“1222 Oceanfront: A Black Family Christmas” Charms and Delights New Village Arts Audiences

 What does a ‘nice Jewish girl’ do on the first night of Chanukah?  She goes to a Black Family Christmas (Party). Well…? 

Dea Hurston, philanthropist extraordinaire has chosen to branch out and pursue her passion for writing. And lucky for us in the theater world she did. Along with her creative team and collaborators  Milena (Sellers) Phillips, Frankie Alicea-Ford and Kevin “Blax” Burroughs — her first play, a musical and a winner from the start, “1222 Oceanfront: A Black Family Christmas” is currently  in a world premiere production at New Village Arts partially renovated theatre in Carlsbad through De. 26th.

Kory LaQuess Pullam and Deja Fields

What makes this different from the many Christmas plays I’ve seen?  Well, for one the characters are black save for one adopted son Javier (Frankie Alicea-Ford) who is Latinx and gay... and whose boyfriend Brian (Durwood Murray) is gay, black and Jewish, that’s different. It doesn’t get any more inclusive than that by anyones standards. 

Milena (Sellers) Phillips, Victor Morris, Kory LaQuess Pullam and Deja Fields

 

The house is decorated (Savannah Brittian) with symbols that include Kwanza Candle in the kitchen and masks, art work from different black artists. The interior of the house is beautifully crafted, warm and homey looking.

All in all, the family included in Hurston’s play, as mentioned above, is pretty much seen through a black perspective. But the overall message is that family is family and with few exceptions the Black family has it’s up’s and downs, crisis and suspicions, secrets and confessions, love /hate relationships, and its share of misunderstandings.

The Black family has lived on 1222 Oceanfront before the price of houses went skyrocketing and is now worth millions. When Dorothy Milena (Sellers) Phillips and her late husband James bought the house even as it was out of their price limit, they went ahead anyway. As the time moved closer to their moving in, the neighbors were bitching because a black family was going to be in the neighborhood. 

The Black's needed a way to come up with enough money for a down payment since the price of interest was also going up. With the help of their extended family the money came through and Dorothy hosted the family Christmas two day gathering for the length of the loan that was thirty years. Over those years traditions were made. 

Portia Gregory, Durwood Murray and Deja Fields

The traditional foods were Italian because they could only afford pasta and the fixings. Dorothy’s famous lemon aide was a specialty for her now grown son, James, JR (Kory La  Quess Pullam). In fact, he looked forward to having some as he and his now wife Aada (Deja Fields) were heading to Carlsbad for the holidays. All he talked about was his lemon-aide and the special relationship with his mother. For Aadya, she couldn’t get Dorothy to recognize her if she stood on her head and whistled Dixie. She was in marketing and Dorothy could never understand how she earned her money. 

As the show opens, Lizzy (Portia Gregory) Dorothy’s sister comes to the dinner with her specialty and food and presents.  She’s also carrying the ashes of her late husband, June, kept in Santa doll large enough to stand alone on the fireplace mantel so he can be included. Gregory is a hoot and a howl as the know it all sister who introduces Dorothy to her co -worker Victor (Victor Morris). 

Portia Gregory

Both work at the Post Office and Lizzy wants them to get together. Victor is no shrinking violet either. He’s a towering good looking ‘cowboy’ who adds a whole new dimension to the dynamics of the family. The show takes some dizzying twists and turns but that's what makes it so authentic and oft times funny. 

It’s not every day that a new musical comedy/drama is as ready for audiences as 1222 Oceanfront. With most original music (Beautiful Christmas Day”, “Christmas Morn”, “Merry Christmas to Me”, “Cowboy Christmas”) by co- creator Milena (Sellers) Phillips and of course the usual traditional Christmas music, (“Silent Night”, “Hark The Herald Angels Sing”) it has a real holiday feeling especially under the deft direction of Delicia Turner Sonnenberg. 

Milena (Sellers)Phillips and Victor Morris

Phillips also has some pretty sensual moves when she remembers dancing with Victor on a Vegas trip. Dejay Fields is outstanding as a singer and dancer, who, along with Pullman make a strong and very good looking couple. The fact that everyone could sing and the entire cast looked like they were fully involved makes for a truly magical evening. Look for it to become a holiday regular. 

