ……….           David Rogozenski

Production Team

Direction/Choreography         ……….           Nathaniel Shaw

Music Direction                      ……….           Kim Fox

Assistant Direction                 ……….           Katie Logan

Scenic/Projection Design        ……….           Chase Kniffen

Costume Design                      ……….           Kasey Brown

Lighting Design                      ……….           BJ Wilkinson

Assistant Lighting Design      ……….           TJ Washington

Sound Design                          ……….           Grace Brown LaBelle

Props Design                           ……….           Tim Moehring

Dialect Coach                         ……….           Erica Hughes

Percussionist                           ……….           Steve Raybould

Directing Observation            ……….           Christian Trimmingham

Stage Management                 ……….           Emily Vial

Assistant State Management   ……….           Isabel Stone

Run Time: About 2 hours 10 minutes; there is 1 intermission

———-

Photo Credits: Firehouse Facebook page

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2024 Artsies Nominations

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

 

For more information, contact:

Amy Wight, amyzzon@gmail.com

 

2024 ARTSIES NOMINATIONS ANNOUNCED

16th Awards Event and Nominations for the 2023-24 Season

 

Richmond, VA – August 6, 2024. The 16th Richmond Theatre Community Circle (formerly Richmond Theatre Critics Circle) Awards (“Artsies”), the community’s recognition of excellence in Richmond-area theater, will be held at the November Theatre on Sunday, October 13th, at 7:30 p.m.

 

The Richmond Theatre Community Circle announces the following nominees for this year’s Artsies. The 2023-24 nominees are:

 

Best Musical

9 to 5: The Musical, Virginia Repertory Theatre (Virginia Rep)

BKLYN: The Musical, Swift Creek Mill Theatre (Swift Creek Mill)

Into the Woods, Richmond Shakespeare

Scrooge in Rouge, Richmond Triangle Players (RTP)

tick…tick…Boom!, Swift Creek Mill

 

Best Direction (Musical)

Debra Clinton, 9 to 5: The Musical

Jan Powell, tick…tick…Boom!

Jase Sullivan, Into the Woods

Shanea Taylor, BKLYN: The Musical

Kendall Walker, Scrooge in Rouge

 

Best Lead Performance (Musical)

Emily Berg-Poff Dandridge, On Air (Virginia Rep)

Alia Bisharat Glidden, 9 to 5: The Musical

Dorothy Dee-D Miller, BKLYN: The Musical

Lindy Pokorny, BKLYN: The Musical

Susan Sanford, 9 to 5: The Musical

Susan Sanford, Into the Woods

Caleb Wade, tick…tick…Boom!

 

Best Supporting Performance (Musical)

Gracie Berneche, Into the Woods

Mason Blaine, Altar Boyz(Swift Creek Mill)

Desiree Dabney, BKLYN: The Musical

Rachel Rose Gilmour, tick…tick…Boom!

Maggie Marlin-Hess, Into the Woods

Canter Irene O’May, 9 to 5: The Musical

Durron Marquis Tyre-Gholson, 9 to 5: The Musical

 

Best Musical Direction

Sandy Dacus, tick…tick…Boom!

Leilani Fenick, 9 to 5: The Musical

Leilani Fenick, BKLYN: The Musical

Kim Fox, Into the Woods

Elle Meerovich, Scrooge in Rouge

 

Best Choreography

Mel Rayford, Airswimming (RTP)

Suzi Redling, BKLYN: The Musical

Pam Turner, 9 to 5: The Musical

Kayla Xavier and Kate Belleman, Altar Boyz

Kayla Xavier, tick…tick…Boom!

 

Outstanding Achievement in Costume Design (Musical)

Maura Lynch Cravey, BKLYN: The Musical

Sue Griffin, 9 to 5: The Musical

Sheila Russ, Scrooge in Rouge

Keith Walker, Into the Woods

 

Outstanding Achievement in Lighting Design (Musical)

Weston Corey, Scrooge in Rouge

Joe Doran, 9 to 5: The Musical

Joe Doran, Altar Boyz

Michael Jarett, The Best of Times (RTP)

Michael Jarett, tick…tick…Boom!

