Christopher Owens: 1993

The year 1993 was a banner year for Wayside as the theatre staged a grand coup with one of its productions.  “For the first time, the second-oldest theatre company in the state, will stage the first regional production of a major Broadway hit” (Skinner, T.  “Mamet in Middletown.”  TWS.  30 July 1993).  It also marked the first time that a regional production of a play would be playing while it is still running on Broadway.  The play is David Mamet’s, Oleanna, named as one of the 10 best plays for the 1993 season.  This coup is due to the long-time friendship between Christopher Owens and Robert Vaughan, the agent who controls Mamet’s works.  Earlier in the Wayside’s history, a production had gone from Middletown to Broadway.  This time, it is making history in reverse!  And, with that announcement, the 1993 season began.

The season opened with the Neil Simon comedy, Rumors, featuring a “deliciously funny” cast of mostly newcomers to Wayside’s stage.  Dawson praises each of the cast, singling out Bruce Edward Barton as providing “some of the funniest moments of the show with his contorted facial expressions and physical humor … throughout the evening” (Dawson.  “Theater Review: ‘Rumors….’ ”). LTM.  26 May 1993).  Another critic sums up the performance wondering if this “foreshadows the talent in productions to come … tickets should be well worth the money” (Currie.  “ ‘Rumors’ a funny show.”  TSVH,  26 May 1993).  Another writer, after mentioning the cast and particular moments, concludes, “ ‘Rumors’ gets its vital energy from a cast that clicks like a set of Legos and moves as sinuously as a Slinky” (Studebaker. “ ‘Rumors’ A Ticket To Speed.”  TWS.  21 May 1993). But, it was pointed out that Shenandoah Conservatory had presented Rumors a month before Wayside’s opening and wondered why the two performances were so close together.  The writer was not impressed with the play and wonders why would Wayside kick off its 1993 season “with a lackluster play that rarely rises above the level of a typical television sitcom” (Torbett.  “Don’t expect a spicy ‘Rumors.’ ”  NVD.  22 May 1993).

Next was Mrs. California, a play featuring four female characters competing for the title in the categories of ironing, sewing, setting the table, and cooking.  Photos of the set show identical test kitchens with period appliances, four sewing machines, and other housekeeping utensils.  Costumes for the women are a “throwback to the placid Eisenhower era.”  While there were some comic moments and an unexpected winner of the title, the cast was praised for its work in a play that was a flashback to another era that most would like to keep in the past (Horan. “Battling Homemakers….” NVD.  11 June 1993). Helping to set the mood are examples of “classic (pop) music and commercial tapes to complete this twisted historic snapshot” (Skinner.  “Battling Homemakers.”  TWS.  11 June 1993).  Overall, it was a well done production, dealing with a topic best left behind.

Prior to the opening of Lettice and Lovage, actress Jen Wolfe, who played Lettice, told of her background in an extended interview.  Growing up in California and training in theatre at the University of the Pacific in Stockton, Wolfe always dreamed of a career on stage.  Now based in New England, she has worked in New York and has appeared in regional and summer theaters in the West.  When a chance to play the part of Lettice came along, she leapt at it!  Her work, along with that of actress Kathy Lichter, paired perfectly.  “The two actresses are especially fine as their relationship moves from wariness to friendship.”  Horan adds additional praise for the production’s non-speaking role, that of Lettice’s cat “who, in its Wayside debut, is constantly alert with no hint of stage fright” (Horan.  “Actresses up to ….”  NVD.  3 July 1993).  “The play is funny,” concludes another writer. “Full of great big, dramatic laughs.  Right from the get-go …!” (Skinner.  “ ‘Lettice and Lovage’ ….”  TWS.  2 July 1993).

From the account in the press, I Hate Hamlet must have been a stellar production!  Horan praises “the quality of the play, its high quotient of laughs and the flawless cast, ably directed by Christopher Owens.” He predicts that the performance will amuse everyone who attends and gives actor Ed Sala sterling praise, as well as awarding kudos to each cast member (Horan. “ ‘I Hate Hamlet’:  A ….”  NVD.  24 July 1993). Sala and actor Cheaney’s sword skills were also recognized, especially in one scene when “Sala kicks a sword out of Cheaney’s hand and adroitly catches it.” And another, when “Cheaney executes a beautiful roll, landing on his feet and en garde” (Skinner. “You’ll Love ‘Hamlet.’ ”  TWS. 23 July 1993).  All aspects of the production are duly noted, making it a highlight in the 1993 season.