The creative team includes stage manager Beonica Bullard, Set and properties, Savannah Brittian, Sound designer, Violet Ceja, Lighting designer, Daniel Johnson- Carter, Costume designer Channel Mahoney & Joy Yvonne Jones Choreographer, Lisa M. Green and music adaptation & direction by John-Mark Mc Gaha.  

So, back to the question of what does a nice Jewish girl do on the first night of Chanukah?  She goes to the theatre to see a black play filled with charm, love, comedy and drama and the everyday vicissitudes of the Black Family. 

And she lights the candles the for the remaining nights!

Enjoy!

When: 2 p.m. Wednesdays. 7:30 p.m. Thursdays. 8 p.m. Fridays. 2 and 7:30 p.m. Saturdays. 2 and 7 p.m. Sundays. Through Dec. 26.

Where: New Village Arts, 2787 State St., Carlsbad

Tickets: $20 to $59

Phone: (760) 433-3245

Photo: New Village Arts

Online: newvillagearts.org

COVID protocol: Full vaccination required with at least 14 days from second shot, or negative COVID-19 PCR test within 72 hours of performance date. Masks required indoors for all.

Not So Starry, Starry Night for Van Gough in Kimber Lee’s “to the yellow house”

When we think of Vincent van Gough, we think of beautiful sunflowers in full bloom and in different phases of ageing, post impression landscapes, and still life’s, oil paintings, (about one hundred sixty that we know of) portraits, and self -portraits, to say the least. His art is world renowned, and priceless. We know that now. But in Kimber Lee’s “to the yellow house” now in a world premiere production currently at The La Jolla Playhouse through Dec. 12th , sunflowers and the like were the last things on his mind.

Unfortunately for van Gough he suffered through long dark periods of depression and self- doubt.  He was plagued by every negative force that came his way throughout his life especially in the period, two years before his death in 1890, when he was searching in vain for new beginnings while living with his beloved brother and best friend Theo in the yellow house in Paris that Theo rented for the two of them. 

Brooke Ishibashi, Deidra Henry and Paco Tolson

Lee wrote the play after she read “van Gough: The Life”. “For me, this play is about somebody on a journey of figuring out “how do I do this thing that everyone keeps telling me I can’t do?” “The time structure that exists in the play-it’s essentially a memory play-….”

In a two plus hour homage to van Gough, director Neel Keller and Lee trace his tracks from his arrival in Paris at the yellow house and follows his struggles to begin anew and find himself. van Gough hopes, with the help of his brother Theo who is an art dealer, he might get a leg up to show his dark and lackluster paintings but Theo offers nothing but negative comments about his paintings. Frankie J. Alvarez as Theo, Vincent's loving brother who provides financial support is a study in stability, the complete opposite of his brother's instability.

van Gough looks for companionship and friendship from like-minded friends like Paul Gauguin, (Marco Barricilli) and Emile Bernard (DeLeon Dallas).  Through it all Gauguin would be his long lasting friend while the other two were more hail fellow well met friends yet bring some much needed humor to their roles.

Frankie J. Alvarez and Paco Tolson

Deidre Henry is an outstanding Agostina, Vincent’s par amour, Café owner and biggest fan and Brooke Ishibashi is a baker in progress at the café and the first contact Vincent makes when he ventures into town. The seven member ensemble adds more depth and humor to the struggles of Van Gough’s already unsettled life. 

Takeshi Kata’s -two tiered set gives way to dark scapes across the entire stage, with the intent of the audience seeing what Van Gough sees. “I want you to feel what I feel and see what I. see”.

David Israel Reynoso’s costumes are period are right with some color to the overall darkness especially on the women’s costumes. Palmer Hefferan’s sound design, Nicholas Hussongs realistic projections, Masha Tsimring’s lighting, and Alberto “Albee Alvarado wigs and Justin Ellington’s original music fits in with the mood of the story. They all add up to a realistic look and are true to the vision of the playwright's work.