 

Outstanding Achievement in Set Design (Musical)

Frank Foster, Scrooge in Rouge

Dasia Gregg, BKLYN: The Musical

Chris Raintree, 9 to 5: The Musical

Mercedes Schaum, On Air

W. Reed West III, tick…tick…Boom!

 

Outstanding Achievement in Sound Design (Musical)

Joey Luck, Scrooge in Rouge

Joey Luck, The Best of Times

Jacob Mishler and Jonathan Pratt, 9 to 5: The Musical

Jonathan Pratt, On Air

Tom Width, BKLYN: The Musical

 

Best Play

Berta, Berta, Firehouse Theatre (Firehouse)

Doctor Faustus, Richmond Shakespeare

Hamlet, Richmond Shakespeare

Pass Over, Yes, And! Theatrical Company (Yes, And!)

Radiant Vermin, 5th Wall Theatre (5th Wall)

 

Best Direction (Play)

Andrew Gall, Born with Teeth (Richmond Shakespeare)

Katrinah Carol Lewis, Pass Over

Tawnya Pettiford-Wates, Berta, Berta

Morrie Piersol, Radiant Vermin

Mel Rayford, Airswimming

Paul Takács, Ken Ludwig’s Baskerville: A Sherlock Holmes Mystery (Virginia Rep)

 

Best Lead Performance (Play)

David Bridgewater, Buried Child (Firehouse)

Joshua Carter, Hamlet

Anthony Cosby, Pass Over

Trevor Lawson, Much Ado About Nothing (Richmond Shakespeare)

Katrinah Carol Lewis, Berta, Berta

Lucian Restivo, Torch Song (RTP)

Catherine Shaffner, The Roommate (HATTheatre)

Jerold Solomon, Satchmo at the Waldorf (Virginia Rep)

 

Best Supporting Performance (Play)

Emily Adler, Radiant Vermin

Elizabeth Byland, POTUS (Virginia Rep)

Dixon Cashwell, Doctor Faustus

Irene Kuykendall, Ken Ludwig’s Baskerville: A Sherlock Holmes Mystery

Lucretia Marie, Hamlet

Landon Nagel, Roman à Clef (Firehouse)

Boomie Pedersen, Buried Child

 

Outstanding Achievement in Costume Design (Play)

Anna Bialkowski, Born with Teeth

Cora Delbridge, Doctor Faustus

Cora Delbridge, Roman à Clef

Sue Griffin, Ken Ludwig’s Baskerville: A Sherlock Holmes Mystery

Keith Walker, Hamlet

 

Outstanding Achievement in Lighting Design (Play)

Andrew Bonniwell, Berta, Berta

Gretta Daughtrey, Doctor Faustus

Gretta Daughtrey, Hamlet

Joe Doran, Satchmo at the Waldorf

Nathan Wunderlich, Airswimming

 

Outstanding Achievement in Set Design (Play)

Daniel Allen, Lonely Planet (5th Wall)

Daniel Allen, Torch Song

Tennessee Dixon, Memories of Overdevelopment (Firehouse)

Chris Raintree, Berta, Berta

Mercedes Schaum, Satchmo at the Waldorf

 

Outstanding Achievement in Sound Design (Play)

Kyle Epps, Berta, Berta

Jonathan Pratt, Ken Ludwig’s Baskerville: A Sherlock Holmes Mystery

Jonathan Pratt, Satchmo at the Waldorf

Roger Price, Radiant Vermin

Kate Statelman, Hamlet

  

Ernie McClintock Best Ensemble Acting

Airswimming, Richmond Triangle Players

Ken Ludwig’s Baskerville: A Sherlock Holmes Mystery, Virginia Repertory Theatre

Hamlet, Richmond Shakespeare

Pass Over, Yes, And! Theatrical Company

Roman à Clef, Firehouse Theatre

 

Breakout Performance

Erich Appleby, Pass Over / Hawks Ridge (Brightpoint Community College)

Elizabeth Byland, POTUS

Elise Cumbia, From Up Here (HATTheatre)

Lindy Pokomy, BKLYN: The Musical

Rosemary Richards, Hamlet

Ashley Thompson, Dr. Ride’s American Beach House (Yes, And!) / Buried Child

 

Best Original Work

Hawks Ridge created by Foster Solomon and directed by Leslie Owens-Harrington, The Lynn Theatre at Brightpoint Community College

Roman à Clef created by Chandler Hubbard (a product of the TNT New Play Incubator) and directed by Sharon Ott, Firehouse Theatre

The Best of Times: A Musical Celebration of Richmond Triangle Players directed by Lucian Restivo and Kendall Walker, Richmond Triangle Players

 

The event will take place at 7:30 p.m. on Sunday, October 13, at Virginia Rep’s November Theatre. Formal attire is encouraged for the awards ceremony, which is open to the public. Tickets are $25 for orchestra seating and $30 for balcony seating. They will go on sale September 15and can be purchased by calling the Virginia Rep box office at 804-282-2620. Get your tickets early – ticket prices go up by $5 on September 29. All proceeds from Artsies ticket sales support the Theatre Artist Fund of Greater Richmond.       