From all reports, the production of The Diviners was an extremely moving evening of theatre.  All but one of the reviews in the Valley papers found the production to be excellent, especially in its staging.  Even on Wayside’s cramped stage, wrote one, the “front of the stage seems like a river, in which a man fights to save another from drowning.  In the background is a tableau of women who have come to the riverbank thinking they will see a baptism and at mid-stage is the raw anguish of a sibling re-living the circumstances of her mother’s death.” Horan awards further praises to the set of “Wooden slats (that) suggest buildings and the uneven stage floor, which gives the illusion of ground, is separated from a higher surface in the back.” (Horan.  “ ‘The Diviners’ wins plaudits ….” NVD. 14 Aug. 1993).  Another reviewer praised three actors, (Cheaney, Eiche, and McCullough), “who turn in crystal performances in this production …. The rest of the cast is very good, but these three men make the audience feel lucky to be watching (Earehart.  “Actors offer ‘crystal’ performances ….”  TSVH.  18 Aug. 1993).  The strength of this production is also noted by letters from patrons who had attended a performance.  One, from a local minister, stated “Congratulations to you and all the people at Wayside for choosing an excellent play and for presenting it with such professionalism. It is one of the best plays we have seen in the six years we have been coming to Wayside, and we have seen many good ones there” (Stainback.  Letter of congratulations.  17 Aug. 1993).  In addition, a letter was published in the Star that chastised the author of the paper’s review feeling the author showed a total lack of understanding of the play.  All in all, it seems to have been a powerful performance.

The selection of Arms and the Man was quite timely.  As it deals with the conflict between Serbia and Bulgaria in 1885-86, it was a perfect choice for 1993 when the conflict between Bosnia and Croatia was dominating the news.  The political situation could account for the play’s revival across the country.  One extended review gives detailed comments on each actor’s work and sums up the play as “an easy, enjoyable way to learn a few good lessons” (Burke. “ ‘Arms and the Man’ takes ….” TWaS. 8 Sept. 1993).  After praising each actor, another reviewer concludes, this play “does more than wind up the summer on an airy note. It grabs the seriousness of war and melts it away like a chocolate cream” (Studebaker.  “ ‘Arms and the Man’ Puts ….”  TWS.  3 Sept. 1993).  Once again, the rotating stage receives credit for effectively changing the set from a dark bedroom to an outdoor area to a spacious library. 

Wayside’s staging of the David Mamet play, Oleanna, was quite special. The Theatre had again scored a real coup by obtaining the performance rights and giving the first regional production outside of New York.  About the performance, Horan writes that “Wayside more than does the play justice: The acting is superb, the sets and costumes impeccable” (Horan. “ ‘Oleanna’ entertains ….” NVD.  25 Sept. 1993).  Any two-person work requires strong actors. Playing John, the up-for-tenure professor, was New York based actor, John Michalski, who appeared on Broadway in Herzl and M. Butterfly, and had a recurring role on the TV soap, “General Hospital.”  Playing the young student was Cheryl Gaysunas, a native of Blacksburg, VA, and an Oberlin College graduate, who also had regional and Broadway credits.  Gaysunas speaks about the rehearsal process and working to feel comfortable with Mamet’s dialog filled with staccato-like writing. “Mamet is the poet of the interrupted sentence because he captures so wonderfully the way we really talk instead of the way the witty, bright and articulate people on stage talk.” The challenge, she concludes, is in learning the text and “finding the vernacular rhythm, the musicality of ordinary, spontaneous speech” (Hough. “Degrees of gray ….”  TWS.  22 Sept. 1993).  Immediately following the opening night performance, a panel discussion on sexual harassment was held, led by the play’s cast and director, plus a lawyer, a newspaper reporter, and a college administrator.

In addition to the clippings and revues about Oleanna found in the Theatre’s files, there is also a type-written letter from a loyal patron who had attended the opening night performance along with his wife and two friends.  The letter was as good as some of the reviews as it reflects several points of the play.  At the end, the author writes by hand in ink, ”It was provocative and we still are discussing it” (Letter. 30 Sept. 1993). 

In 1993, the annual December performance of A Christmas Carol was given a rest.  Dickens was still represented, but this time in A Dickens Christmas Collation, written by Christopher Owens and set in England in 1867.  This compilation of five Dickens stories was first performed in Dallas in 1983 and had been performed in other theatres, but it appears that this was the only time it was performed at Wayside.  The premise of The Collation is the gathering of a family in their London home on Christmas Eve for the tradition of story-telling.  “As various members of the family begin to tell their favorite Christmas story, the other members become the characters of the story .… Every actor has multiple roles - - their character in the family and the many characters of the stories,” says Owens, who is “delighted to find seven people of that kind of versatility and singing ability” (Hough. “Other than Scrooge.”  TWS.  3 Nov. 1993).  In addition to the variety, “there’s constant entertainment value in this play” writes another reviewer. “Things move quickly from scene to scene, set to set.  Costume changes seem impossibly fast sometimes and bear the mark of meticulous practice.”  The rotating set along with the musical arrangements of not-oft-heard carols were also credited (Skinner.  “Wayside’s ‘Collation’ a Pleasant Change.”  TWS. 3 Dec. 1993). It is unfortunate that this title was never repeated.