Category: Regional Premiere

SAFETY

A New Musical Comedy About Trauma

A Theater Reflection by Julinda D Lewis

Presented by: Firehouse Theatre | A Firehouse Mainstage Production

At: Firehouse Theatre on the Carol Piersol Stage, 1609 W Broad St., RVA 23220

Performances: July 8 – 26, 2026

Ticket Prices: $45/General; $15/Students; 15% discount for Military; Pay-What-You-Will for previews July 8-9 and matinee performances (excluding closing weekend)

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

So many thoughts. So much to say. But how much to say and how to say it without giving away the many secrets and surprises. You’ll just have to see it for yourself. I’ll just take this time and this space to tell you about my experience.

SAFETY  is billed as a “musical comedy about trauma.” That is such an understatement. SAFETY is a comedy. It’s a tragedy. It’s also a nightmare. And it’s a love story – three love stories, really (Camille and George, Camille and Margaret, Camille and the Boogeyman).

A traumatic experience has left Camille traumatized and fearful. To complicate matters, she is the caretaker for her mother, Margaret, who is in the throes of dementia. Margaret’s condition compels her to care for what her mind perceives to be the neglected babies of the world – so she goes out on adventures and collects the dolls the neighborhood children have left unattended. When one neighbor, Crunk, comes to retrieve his daughter’s dolls, Margaret endearingly and unguardedly exclaims, “The shit’s about to go down!”

Jacqueline Jones plays the role of Margaret and repeatedly steals the show. Her portrayal of Margaret is funny and exasperating and absolutely on point as Margaret shifts from seductive to wailing in frustration in the blink of an eye. Kudos to Ms. Jones for such a sensitive portrayal of dementia.

Grey Garrett brings all the emotions as Camille: she’s traumatized; she’s loving; she’s fragile; she’s fearful; and she gets a rush the first time she holds and shoots a gun.

Interlude: It’s funny how things work, sometimes. Just a few weeks before seeing Safety I visited a local gun range where I took a gun safety class and held and shot a firearm for the first time in my life. This experience gave me a whole new perspective on many of the events that take place in Safety.

Camille tries to hold it all together, but the scene in Act 2 where she faces her fears is a phenomenal piece of theater – both visually and emotionally – that no amount of foreshadowing can fully prepare you for. Garrett’s performance reminded me of the psychological challenge and dramatic depth she demonstrated in her role in Grey Gardens some years ago (2019?) at Richmond Triangle Players.

Garrett and Jones may be the leads, and bring the depth of character, trauma, and drama – as well as some much-needed moments of humor, but the rest of the cast does more than hold their own. Nathan Whitmer as George, Camille’s romantic interest, brings a sense of steadiness and clarity to the role. He makes an ordinary Joe – one that some might consider a loser – appear to be a hero. Tyler Stevens plays George’s more successful younger brother, Randy, owner of a local gun shop. Randy is a supporting role, but significant in providing a foil for George as well as contributing key elements of the plot.

William Vaughan as Crank, the soon-to-be president of the local neighborhood association – a role he takes great pleasure in reminding us of – is the male version of the ubiquitous “Karen” character. He might mean well, but his sense of community is overshadowed by his love of power, however small. Crank is the kind of guy you love the most when you see him leaving.

Then there’s Vershay, a social worker brought into the story by the meddling machinations of Crank. Vershay, played by Zakiyyah Jackson, represents the interference of the government into personal matters, but she truly means well and brings a wry sense of humor that adds a welcome sense of balance and rationality.

And finally there’s the Boogeyman. Nick Aliff portrays this looming, dangerous, almost mythical figure in almost total silence for his first two or three brief appearances, only to break out as an aggressive physical and verbal presence in the second half. Imagine your worst nightmare come to life in living color. I am sure I am not the only one who gasped, clutched my metaphoric pearls, and cringed as we collectively waited for…(fill in your greatest fear).

On the lighter side, two figures from Margaret’s mind also came to life, providing a moment of delight while aiding and abetting Margaret as she prepared for an illicit adventure.

Nathaniel Shaw’s direction achieved its purpose by keeping the pace quick, maintaining the surprise effect in even the predictable and foreshadowed events, and doing so while remaining virtually invisible to the audience. Joe Revell’s musical direction brought life to John Winn’s music and lyrics – even during the few moments when I wondered if this was really supposed to be a musical, or if, just maybe, it might work better as a dramedy (i.e., dramatic comedy).

Chase Kniffen’s pedestrian and intentionally well-worn set design even included – much to my surprise – a revolving floor that rotated from Camille’s cramped apartment, with a sliver of pace carved out for Margaret’s room, to Randy’s gun shop/George’s makeshift outdoor range, to a mysterious dark room that – to my mind – represented the darkness of the Boogeyman as well as the place in Camille’s mind and heart that were waiting for light to enter. Kniffen’s work was beautifully set off by Michael Jarett’s multi-layered and fluid lighting design.

