a fall inside the theatre (only one a ghost story)
september and october were a delightful marathon of play-going. & theatre-going.
so here’s a li’l overview of what i remember and what lingers.
and for visuals? each show/event’s spread in my junk journal!
(because ya gal has oodles of hobbies.) ;)
okay. up first:
THERE ARE BLUEBERRIES written by moisés kaufman & amanda gronich
directed by jay briggs
the warehouse theatre
no idea how long ago artistic director mike sablone secured this one to open the warehous'e’s season.
so NOW it’s on broadway, but hey, greenville: we got to see it first!
the uniqueness of this play was not just how the 116 photos of nazis having the (leisure) time of their lives at auschvitz in this found photo album, but the storytelling aspect of the whole thing.
there were interactions between the characters (occasionally), but there were also powerful monologues.
and the joy of some modern recent theatre that’s making a splash—is that the audience is left with questions to consider. the same questions the characters on stage are wrestling with. there’s no RIGHT answer. there’s no ONE thing you’re supposed to feel by the end of it.
you get to walk away and discuss. to have a conversation with the person next to you. and be allowed to disagree. (what a concept, eh?)
the scenic design by sophia tepermeister was terrific: the countless file boxes indicating the countless lives and historical documentation at the holocaust memorial museum archives. (let alone what’s been past down through families and generations that they aren’t able to acquire for a long list/variety of reasons.)
and of course, as all shows at the warehouse, the acting was supurb.
did i cry? of course. was it brilliantly written? for sure.
should photos of the ss being perceived as humans with inside jokes and families and on picnics and being rewarded with days off at the lodge and giving their children Christmas presents exist alongside photos of those whose lives were lost just outside of the camera frame?
well, see the show and we can talk about it.
some favorite lines i jotted down in the dark:
“those who say nothing pass the trauma on to the next generations.”
“[it’s] surprising they look like us.”
“the thing about history— not all of it is knowable.”
“i am who i choose to be. not changing my last name is the best revenge.”
“war is always cruel.”
“my generation must be different.”
next up, a farce:
RUMORS by neil simon
directed by john fagan
centre stage
i wrote absolutely nothing down during this show.
and i saw it twice.
my first viewing was on opening night with my writing group pal catherine.
we were there to cheer on another of our writing group girlies, dear ruth nelson who, well, in my opinion, had the lead role. and stole the show. i mean, she was amazing.
and although the included program bio edited it out, she did/does credit me for getting her back onstage. (not to brag, but you’re welcome, greenville theatre scene. and readers: her wip novel was inspired by a piece of my artwork… teehee.)
anyway, i’m just here to brag that i know and love ruth.
and as a fan o’ the madcap comedy, i’m a fan of neil simon’s as well.
i’d read the script when centre stage announced their season auditions this summer, and then passed it on to ruth who, obviously nailed it.
the play revolves around keeping the secret that the dinner party host has been shot in the ear, the help is missing… and well, as more and more party guests (and eventually the cops) arrive, chaos and antics ensue.
i went back a week later with my husband for date night, and once again took no notes. because it’s such a physical comedic play, and while there are lines to laugh at, it’s one thing after another and nothing to quote. i just took it all in.
(also, at centre stage, you’re kind of in the light of the actors on stage within at least the first five or six rows, and i didn’t want to look as if i wasn’t paying attention.)
ruth and john genova (who played her husband, ken) are the first on the scene. and since i’m totally a theatre PRO having taken ONE acting course: well, i’ll just say john’s “stage business” was one of the highlights of the evening throughout the short and frantic show.
also: what a joy to laugh in a room full of strangers. theatre = a communal art experience. and i’m so glad the internet can’t destroy that.
and for some absurdist theatre in the mix:
JAMES & THE GIANT PEACH by roald dahl
based on the book by timothy allen mcDonald
music & lyrics by benj pasek & justin paul
directed by peggy trecker white
the south carolina children’s theatre
yes, i brought my childhood copy of JAMES & THE GIANT PEACH to see the show with me. how many times have i read this book (or any of roald dahl’s books)? the limit does not exist.
they’re classic. and there’s probably a psychology degree out there specifically for studying dahl’s storytelling prowess and powers over elder millenials.
the fantasy and the darkness. the magic in the everyday. the villains and bullies. the good guy winning. we’re here for all of it.
the original date i was supposed to see the show had to cancel that particular performance, so ended up at a saturday night performance. (yes, i was about an hour early fearing downtown traffic and parking; but i nailed it.)
so my preferred scct balcony seat was no longer available and i was in the THIRD row. not ideal, as this theatre ghost prefers to watch theatre-goers as well as the theatre-happenings on stage, but what can ya do.
so for this particular performance, the theatre smelled of bbq potato chips (crunching loudly inside the mouth of the toddler behind me.) and for the first half, i had a shiny sandal poking into my hip from the sideways theatre-goer next to me. i’m so glad kids get to experience theatre without having to give up their kid-ness, no?
i was blown away by james’ voice. the song “in the middle of a moment” was such a quintessential ballad of a broadway show tune—but that pure, young voice made me want to weep for beauty’s sake.
some visual highlights:
the growing peach.