Paco Tolson 

With a strong cast and a steadily convincing, overly morbid and grouchy to a fault Paco Tolson as Vincent, the production tends to be repetitive and depressing, in tune and tone with the moods of van Gough. With tightening and some culling “to the yellow house” will be a find in the annals of serious, historical and educational drama.   

Hat’s off to Kimber Lee for showing us a part of the determination that resides in us all. van Gough never lived to see his masterpieces. He continued to sketch and paint until the very end when he was destitute and finally took his own life, but he never gave up pursuing his dream. 

As a nice touch, volunteers were giving out sunflower masks to the audience. 

‘to the yellow house’ plays through Dec. 12 at La Jolla Playhouse’s Weiss Theatre.

Shows Tuesday at 7:30 p.m.; Wednesday at 2 and 7:30 p.m.; Thursday Friday at 8 p.m. and Saturday at 2 and 8 p.m.; Sunday at 2 and 7 p.m.

Tickets: lajollaplayhouse.org

Proof of vaccination and masks mandatory.

Photos: Rich Soublet II

 ‘to the yellow house’ plays through Dec. 12 at La Jolla Playhouse’s Weiss Theatre.

Ticket information: lajollaplayhouse.org

Proof of vaccination and masks mandatory.

 

“She The People” by Second City Raises a Glass to Women

                   

It was difficult to divide the opening night audience at the San Diego Rep. of “She The People” now on the Lyceum Stage through Dec. 5th as to what genders outnumbered what genders. Clearly the six women ensemble came to bury the male ego not to praise it. (All in fun of course). 

The women in the audience along with a few good men (very few) clapped, yelled and ya hood and were all over each and every act the group performed from taking turns as a group, sanctifying and praising the progress women have made over the years and pointing out there are still miles to go,  mountains to climb and finally leading up to a strong monologue from the first Woman President (Kazi Jones). 

The six women do what Second City has done since its inception in 1959 when the ‘comedy revolution/’began in Chicago; they make people laugh. It is comedy for women written by women. The show includes sketches, music and audience participation. One of my favorites, the game show “You Oughta Know’ where the chosen audience member, who was a good sport, couldn’t identify who the Sec. of State was but knew about the Kardashians.

“She The People” created and originally Directed by Carley Heffernan features for this San Diego showing Lexi Alioto, Kennedy Baldwin, Katie Caussin, Kazi Jones, Yazmin Ramos and Laurel Zoff Pelton. Elisa Wattman is at the piano and is also Music Director. 

Sketches include a number about anyone can have a  ‘gay baby’, women doing commercials demonstrating a shampoo under a waterfall tickled my funny bone and how women want men to look at their faces not their bodies so why not come out as a dinosaur and finally, but not the least last, championing for  having pockets in all women’s clothing.  

With so much material to spoof and jab at and with the men in power still dictating what women can and cannot do with their bodies and the chances of women getting equal treatment like pay in the workplace, “She The People” will never run out of material. 

And while the show was overly over the top, oft times crude and  funny as hell it is just what we need now. Some of the spoofs went fleeting by so fast that yours truly had a difficult time catching up with a few because some skits began while the audience was still laughing at the past skit.  My brain doesn’t work that fast. Sorry ladies, slow down a bit for the old fogies. But do enjoy the experience. 

Some names you might recognize from Second City over the years include Tins Fay, Joan Rivers, Gilder Radner and Amy Sedaris. And yes, there were men in the group as well: John Belushi, John Carey, Martin Short, Alan Arkin and Dan Aykroyd to name a few. 

“Second City: She the People” will run through Dec. 4, with performances at 7 p.m. Sundays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays, 8 p.m. Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays and 2 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays. 

Photo: Timothy Schmidt

Tickets are $25 to $91. 

Proof of full vaccination or negative COVID-19 PCR test within 72 hours of show time required. 

Masks are also required indoors. 

For tickets, call (619) 544-1000 or sdrep.org.

 

For A Bit of Twisted Holiday Cheer, “For Whom the Southern Belle Tolls” Might be Your Cup of Merriment.

The cast and director, Phil Johnson of Roustabout Theatre Compny and Christopher Durang seem to have a symbiotic relationship in Roustabout’s treatment of its current production “For Whom The Southern Belle Tolls” now at Moxie Theatre through Dec. 4th. 

