Christopher Owens: 1990

On May 23, the 1990 season got off to a rousing start with an elegant Gala celebrating the new season and observing the support that the Virginia Commission of the Arts had given to Wayside over the years.  For those attending the opening night of Romance, Romance, hors d’oeuvres and cocktails were served prior to curtain in The Curtain Call Café.  Attending this event were members of the Commission as well as local politicians, and patrons interested in the Arts who regularly attended Wayside Theatre productions.  The Arts Commission had been highly supportive of the Theatre’s work, especially the Wayside Theatre on Tour, a program designed to bring theatre productions to students. 

Once again, in a newspaper ad for the Stutzman Chevrolet-Cadillac agency, Wayside’s opening night was announced and Wayside is referred to as the Valley’s most prestigious professional Theatre.  In addition to the description of the newest model cars, Wayside’s schedule for the entire summer season was included with titles of the plays and dates of performances.

Romance, Romance opened on Broadway in 1988 and uses only four actors in two one-act musicals, each complete in themselves — Act one set in the 1800s in Vienna, Act two in the USA during the 1990s.  The actors play various roles throughout the show. One cast member was David Buffam, who had appeared in over 30 TV commercials as well as roles in “All My Children” and “Loving.”  Catherine Cooper appeared in two Wayside shows that season, and had extensive experience in various soaps: “All My Children,” “Guiding Light,” “One Life To Live,” and “Edge of Night.”  As a dancer, she had appeared on Broadway in “A Chorus Line” (McCarty. “Cooper and comedy.” TWS. 13 June 1990).  Garrett Elise Long, a senior at Shenandoah Conservatory, made her professional debut in this production and held her own with the three experienced actors. While the sets were effective and the costumes appropriate, one reviewer felt that the pacing of the show suffered. “The first act, slower of the two, suffers from an occasional energy sag …. The second act, the friskier and funnier of the two in terms of subject matter, opens with a bang and sustains a brightness and bounce throughout (Smith.  “Wayside Production Intimate, ….”  HDNR.  25 May 1990).  Another writes, “If only the two acts were a little better balanced, Wayside would have an undisputed hit.” He writes that, while the first act is lighter in mood and better written, “It is given such a monotonous and soggy pacing that we can only wonder how far down this evening can go.” But, he adds, “Fortunately, the second act picks up and makes for a sassy, sprightful (sic) production in itself” (Stead. “Second Act Adds Sparkle ….” Curtain Up! June 1999).  All who reviewed the show agree that the acting and the singing were excellent. There were some sexual innuendos in both acts of this show that were comical and “tastefully done.”  But, some people must have been offended “because many ticketholders not only didn’t return for the second act but some left after it began” (DeJerf.  “Wayside’s season opener. ….” TFRN.  30 May 1990).  Another review concluded, “In terms of the overall production, the emphasis is on the intimate.”  He reminds the reader that Romance, Romance had successfully bucked Broadway’s trend towards the big [production] … but bigger doesn’t always mean better” (Smith.  “Wayside Production ….”  HDNR.  25 May 1990). 

The critics praised The Nerd, the season’s second show.  All agreed that it was well staged and that the script was fast paced.  But, not all thought it was worth the time.  One thought that a “stronger hand in the direction could have helped save what … seems to be an obvious and weak script interspersed with flashes of humor” (Booth. “Wayside’s ‘Nerd’ has ….” TFRN.  20 June 1990).  While all critics agree the cast is excellent, the set and costumes appropriate, the script was lacking.  In The Nerd, “What you get is spurts of quality situation-comedy writing, tied together with a threadbare storyline in which the premise is barely plausible and an underlying theme that surfaces as a cursory afterthought” (Hough.  “The Plot Gets ….”  TWS.  15 June 1990).

J. Barrett Cooper, who was the lead actor in The Nerd, switched roles to play an adolescent in the next show, What I Did Last Summer.  A feature article told of Cooper’s early interest in theatre starting as a sixth grader and continuing through training at the collegiate and master’s level.  It was the third time he had performed this play, a work he really loves (McCarty. “Cooper leaves ‘Nerd’ role ….” TW S.  3 July 1990).  Most of the local critics found the performance of What I Did Last Summer to be strong with a script capable of holding the audience in “nostalgic warmth, literally, of adolescent passage.” The ‘warmth’ of opening night was an unplanned event. The theater had been struck by lightning during a thunderstorm,

putting the air conditioner temporarily out of order and giving the cozy confines
of the playhouse a close, sultry, summery feeling.  But, however wilted the audience appeared, the cast seemed unaffected, fluidly turning in professional performances throughout (Hough.  “Summer Nights, Warm ….”  TWS.  6 July 1990). 

The language in the play caused a few ‘gasps’ from the audience, but one critic writes, “It is a fact that some people prefer to use language others of us choose not to, therefore in order to have a successful and realistic play, such language and gestures are often required” (DeJerf.  “A smashing summer ….”  TFRN.  11 July 1990). 

Residents of Loudoun County were urged by a reviewer of Steel Magnolias to journey across the Blue Ridge Mountains to Middleton to “enjoy a pleasant drive and an amusing, professionally-done play.”  He felt that the play works better when performed in the intimate, 185 seat Wayside Theater than it did in the star-studded movie.  Praising the New York based cast of veteran actors “professionally hired by the theater for the production [who] all perform ably” both as individuals “and as part of the general ensemble.  Each shows excellent comic timing, and gives her character depth and individuality” (Hanlon.  “Wayside’s ‘Steel Magnolias’ ….”  LTM.  2 Aug. 1990).  The files contain several reviews of this show and are all in agreement that this is one of Wayside’s strongest performances.

