David Shaul

Lots to unpack in Center Stage rom-com

PWJW_Indy Reviews, Stage , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

By John Lyle Belden

A good comedy skit relates the concept of past relationship “baggage” to literal suitcases. A good play takes that idea and makes it so much more.

Center Stage Community Theatre in Lebanon presents “Baggage,” by Sam Bobrick (acclaimed playwright and writer for shows ranging from Captain Kangaroo and Bewitched to helping create Saved by the Bell), directed by Veronique Duprey.

Phyllis Novak (Lauren Johnson) and Bradley Naughton (Mark Livingston) accidentally picked up each other’s identical bags at the airport. She cautiously lets him come to her apartment to switch them back. While hers is the heavier piece of luggage, he carries the larger emotional burden, still pining – openly weeping, actually – for his ex-wife. Phyllis tries to stay aloof, but her “curiosity problem” kicks in and despite their rough first encounter, they get to know each other better.  While he tries to get over his loss and she seeks to adjust her impossible standards for dating men, they agree to go out with each other platonically.

Do you see an improbable romantic comedy coming on? So does Dr. Jonathan Alexander (David Shaul), holder of degrees from prestigious universities and a couples expert, having written three books on the topic (which he will sell you). He enters along the fourth wall, instructing the audience and warning Phyllis of the folly of this entire plot, especially her doomed belief that she can change Bradley to her liking.

We also meet Phyllis’s best friend Mitzi Cartwright (Amy Keitt), a free spirit who gladly takes the play’s events as they come while hoping for a happy ending of her own.

In all, we get a clever and funny romantic adventure, complete with snappy dialogue – Bradley: “You’re a nutcase.” Phyllis: “That’s possible.” The meta element of Dr. Alexander weaving in and out of the play enhances the experience, a fresh way of acknowledging this often-told kind of story.

Johnson makes Phyllis engaging and relatable, having transformed fear of relationships into an impossible need for certainty. Livingston manages the tricky job of keeping some degree of dignity in Bradley, even while little more than a living puddle of tears. Keitt spritely presents Mitzi as someone you would believe had built a koi pond in her living room, because, why not? Shaul bridges the on- and offstage worlds effectively, his PhD-fueled ego adding to the humor.

Duprey has brought out the best in the talented cast; she is assisted by daughter Audrey, who also lurks in the shadows as stage manager (hat-tip to elder daughter Sabrina for helping on preview night). Center Stage’s comfy stage design is by Christy Summersett and David Wines, with decoration by Wines and Lauren Johnson. Like other community theatres, all labor is volunteer, including costumes by Kathie Criss and props by Elizabeth Ruddell.

Pick up “Baggage” for the next two weekends, through March 8, at 604 Powell St., Lebanon. Get info and tickets at centerstagecommunitytheatre.com.

Exploring stories with Westfield’s ‘Geezers’

PWJW_Indy Reviews, Stage , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

By John Lyle Belden

As we age, the mind still spinning in a body that’s not doing as well, we develop our eccentricities. In other words, we become “Geezers.” That’s the name of the heartwarming comedy by Tommy Lee Johnston, now on stage with Main Street Productions in Westfield, directed by Lori Raffel.

Gina (Brenna Whitaker) has her hands full with the residents of Maple Leaf Retirement Community. Ray (Duane Leatherman) naps all day in the comfy chair with his favorite pillow but doesn’t miss any conversation around him. Likewise, Emily (Wendy Brown) seems a tad out of it, watching TV for the commercials whose jingles she sings along with, yet she pops into lucidity at random yet appropriate times. Neil (Chris Otterman) is both a curmudgeon and a prankster. Then there’s Kate (Jen Otterman), a former actor whose constant flirting went too far with a now-fired orderly.

Into this milieu, enter Jack (Adrian Blackwell), a twenty-something who had spent most of his life caring for his deaf mother, a former worker at Maple Leaf, and with her passed on, is given the chance to take her job assisting Gina. He has his own issues, with his circumstances having given him or enhanced traits that resemble the high-functioning end of the autism spectrum – especially communication issues and anxiety. His way of managing his world is to write. He is good, though has trouble coming up with original ideas. At Kate and Neil’s urging, Jack, reluctantly at first, takes on a project of writing stories from the residents’ lives.

We also meet Jenny (Debbie Underwood), who comes to visit Emily but fears she has missed her chance to make their long-overdue reconnection.

Jack takes in the stories by listening and visualizing them – thus we see younger versions of Kate (Alyssa Lay) who almost got a part in one of the worst B-movies of all time (and still regrets it); Neil (David Shaul), an Air Force logistics specialist, meaning he didn’t fly but had to drive through the hell of Vietnam; and Ray (Mike Sosnowski), who was faced with a heart-rending choice.

“The funny thing about the truth,” the elder Ray says, “it holds a high standard.”

We eventually get everyone’s stories, including Gina’s, and why she cries at the end of every shift. Whitaker gives a solid performance as a caretaker with a firm yet soft touch, seeing the residents practically as family – a balm for her own issues that she reveals to Jack. For his part, Blackwell handles his tricky, complex part well, ensuring that we laugh along with, not at, his difficulties.

When folks of a certain age feel free to say practically anything – and do – that generates plenty of laughs, and these “Geezers” don’t hold back. In a play that touches on a wide range of emotions, there is more than sufficient comedy relief.

Still, I must add a “trigger warning” for elements of self-harm, gun violence, and suicide.

Visiting hours are almost up. “Geezers” has four more performances, Thursday through Sunday, Feb. 13-16, at Basile Westfield Playhouse, 220 N. Union St. Get info and tickets at westfieldplayhouse.org.