Irene Ziegler originally developed the concept of SAFETY as a play through the Cadence Pipeline New Works Program (www.cadencethetre.org for more information) then developed it as a musical with the addition of music and lyrics by John Winn. I sometimes felt that the play and the musical didn’t want to shake hands (an inside joke you will get after you see this production) and it will be interesting to see if this marriage mellows with age. But even on opening night, there was no denying that the actors with their strong voices and magical stage personalities made it all work.

Safety is an impactful and dynamic production that may be triggering for many viewers. It is powerful and relevant; whatever can go wrong does go wrong, but we can still find reasons to laugh, and in the end, there is still hope.

———-

Julinda D. Lewis is a dancer, teacher, and writer who was born in Brooklyn, NY and currently lives in Eastern Henrico County, (Richmond) VA. 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 awarded the Dean’s Distinguished Adjunct Faculty Award for the 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. Julinda completed her doctorate in Educational Leadership at Regent University (EdD, 2022) and her Doctor of Ministry in Worship Arts at the Eagles International Training Institute and Bible College (DMin, 2025). Next up: certification in Water Aerobics instruction.

———-

SAFETY

Book by Irene Ziegler

Music & Lyrics by John Winn

Directed by Nathaniel Shaw, Firehouse Executive Director

CAST

Camille                           …..        Grey Garrett

George                            …..        Nathan Whitmer

Margaret                         …..        Jacqueline Jones

Randy                              …..        Tyler Stevens

Vershay                           …..        Zakiyyah Jackson

Crank                               …..        William Vaughan

Boogeyman                   …..        Nick Aliff

u/s for Camille             …..        Alexandra Kaprielian

u/s for Margaret           …..        Kerrigan Sullivan

u/s for Vershay             …..        Sydnee Graves

u/s for George, Randy, Crank ….. Michael McMullen

u/s for Boogeyman     …..        William Vaughan

MUSICIANS

Guitar                              …..        Lake Stiles

Bass                                 …..        Alex Kehayas

Drums                             …..        Jim Bannow

Keyboard/Conductor ….        Joe Revell

PRODUCTION TEAM

Director                          …..        Nathaniel Shaw

Music Director             …..        Joe Revell

Assistant Director      …..        Lian-Marie Holmes Munro

Scenic Designer          …..        Chase Kniffen

Lighting Designer       …..        Michael Jarett

Assistant Lighting Designer ….. Griffin Hardy

Costume Designer     …..        Jeanne Nugent

Assistant Costume Designer … Brad Watson

Sound Designer          …..        Grace Brown LaBelle

Props Designer            …..        Tim Moehring

Stage Manager             …..        Isabel Stone

Assistant Stage Manager …  Marcely Villatoro

Firearm Consultant   …..        Davis Theakston

Intimacy Coach           …..        Katrinah Carol Lewis

Wardrobe Crew           …..        Lynnlee Watkins

Backstage Crew          …..        Simon Skinner, Sean O’Ferrell

Tickets: $45. A 15% discount is available to active-duty military and veterans. $15 tickets available for college and high school students. Pay-What-You-Will performances will be offered for both preview performances, as well as all matinees (excluding closing, September 7th).

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

Performance Schedule: July 8 – 26, 2026

Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays @7:30PM

Saturdays & Sundays @2:00PM (Pay-What-You-Will, except for closing weekend)

Previews: July 8-9 (Pay-What-You-Will)

Opening Night: Friday, July 10

Closing: Sunday, July 26

Run Time: about 2 hours 30 minutes including one 10-15 minute intermission

World Premiere: The Firehouse Theatre, Richmond VA, July 2026.

Irene Ziegler and John Winn
Make a one-time, monthly, or annual donation (above) or buy me a coffee (below)

OUR DEAR DEAD DRUG LORD

*A Regional Premiere*

Growing Up is Messy…Especially When You’re Summoning the Dead

A Theater Review by Julinda D. Lewis

Presented by 5th Wall Theatre

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

Performances: October 16 – November 9, 2025

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

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

5th Wall Theatre opened its 2025/2026 season in its new, permanent home, the former Basement, now 5th Wall at The Basement or 5th Wall/Basement. In alignment with 5th Wall Theatre’s mission “to provide insights into the human condition through theatrical expression,” the season opener provided new dimensions to the theatrical experience. Alexis Scheer’s Our Dear Dead Drug Lord is a dark comedy about 4 Miami teenaged girls, members of the Dead Leaders Club, who meet in a tree house where they hope to summon the spirit of Pablo Escobar.