I say that with tongue in cheek, because, well they all seem to be savoring every tasty morsel of dark humor where Durang spoofs the four or so little playlets with glee, the most polished is the parody on  Tennessee Williams “The Glass Menagerie”. 

The four cast members Wendy Maples, Walter Murray, Omri Schein and Wendy Waddell are all plugged into Durang’s warped humor rapid fire conversation and for ninety crazy minutes, you will laugh yourself silly. Lest we forget, director Johnson can be just as goofy as the rest especially if you remember him with Schein in “Withering Heights” and “She Rantala from Outer Space”. 

l to r Wendey Wadell, Omri Schein, Wendy Maples and Walter Murray

In the first skit married couple Marsha and Jim (Waddell and Murray) are locked into a 13 year ho hum marriage with littler or nothing to talk about when Murray gets a phone call from a long ago high school girlfriend. She wans to come out and visit and ‘talk’ about old times. When she arrives, he’s baffled because he barely recognizes her (she’s gained lots of weight and has had several surgeries on her face) and doesn’t remember ever being close to her. 

Maples is all over Murray with not very convincing push backfrom him much to Waddell’s chagrin. Of the trio, Maples shines as Waddell moans and groans perfectly as the injured wife and Murray frowns and looks surprised loving the attention.

Schein makes several appearances on stage, one as a waiter in a Tea Room annoyed at Murray for not liking borscht but ordering scrambled eggs instead.  In another he plays a writer who is approached by an agent (Maples) to write a play about a Rabbi who wants to marry a priest played by Waddell. That was too funny but Renetta Lloyd’ and Roz Lehman’s costumes of the Orthodox Rabbi stole that segment. 

Omri Schein, Wendy Maples, Wendy Waddell and Walter Murray  as Tom.

The most developed and black as black comedy can get is the takeoff on Williams’ “Glass Menagerie” where Schein is now Lawrence not Laura. Amanda (Waddell) calls him a cripple. Instead of her/his menagerie of animals, Lawrence plays with his cocktail swizzles. He calls them by name driving his mother crazy with his potpourri of illnesses and his refusal to meet anyone.

Murray plays Tom Lawrence’s brother who at Amanda’s urging brings home a lady caller named Ginny (Maples looking like Rosie the Riveter) for Lawrence.  She turns out to be a lesbian. And then Tom the breadwinner goes to the movies every night and brings home his own gentlemen. 

It’s all so…loud as Ginny (Maples almost screams her lines because she’s hard of hearing.  At the end of that segment yours truly was ready to give her my hearing aids. And through it all, Waddell’s Amanda is still the ‘charming’ southern bell who once had seventeen gentlemen callers in one day. But if looks could kill both her children would be dead. 

Omri Schein, Walter Murray Wendy Waddell and Wendy Maples

With an all talented cast and Johnson directing, the laughs came so fast we were barely able to catch our breaths. And for a seasonal show NOT about Christmas this one fits the bill taking our minds off the holidays and the worlds woes for at least ninety fun filled minutes.

Alyssa Kane’s simple set worked well as the quick scenes kept everything moving at rapid speed and Chloe Oliana M. Clark’s lighting is right on.

In case you are interested in any of Durang’s plays try reading or seeing if possible, “Beyond Therapy”, “Sister Mary Explains It All” and “Vanya and Sonya and Masha and Spike”, the last was seen here at the Old Globe some years ago. 

Enjoy!

“For Whom The Southern Belle Tolls” plays November 20, 21, 23, 27, 28 and Dec. 2-4 at Moxie Theatre, 6663 El Cajon Blvd. 

Talkbacks will be held after the Nov. 21 and 28 matinees.

For tickets: https://www.theroustabouts.org/

Photos: Roustabouts Theatre Company

Proof of COVID-19 vaccination and masks required.

“Hairspray Returns to the Big Stage at the Civic and Knocks the Audience Off Its Feet

 “Hairspray”, Broadway’s Great Big Fat Gorgeous Hit (Clive Barnes) is back for yet another go around at the Civic Theatre through November 21st. Winner of eight 2003 Tony Awards including Best Musical and directed by our own Jack O’Brien of Old Globe fame, the Broadway cast starred Marissa Jaret Winokur as Tracy Turnbald and Harvey Fierstein (the King or Queen of drag and the quintessential Edna Turnbald) as her mother, Edna. Both won Tony’s for their respective roles.