(storyteller/narrator figure on a box, exchanging one peach flat for another larger peach he would hook onto a hook from the ceiling. and then a larger peach. until finally just the bottom of a GIANT peach came down from the flys.
the innumerable knits that made up the segmented earthworm’s costume.
the helicopters on sticks when the aunts arrive in nyc.
shall forever want a glimmering star curtain (backdrop) for my house.
other words from my notebook i scribbled in the dark:
<3 sponge’s outfit
cast from hadestown
moving luggage set
want spider’s outfit
costumes love love layers/neutrals
PUppEts!
“only you have the power to change your wretched little life.”
“what does magic mean?”
still always grin like a fool at a group dance number
“gobble it down.”
“is it wrong i don’t feel sad?”
plump & juicy.
“bait.”
so i laughed and cried. and once again am in awe of the scct. getting talented kids and teens on stage. bringing talented adults (willing to work with kids) into the mix. and scenic design (rolling luggage and then some!) by the brilliant clint walker.
the communal suspension of disbelief and the utter magic of storytelling is always at its best at scct.
support their mission, outreach, educational programming, or take a class here:
the week before halloween, i went to all three readings of:
the 24th annual new play festival at centre stage
thursday’s reading: THE SUGAR MOUNTAIN METHODIST WOMENT’S FASHION SHOW by laura king
friday’s reading: JOHN DESERVES TO DIE, by rachel beth greene
saturday’s reading: THIS IS THE SUBTEXT, by brian james polak
since after each performance, the audience was invited (& encouraged) to fill out a survey and leave comments for the playwrights (since these are all works in development), i’ve already vented thoroughly about all three shows.
did my favorite of the three “win” the audience vote?
absolutely not.
but i understand why it won.
the winner will get a full production of their play in centre stage’s next season which is pretty dope.
and centre stage is always seeking (qualified) volunteers to narrow down the top plays to present in this annual play fest.
as you may know: being in a reading cast (even as just the stage direction reader) is my dream, so i hold out hope for 2027…. again… :)
and then on halloween:
GOODNIGHT SWEET PRINCE
a solo performance of HAMLET by john michael cox
presented by vagabond shakespeare
(once again, i was in the audience at the centre stage theatre!)
my pal ruth (yes, you remember her as the star of RUMORS on this same stage) got all dressed up (it was halloween, and costumes were encouraged), and bravely ventured out of my house on such a night as this.
and goooollllyyyyy, what a show it was.
typing this, i realize i’ve still forgot to fill out the audience survey for this one.
(ruth saw it last year, it’s been revised; no art is ever “finished,” is it?)
oopsie.
anyhow: it was incredible.
the actor (john michael cox) played every character. he’d truncated the script to a little over and hour. and when appropriate, had (prepared and consulted) audience members participate. (e.g. ringing the midnight bell twelve awkard times; handing “rosencrantz and guildenstern” their papers, etc.)
driving away, ruth asked me what i thought, and suppose only a true theatre nerd would have given what stuck out to me the most:
when he was the gravedigger and he held his hands on an ImaGINARy Shovel HanDLE and kept them at the exact same level without wavering. you coulda sworn he had harry’s invisibility cloak over the shovel the whole time.
i dunno if he went to mime school or something, but that was hecka*impressive.
but also: his use of the curtain. when “polonius” was just a red box on the floor after stabbing. silently apologizing to the two people in the crowd he’d used as rozencrantz & guildenstern. how he could throw his voice….
i can’t wait to see this again somewhere someday soon.
(i told everyone i knew about it; including the lab techs at my doctor’s office, and they all wanna see it, too.)
this show is looking for schools and festivals at which to perform, so if that’s you, please reach out: it’s an incredible show.
(and please tell mr. cox i’d like more of the shadow puppet show of THE MOUSETRAP. it was unbelievably cool and perfect.)
have you seen any amazing live theatre lately?
i don’t have anything on my calendar right now (or even in the margins as i eagerly await breaking in my brand new 2027 planners), but my wishlist is long, as usual!
locally (here in greenville, sc) tickets for IMPROVISED SHAKESPEARE (january 22) go on sale this friday, and i honestly dunno how THAT would even work… but i’m intrigued.
and warehouse’s next show is POTUS (or behind every great dumb@$$ are seven women trying to keep him alive)— which i’ve read the script which scandalized me enough; not sure i need to see it, but just like books: all kinds of theatre for all kinds of people! ;D but hey: it’s a comedy. and it helps to laugh at politics because ouch? ;)
the south carolina new play festival just announced that they’ll have TWO festivals within the next year. the summer festival shall be august 5-8, 2027, and they’re adding a winter festival january 27-february 14, 2028!!
so, yes, i re-applied to re-take that acting class and see if i can’t audition for a reader again… !
alright.
this “ophelia with a happy ending” is no longer in her costume, but dreaming of ghost tales inside the theatre and elsewhere…
until the next curtain,
xo,
*hallie :)