In case that name sounds familiar, yes, “that” Pablo Escobar, the Colombian drug trafficker and leader of the infamous Medellín Cartel. In addition to being one of the world’s most notorious narco-terrorists, Escobar was also known as a philanthropist who built housing complexes, parks, football stadiums, hospitals, schools, and churches in some of Colombia’s poorest neighborhoods. So, what about Escobar appeals to a club (or gang?) of teen girls in Miami?

It could be the allure of the illicit, the Robin Hood element of Escobar’s philanthropy, the need to replace the powerlessness of being young and female with the trappings of power, or a misplaced coping mechanism to deal with their own personal traumas. More than likely, it is some combination of these things, along with the normal teenaged tendency to rebel.

In an interview for TheaterMania.com (September 22, 2019), the author explains that Our Dear Dead Drug Lord was created as a way for her to connect with her own roots. The Miami-born, Columbian and Jewish writer’s mother emigrated from Medellín in the 1970s. “The Colombian cartels and Pablo Escobar is a weird part of my family mythology that I don’t understand, because I feel so distant from it. So that’s where that came from. I think it’s a very American play, and part of my experience as an American is trying to touch upon the generation or two before me that was outside of this country and what they fled to get here.” (https://www.theatermania.com/news/alexis-scheer-gives-us-the-dope-on-her-play-our-dear-dead-drug-lord_89801/)

Okay. So, there’s that. But there’s also witchcraft, a Ouija board, a séance, and a special dance choreographed in honor of . There’s a diverse cast, each with a heavy burden of her own. Pipe, the club’s president, is an upper-class Cuban-American and carries the burden of grief from her younger sister’s death. Pipe’s bestie, Squeeze, is Puerto Rican-Haitian who is allergic to cats. Her father committed suicide. Zoom, Pipe’s Jewish-American neighbor, is the baby of the group, and always trying to keep up. Perhaps in an effort to over-compensate for her youth and lower status, she is also coping with the possibility of a teen pregnancy – which factors in the play’s climax. And then there’s Kit, a Columbian-American newcomer with a mysterious past that makes the other girls speculate that she may be the actual daughter of their hero, Pablo Escobar.

The intersection of this combined chaos is where these girls meet to create a sacred space, a sense of community – perhaps much like the community some young people find in gang life. Director Kaitlin Paige Longoria describes is as “an incantation, a call to the ancestors.” In her notes, Longoria writes, “It lives in that delicate space between grief and rebirth, between the ache of what’s been lost and the hope of what might still be found.”

It is in this spirit that these girls, four young women on the cusp of adulthood, seek freedom, power, and self-worth. It is in this spirit that they chant the mantra, “I will not be good. I will be loud, loud, loud. I will make the world in my image and take what I mine!”

Kylee Márquez-Downie (Pipe), Marya Brice (Squeeze), Eva Linder (Zoom), and Mary Kalinowski (Kit) form a solid ensemble, intense and darkly humorous. The séance is unsettling and the sacrifice is positively horrific and scary. It’s the kind of cast where each member has a distinct role, but it’s almost impossible to single out anyone because each plays an integral part in the whole.

Joey Luck composed an original score using the cast’s own voices and William Luther created a uniquely isolated and compact tree house environment where all the action takes place.

Our Dear Dead Drug Lord is anything but predictable. It is weird, dark, disturbing, and it resonates with the truth that society is failing our young women and if we don’t do something to shape and direct them, they will find someone – or something – to fill that void.

———-

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.

———-

OUR DEAR DEAD DRUG LORD

A Play by Alexis Scheer

Directed by Kaitlin Paige Longoria

CAST

Kylee Márquez-Downie      ……….           Pipe

Eva Linder                             ……….           Zoom

Marya Brice                           ……….           Squeeze

Mary Kalinowski                   ……….           Kit

UNDERSTUDIES

Natalie Tubia                        ……….           u/s for Pipe & Kit

Kylie Metheny                      ……….           u/s for Zoom

Jada Paul                              ……….           u/s for Squeeze

FEATURING

DJ Cummings Herdoiza     ……….           Pablo

Fio Lo Presti                          ……….           Pipe’s Little Sister

PRODUCTION TEAM

Directed                    ……….             Kaitlin Paige Longoria

Scenic Design          ……….           William Luther

Lighting Design       ……….            Corrine Manderino

Sound Design            ……….            Joey Luck

Costume Design        ……….            Emily Andrew Mateos

Choreography            ……….            Kayce Sullivan & Jamie Hollman

Intimacy Choreography   …..            Kerrigan Sullivan

Stage Management ………            Megan Wave

Technical Direction ……….           Chris Foote

Photography             ……….           @ivyandlacephoto

Performance Schedule:

Thursday, Friday, Saturday 7:30PM

Saturday, Sunday 2:30PM

Tickets: $30/Adult; $15/Student

Run Time: 95 minutes, no intermission

The World Premiere of Our Dear Dead Drug Lord was presented in September 2019 by WP Theater and Second Stage Theater, NYC, NY.