Niki Metcalf as Tracy

“Hairspray”, based on the New Line Cinema film written and directed by John Walters who was also the creative consultant for the musical, with Mark O’Donnell and Thomas Meehan who wrote the book, original score by Academy Award nominated Marc Shaiman, and lyrics by Scott Wittman and Marc Shaiman, takes place in Baltimore, 1962 where things ‘they were a changin’. 

Welcome to the 60’s sung by the Dynamites Caira Asante, Mea Wilkerson, and Renee Reid. And as an afterthought this is what was happening in the ‘60’s. 

Words like Afro, Beehive, Extensions, Perm, Pig Tails, Pompadour, Skunking and Teasing were made popular. The Civil Rights Act, Alfred Hitchcock’s “Psycho”, JFK, Bay of Pigs, Peace Core, Cuban Missile Crisis and the death of Marilyn Monroe were a few items that made history in the early 60’s. That we were in for some trying times would be an understatement for years to come.

For Baby Boomers I and younger who may not remember the ‘60’s here are a few dances that thrived then: ‘Stricken Chicken’; ‘The Madison’; The Locomotion’; ‘The Handjive’; ‘The Bug’; ‘The Pony’; ‘The Mashed Potato’ and ‘The Twist’. Lord knows what the dances are called now and that would be dating me past the Polka, the Tango, Cha Cha and the Waltz. 

With a sustained energy by the entire cast compared only to the EveryReady Battery, O’Brien dusted this new touring show (first stop here) off with some updated language and a few political and local references as the production moved along like clockwork.

Overall though, the cast is one of the best balanced I’ve seen with the likes of  Niki Metcalf as Tracy Turnblad the overweight girl with the two tone bouffant, teased to hilt who gets the hunk Will Savarese as Link Larkin the wannabe Elvis look alike), or that her best friend, Penny (Emery Hendreson) supports her to the hilts: “My mother’s going to kill me for going to jail without her permission”.)

Tonisha Harris, Niki Metcalf and Andrew Levitt

 Then as now written into the show, Tracy’s one goal after being able to dance on the famous Corny (Billy Dawson) Collins Show with its white dancers and white producer Velma (Addisonj Gardner and her conceited daughter Amber (Kaelee Albritton) is to integrate the show with the matter of her being overweight right in front of us to judge or not how capable plus sized folks can perform and compete with anyone. 

Hats off to Niki for the dynamism she brings to the show along with her fellow actor Brandon G. Stalling as Seaweed J. Stubbs andother exceptional dancer and ultimately Penny’s boyfriend.

Cast

The underlying theme of integration was a biggie then but since the  Black Lives Matter  movement, the energy in the theatre on opening night proved to be a winning point and especially when her newly found friend Mototmouth Belle (bring the house down Toneisha Harris, “I Know Where I’ve Been”) will eventually host the Collins show once a month on ‘Negro Day’. 

Then there is the matter of Tracy’s parents. Her mother Edna (drag queen star Andrew Levitt aka Nina West) is one of the most beautiful and loving Edna I’ve seen as she tries to protect her daughter from getting hurt, while her dreams of becoming a famous designer are coming to fruition.

Her husband Wilber (Christopher Swan) is just the right person to fit the bill in their loving and caring relationship. Their big production number “Timeless To Me” is worth the whole show. It’s fun, loving, caring and just sweet. It brought tears to my eyes. It sums up the feeling of the show.

Some credits are due: Scenic design by David Rockwell, Sound design by Shannon Slaton, Wigs and Hair design by Paul Huntley and Richard Mawbey, Video designs by Patrick W. Lord and  Conductor Patrick Hoagland was in the pit and life was beautiful for 2 plus hours.

The New York Times said about the show: “If life were everything it should be, it would be more like Hairspray.”

Photo by: Chris Bennion and Jeremy Daniel

When: 7:30 p.m. Thursday. 8 p.m. Friday. 2 and 8 p.m. Saturday. 1 and 6:30 p.m. Sunday.