 

RUN FOR YOUR WIFE

A Fast-Paced Farce, Just for the Fun of It

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

Performances: May 18 – June 15, 2024

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

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

Run For Your Wife is a classic farce: fast-paced and filled with ridiculous situations and pratfalls. The play is set in the homes of John and Mary Smith and John and Barbara Smith, in the conveniently located London neighborhoods of Wimbledon and Streatham, in the Spring of 1982. Location is very important, as John Smith, a taxi driver, has a strict schedule to keep in order to balance his two households. John, you see, is a bigamist. He’s also a master scheduler who should be giving workshops in time management.

All goes well, until the day he gets mugged and ends up in the hospital where his two addresses cause confusion, leading to a police investigation. John’s injuries are not serious, but the fallout turns his life upside down, and provides fodder for a series of events that are so outrageous this play, by Ray Cooney, ran in London for nine years.

We don’t have to travel all the way across “the pond” to get in on the fun. Jeffrey Meisner plays the role of the hapless husband, with Emma Mason as his first wife, the steadfast and practical Mary, and Katherine S. Wright as his second wife, the alluring and somewhat ditzy Barbara. To help manage the comings and goings on stage, a single living room was designed to represent the two households. The décor is green on the left side (Barbara’s home) and red on the right (Mary’s home) with a sofa in the middle that blends both red and green. At times, characters onstage are in close proximity, or even pass one another, but they are in two different households in two different locations. And do you know what? It works! Tom Width’s design is simple yet functional.

The timing is fast-paced and masterful. While not a work that requires the audience to think deep thoughts, it does require the viewers to pay attention; it’s sort of the comedic version of a tennis match. As Tom Width states in his Director’s Notes, “if things slow down, the characters will realize just how crazy their behavior is and stop doing what they’re doing!”  

Jeffrey Meisner steered the ensemble towards inevitable doom with a solid performance (oh, and London cabbies must have been well paid in 1982 to be able to afford two households!), but my favorite character was the Smith’s neighbor (and tenant?) Stanley Gardner, played by Kenny Putnam. Putnam wrung every possible bit of comic effect from each of his lines and even gave us a well-timed roll over a sofa. There is also a running joke about Stanley being gay, not intended to be offensive, if you accept that sexism and idiocy are acceptable devices in a farce. Similarly, Sarbajeet Das plays Bobby, Barbara’s over-the-top flamboyant new neighbor. Matt Bloch and Matt Hackman bring balance, in the form of somewhat more subtle humor, as the two detectives investigating John.

Run for Your Wife may not be your cup of tea if you are easily offended or insist on political correctness, but if a flat-out farce is among your preferred forms of entertainment, then look no further, this is your show.

———-

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.

———-

RUN FOR YOUR WIFE

Written by Ray Cooney

Directed by Tom Width

CAST

Mary Smith     ……………….. Emma Mason

Barbara Smith ……………….. Katherine S. Wright

John Smith      ……………….. Jeffrey Meisner

Detective Sergeant Troughton  ……………….. Matt Bloch

Stanley Gardner……………… Kenny Putnam

Newspaper Reporter   ………. Tom Width

Detective Sergeant Porterhouse   ……………….. Matt Hackman

Bobby Franklyn  …………….. Sarbajeet Das

CREATIVE TEAM

Directed by Tom With

Costume Design by Maura Lynch Cravey

Lighting Design by Joe Doran

Scenic Design by Tom Width

Technical Direction by Liz Allmon

Run Time:

About 2 hours with 1 intermission

Tickets:

Regular $49. Discounts for Seniors, Military & Veterans

Photographer: Kieran Segaloff

Matt Bloch, Jeffrey Meisner, Emma Mason
Kenny Putnam, Matt Bloch
Kenny Putnam, Jeffrey Meisner
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