CONTENT WARNING: This play contains strong language, sexual content, depictions of drug use, and scenes of violence. The play also includes references to suicide, sexual assault, and other sensitive subject matter.

Marya Brice, Mary Kalinowski, Kylee Marquez-Downie, Eva Linder

CONVERSATIONS WITH MOTHER 

“I gave you the things in me I didn’t even know I had.”

Presented by: Richmond Triangle Players  

At: Richmond Triangle Players at the Robert B. Moss Theatre, 1300 Altamont Avenue, RVA 23220 

Performances: September 10 – October 4, 2025 

Ticket Prices: $15-$50 

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

A Theater Review by Julinda D. Lewis 

Conversations with Mother is a poignant semi-autobiographical play by Matthew Lombardo that explores the dynamics of a relationship between a fiercely loving and protective mother and her gay son. The story unfolds primarily through their conversations, with the aid of projected subtitles and grainy home movies. Conversations with Mother reveals and celebrates the complexities of love, generational differences, and the challenges of navigating the passing phases of five decades of a shared life. 

As in his play Who’s Holiday, his comedy about the adult Cindy Lou Who that has also graced the RTP stage, Lombardo masterfully balances comedy with real life – intense and unadorned, sometimes snot-nosed ugly. 

The son, Bobby Collavecchio played by Daniel Daigle, becomes a successful playwright, almost in spite of the roadblocks he erects in his own path. He grapples with bad relationships and writer’s block, drug addiction, and low self-esteem. The mother, Maria Collavecchio, played by Sarah Heifetz, is a strong-willed and traditional Italian matriarch (although I must confess that when she first began talking, I thought we were dealing with a Jewish mother – same character, different recipes…). A running line is, “tell me the truth and I won’t get mad.” Watching Heifetz’s face trying to master this enormous lie is one of the highlights of the play, which runs about 75 minutes with no intermission. 

Bobby and Maria’s dialogues oscillate between humor and deep emotion, reflecting their shared history, familial bonds, and sometimes conflicting perspectives. Maria is not above saying “No,” you can’t come home from camp early to her pre-adolescent son or showing up unannounced at her adult son’s New York apartment, ready to battle his abusive boyfriend. When he finally gets a play produced on Broadway, Maria sits quietly holding his hand, until she can’t contain herself and leaps from her seat screaming with mama bear pride. At one point when Bobby asks, “Do you still love me?” Maria answers truthfully, “Not at this moment.” But love is enduring. A mother’s love – this mother’s love – never fails. And there is hope and the essence of something just out of reach that we’re all seeking underlying every scene of Conversations with Mother. 

“Did you get a job yet?” 

Why can’t you ever meet a nice boy? 

“You know what the Germans are famous for? Baking people – like crescent rolls!” 

If everyone jumped off a bridge, would you? 

If your phone doesn’t ring, it’s me. 

“If Christ had chosen better friends, He wouldn’t have died so young!” 

“THAT’S MY KID UP THERE!!!” 

As the mother reflects on her life and values, the son confronts his own choices and the realities of adulthood until, one day, the roles are reversed. Then, it’s Maria saying she has something to tell him, and making him promise he won’t get mad. 

Throughout the play, Lombardo captures the essence of the mother-son dynamic, highlighting themes of memory, regret, and acceptance, but most of all, love. The interplay of comedy and drama serves to create a heartfelt narrative that resonates with anyone who has experienced similar familial ties – and perhaps even with those who have not. The play ultimately underscores the enduring nature of love and the bittersweet reality of growing older. I wasn’t ready for the depth of emotion, from laughing out loud to tears streaming down my face at the end. 

Daigle masterfully navigated the decades from the pre-adolescent Bobby to the mature adult facing the same shenanigans from his own son that he once showered upon his own mother. Heifetz captures the range of emotions of Bobby’s mother with amazing grace and agility – she’s outrageous without ever becoming a caricature. 

This is a work that does not need a lot of props or decor. The set is a simple background of window frames, a screen for projecting captions and video, and two chairs the actors move about as they pass from one decade to another, one geographical location to another (primarily New York and Connecticut).  

Kudos to the creative team, starting with director Deejay Gray (I could feel his hand in Daigle’s portrayal of Bobby). Luke Newsome’s hair and makeup were awesome, with a special nod to Mama Maria’s wigs and another hat tip to Amber Marie Martinez’ costumes (and the unseen hands that helped make all those lightning-fast changes). Maria’s outfits were so authentic…Lucien Restivo’s projections (assuming that includes the video work), Weston Corey’s lighting design, and Kelsey Cordrey’s subtle but effective sound design were all perfection.  

Conversations with Mother is a perfect example of a play that stands on the merit of its words and the actors and creative team who curate them into a production that creates beautiful, memorable theater. 

———- 

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.