Where: San Diego Civic Theatre, 1100 Third Ave., San Diego.

Tickets: $35 to $120

Online: broadwaysd.com

COVID protocol: Proof of full vaccination required or negative COVID-19 PCR test within 72 hours of showtime or rapid antigen test performed by a medical professional within 12 hours of showtime. Masks required indoors.

Verbal Sparring in NCR’S “Ben Butler” Reminds Me of Some Great Tennis Matches I’ve Seen.

Richard Strand’s “Ben Butler” now on stage at the North Coast Repertory Theatre in Solana Beach through November 14th is referred to as an historical play. It’s a comedy, deals with slavery and Civil War conundrums. In fact, the blunders and convoluted legal gyrations (he was a lawyer in civilian life) surrounding Major General Benjamin Butler’s very short stint in the Union Army are actually one for the books.

Richard Baird and Brandon J. Pierce (photos by Aaron Rumley 

The fun begins first shot fired out of the box and the bantering gets hot and heavy when Butler tells Kelly that the telegram he just received informed him that Virginia seceded from the Union whereupon Kelly tells Butler that there is a Negro slave (actually there are three) in the compound (Fort Monroe in Virginia at the start of the Civil War) ‘demanding’ to speak to the Major. 

They go on for about ten or so minutes on who and what the runaway slave is doing in his fort. Does he have a name? And why doesn’t Butler know who is in his compound.? 

They move on for several more minutes about who has a right to ‘demand’ anything of the Major when finally, Mallory the now 'free slave' is brought in to see the major and for some reason Butler gets to stammering and stuttering with Mallory in the room and tells him to call him Ben.

The whole setup is quite funny while dealing with the very serious and human dilemma of slavery and what to do now that the slave is a ‘free slave’ and the complications that go along with that. Eventually Butler comes up with a plan once again, convoluted, to keep Mallory in the 'Union' fort.

Bruce Turk, Brian Mackeyand Richard Baird

Butler, played with expertise by Richard Baird, uses his commanding voice to frighten the bejuses out of his West Point befuddled Lieutenant Kelly, Butler’s adjunct (Brian Mackey), and turn the tables on the Confederate, most sure of himself, Major Cary (Bruce Turk.) 

The only one standing up to the Major General is the runaway slave Shepard Mallory (Brandon J. Pierce), who has nothing to lose but his life.  He wants asylum to escape death. To convine Butler even more Mallory shows Butler the scars on his back for having a 'different opinion'.

 

Brian Mackey, Richard Baird and Brandon J. Pierce

How they get around keeping Mallory, and what ensues along the way including the arrival of Major Cary to claim ‘his’ slave is a feast of words fit for a courtroom lawyer. Under artistic director David Ellenstein, who always has a twinkle in his eyes, Major Butler becomes a bigger than life character even though, as mentioned above his time in the military was short, and not very successful, his over the top wrangling is more than a footnote. * 

I recommend you watch Mackey’s facial expressions. They are worth more than words. 

Bruce Turk is perfect as the snotty Confederate Major. I’ll let you see for yourselves what Butler does to him. 

Pierce, making his NCR debut (hopefully he’ll come back) manages to meet Baird (Butler) on his terms word for word: “You are an arrogant oddity!” and Mallory retorts “So are you!” No minced words here. 

Set designer Marty Burnett designed the simple set consisting of a desk, chair, a cabinet against the windows for the Major’s favorite drink, sherry. To make a play like this work, both cast, crew and director have to work in harmony. 

Baird who has appeared and directed several shows at NCR is excellent as the Major. He can turn on the charm as fast as looking like he’s ready to strangle someone. He’s most convincing including his physical look that shows him at least 30 or so pounds heavier with half balding head (Renetta Lloyd, costumes and Kathleen Kenna makeup artist.) Philip Korth is credited for props and Matthew Novotny, lighting. Last but not least Aaron Rumley is stage manager and sound designer, 

If history and high stakes legal sparring is your game, I recommend you get into the action as both spectator and witness. 