The production of Private Lives received kudos for the acting, the costumes, and the set.  This Noel Coward favorite had first been performed at Wayside in 1985.  Creating the four costumes for the four main actors and how their colors were appropriate to the set rated feature coverage in the Winchester paper.  The costumer, set designer, and director worked together quite closely so that the costumes, which were light in color, would contrast effectively with the Art-deco set that used dark hues. Once again, the turntable was used to smoothly get from the Act I terrace scene to the Parisian apartment for the remainder of the show.  One review stated that this set proved once again that Wayside Theatre rarely lapses in the quality of its set design.  All the reviewers praised the strong cast, but the hands down favorite was Jeffrey Eiche, who played the “delightfully insufferable Elyot.  Eiche doesn’t need to ask for an audience’s attention—he commands it—in a marvelous performance that handles his sometimes-subtle, sometimes slapstick role with equal grace” (Smith, B.  “Cast Proves Up to the Task ….” DNR.  18 Aug. 1990).  Another writes, the “professional cast performs to perfection, with a humor and style seldom seen in community theatre.” But, the writer is quickly reminded by the Theatre’s Managing Director that Wayside is not community theatre, but professional with actors coming from New York or the Washington area.  “The caliber of our performers is up there” (Bretschneider. “ ‘Private Lives’ brings ….”  LTM.  22 Aug. 1990). 

Another smash hit for the 1990 season was Driving Miss Daisy with Dorothea Hammond making her Wayside debut as Miss Daisy.  Hammond had appeared in many roles at DC’s Arena Stage.  Gil Glagow, who also made his Wayside debut as Boolie, had extensive regional and film credits as well as many commercials. Ronal Stepney, who had appeared in I’m Not Rappaport during Wayside’s 1989 season, played the part of Hoke.  The stage was divided into three sections:  the living area, Miss Daisy’s car, and the center area represented an office, an outdoor graveyard, and a nursing home.  While effective, one reviewer found the backdrop of black shutters disappointing and depressing “for an affluent southern home of that time period” (Proko.  “Driving Miss Daisy.”  TFRN.  26 Sept. 1990).

The summer season came to close with the two-person play, A Walk In The Woods.  What could be a rehash of the Cold War instead uses universal themes: cynicism vs. idealism, war vs. peace, suspicion vs. trust, hope vs. hopelessness, plus humor!  The work of both actors was highly praised, particularly that of Broadway and television veteran, Frank Anderson.  He delivers an absolutely brilliant performance as Botvinnik. His thorough mastery of a Russian accent coupled with dazzling acting skills accomplish what great theater aspires … the feeling that you’re witnessing real life, not watching a play” (Smith.  “Wayside Triumph Examines ….”  TDNR.  13 Oct. 1990).  The work of the other actor, John Travers, was equally praised, along with the work of the director and the starkly simple set - - a park bench amid scattered leaves.  Following the run of A Walk in the Woods at Wayside, the entire production was transferred to the Alden Theatre in McLean, Virginia where it was performed on November 1 - 5, 1990.

To announce the annual production of A Christmas Carol, a card was mailed to patrons affirming that Wayside did not tire of retelling this story each year, despite the script being basically the same as seen in previous productions.  Patrons were alerted to the possibility of not being able to obtain seats.

Because we have sold out every seat the past two years, we’ve added an extra
week of performances this year.  All the same, I recommend you call early to
reserve tickets.  There are three matinees each week to bring the small children
and the evening performances are at 7:30 so the family can still get home early
or make one of those many holiday social occasions after the show.  I invite you to
share the magic with us again - - or for the first time—at Wayside this year.  Signed: Christopher Owens, Artistic Director (Wayside Theatre announcement).

Owens would creatively alter the Christmas Carol staging to make the show appear as a fresh production each year.  “Effective use of scrims, trap doors, a turntable in the stage and other effects frees this production from the static design that hobbled the original production two years ago,” wrote one reviewer. Scrooge, strongly played by actor Ron Keith, appeared as a “vivid Scrooge whether swiping at a child with his cane … coping with the apparitions that hector him or joining in long-forgotten frivolity on his journey through the past” (Horan.  “Effective staging enhances ….”  NVD.  1 Dec. 1990).  The highlight of the performance, according to one reporter, “is not the acting, but the music, with Donna Johnson, leading the cast through a variety of classic carols … especially in ‘The Holly and the Ivy’ … which is a showstopper.”  Another writer felt that Keith’s portrayal of Scrooge doesn’t quite “hold his own as the pivotal character in the show.  He starts off weak, not being quite cruel enough or quite sardonic enough, but finishes well when confronted with the ghosts” (Browne. “Wayside Gives Old Favorite ….”  TDNR.  1 Dec. 1990).  All reviews comment on Owens ability to create something new to these traditional performances rather than just rehashing what had been done previously. 

The files for 1990 contain a single sheet of paper that lists the names of actors and tech staff under the heading, Company Information. The topics listed include the policy for comp tickets, the use of the Curtain Call, when paychecks were available and where to do one’s laundry.  For the latter topic, it states that the washing machines in the basement may be used by company members but only after checking with the head of the Costume Shop.  The final topic deals with appropriate dress for the traditional opening night reception held in the Curtain Call. The staff was encouraged to be dressed-up for this event, but not in formal attire, which was reserved only for the Gala following the season opening when black-tie is optional. 

And, the successful 1990 season came to a close!