*Butler went on to two terms in the US Congress as an anti-war Democrat and serving as the Governor of Massachusetts. He even ran for President. But that was a no go. After his short time as a Union soldier, Butler’s life was anything boring. He opposed President Johnson’s reconstruction agenda and was the house manager in the Johnson impeachment proceedings. As Chairman of the House Committee on Reconstruction, Butler authored Ku Klux Act of 1871 and   co-authored the landmark Civil Rights Act of 1875.

"Ben Butler” runs through November 14, 2021 at North Coast Repertory Theatre.

Shows Wednesday at 7 p.m.; Thursday and Friday at 8 p.m.; Saturday at 2 and 8 p.m.; Sunday at 2 and 7 p.m.

Tickets: northcoastrep.org; (858) 481-1055

Masks and proof of vaccination required. 

Cynthia Gerber Rises to the Occasion in Lamb’s “The Bell of Amherst”

 Emily Dickinson wore many titles, least of all ‘poet’ until her death in 1886. During her lifetime she penned 1800 poems of which 10 were published. She was often called a recluse and eccentric. She lived in isolation with her parents, her brother Austin, whom she adored and her sister Lavinia. She refused to answer the door when someone approached, instead looked out the window to see who was calling. She dressed in all white, and during her later years stayed pretty much alone in her room. While most of her communications were through letter writing, her wish was that they be burned after her death.

At one time Ms. Dickinson predicted she would be “The Belle of Amherst” (“I am growing handsome very fast indeed! I expect I shall be the belle of Amherst when I reach my 17th year. I don’t doubt that I will have crowds of admirers at that age” Emily Dickinson Museum*) even though she attended but only one dance and that was at her high school dance, where it seems, all her romantic inclinations were dashed when the young man she had eyes on, asked about her sister, Lavinia. But that didn’t mean that she wasn’t a romantic. Her poems and future meetings with men of interest in the literary world, tell us so.

Playwright William Luce's (“There is a mystical energy, an inner tone in her writings,” Mr. Luce wrote in the author’s note to “Belle,”) in “The Belle of Amherst” that debuted in 1976. (It became Julie Haris' signature role). The one woman show at Lamb's is just as moving, a little less somber, with Gerber in the role, as the one I watched on TV with Harris.) This one runs about 100 minutes and  captures the essence of Dickinson including several of her short poems and how her mind works in selecting a topic or words to express her ideas.

Lamb’s Players Theatre artistic director Robert Smyth chose this particular play with seasoned actor Cynthia Gerber to open their 75th season and celebrate the reopening of the theatre after an absence of almost two years as a result of the pandemic. A wise choice in both circumstances. 

Ms. Gerber, who wanted to do this show over twenty years ago, is now up to the task for the role as a more mature and seasoned actor according to Smyth. She has the chops, the experience, the nuances and the credibility, agility and personality to portray Emily in every way beginning with her approaching the audience and offering them her favorite recipe for her chocolate cake. 

A great ice breaker. 

In that period of 100 minutes (without intermission), she flitts back and forth from one side of the stage to another, designed with Maple trees in full fall colors in the background to a sparsely designed interior by Mike Buckley. Buckley is also credited for the lighting design. Projections on a set of drapes in the background gave way to Michael McKeon’s projections of family members to particular words that interested Dickinson.  Jemima Dutra designed Ms. Gerber’s white outfit and Deborah Gilmour Smyth is credited for the sound design.

Gerber begins unraveling Dickinson's life, racing, in some instances, from one thought to another in no particular order. We do learn of her parents, her siblings, her nosey neighbors, her dear friends to little tid- bits of her community in Amherst, Mass where he father was a lawyer and served in Congress to her poems that really revealed her innermost thoughts. 

If ever a role was custom made for a solo actor, Ms. Gerber embodies that role. She’s affable, joyous, oft times sad and morbid, yet reflective. In other words, she too is having a good time with Emily as was everyone in the audience the night I attended.

I give it a two -thumbs up!

Photos by T.J. MacMillan

“The Belle of Amherst” plays through November 14, 2021 at Lamb’s Players Theatre, 1142 Orange Ave. in Coronado. Masks and proof of vaccination required.

For tickets: (619) 437-6000 or https://www.lambsplayers.org