Christopher Owens: 1994

In September of 1994, The Winchester Star devoted a section of the paper to three of Middletown’s major establishments: Belle Grove, The Wayside Inn, and the Wayside Theatre. Under the heading, “The Jewels of Middletown,” the article includes information on the people who make these ‘jewels’ shine.  Writing about the theatre, Hanlon interviewed Artistic Director, Christopher Owens regarding his work over the past eight seasons.  Owens credits extending the season from 10 to 27 weeks, including the additional December play, as being a great step in giving people more opportunity to attend a Wayside performance.  Despite the extended theater season, Wayside is still hampered by the physical limitations of the building.  Owens stated that “on his first visit to the theater, he was immediately struck by its charm but also by its ‘restrictiveness.’  Those restrictions stem from the building being built as a movie theatre” that caused problems when it was converted to a theatre.  He continued. “There’s no wings and no fly space, and they’re 30 feet wide and they have cinder-block walls … the audience thinks there’s a lot of space behind those black curtains … there’s an inch, and then there’s those walls, and you’ve got to come up with ways to disguise it.” He added that attendance has been pretty good the past year, stating that during a “… typical year the theater will average about 75 percent of the capacity of 180 (seats) for each show, but that last year the theater averaged only about 60 percent of capacity.  But this year, the figure has hovered around 85 percent.”  Asked what might be the reason for this increase in attendance?  Owens replied that he “attributes the success to a variety of factors, most prominently the much larger than usual direct mailing the theater has been able to do this year,” to which he credits to the free printing provided by Judd’s Inc. of Strasburg (Hanlon, Bill.  “The Wayside Theatre thriving …..”  TWS.  14 Sept. 1994).

The 1994 season opened with the musical, Nunsense, a work that is about the antics of the Little Sisters of Hoboken. The public had been made aware of this upcoming show earlier in the month when, as part of Winchester’s Apple Blossom Festival, Diane Collis and Tonie Wallace, dressed in nun’s garb, rode a motor-scooter in the Apple Blossom Parade while holding a poster advertising the show. 

Prior to the opening,  a festive gala was held at Belle Grove Planation, just south of Middletown, on May 25 that advertised “The Flying Nun.”  Fortunately, the files contain photos from this event, one of which actually shows a nun suspended in simulated flight.  A brochure advertising the gala requests guests to ‘Dress in your Sunday Best for the Divine Event at this ‘Feast of the Immaculate Reception.’ ”  Transportation from the Theatre to Belle Grove was provided by a shuttle bus. At the reception, cast and crew, dressed in clerical outfits, mingled among the crowd.  The guests were returned to the theatre for the performance, after which there was an invitation to “join [the cast] in the “Recessional of the Communion of Saints and Sinners to the Curtain Call for light refreshments” (Brochure for 1994 season opening).

The reviewers recognized that Nunsense was a song and dance show thinly held together by a very weak plot.  But, they recognized the talent of the cast and all five were praised individually as well as collectively for their ensemble work in a show “that’s sharply irreverent, tenderly Catholic, and terrifically tuneful” (Muller. “ ‘Nunsense’ Is a Blessing ….”  TWS.  27 May 1994).  The musicians for the performances were again placed stage right, but to help meld them into the plot, they were dressed in clerical garb causing one to recall, “I was dressed as a nun with a habit and the whole get-up” (Niess.  Email. 25 Mar. 2018).

This fast-paced musical was followed by an equally fast-paced sex farce, In One Bed and Out the Other, where each actor in the seven member cast was a stand-out and together they were stellar. “This play, with its broad characters, has little need for subtlety .… [They] chase each other about the stage, embrace and then spring apart in alarm and dive for cover to hide from each other.  [They] never miss a beat.”  All this was played on a beautiful set depicting a Parisian apartment (Sullivan.  “Tangled affections keep ….”  NVD.  25 June 1994).  “Hold on to your chastity belts,” begins another review, “It’s a rollicking leave ‘em falling out of their seats French farce … What a recipe for frothy fun!” (Muller.  “Wayside’s ‘In One Bed’ Is ….”  TWS.  24 June 1994).

The Neil Simon’s, Lost in Yonkers, was next performed on Wayside’s stage and used a couple of levels along with worn furniture representing a well-lived-in home.  In stark contrast to the frivolity of the two earlier productions, Lost in Yonkers revealed, with some humorous touches, the“fully realized characters who go at each other with the ferocity of the best dramatists. The result is theater at its finest, engaging the mind and embodying a range of emotions in both actors and audience” (Horan. “ ‘Lost in Yonkers’ ….”  NVD.  16 July 1994).  All the reviewers commended the cast for their outstanding performances with one concluding that if you attend, “Your heart will break, and the spirit will soar” (Muller.  “ ‘Yonkers’ Pulls ….” TWS.  15 July 1994).

A.  R. Gurney’s superb work, The Cocktail Hour, was the vehicle that permitted four strong actors to soar.  The play takes place in the elegant living room, complete with a Grandfather clock and a baby grand piano, of a well-to-do family in upstate New York at the time of the cocktail hour, “a family tradition and WASP-culture that’s reigned for a century or longer” (Muller.  “A Comedy About a Family ….”  TWS.  2 Aug. 1994).  The cast made up of exceedingly strong actors gave solid performances as they discuss whether the son’s play, titled “The Cocktail Hour,” should be performed, or become a book which is less public and perhaps no one will read.  The acting of the two women seemed to have slightly overshadowed that of the two men. “Eve Johnson is every inch the matriarch, she is also sympathetic and wise,” while Tamara Johnson “displays her versatility as an actress” venting her frustrations with the family, “but never with bitterness” (Horan. “ ‘The Cocktail Hour’ appeals ….”  NVD,  3 Aug. 1994). 

The production of A Few Good Men was a first for Wayside in a couple of ways.  It was not only the first time Wayside had performed the play, but it was the first time that Wayside had co-produced a play with another theatre.  Owens explained that when he learned that Mill Mountain Theatre in Roanoke was scheduling a performance of this play at about the same time that Wayside was planning to perform it, the idea of cooperating was born.  Jerre F. Hodgin, Artistic Director for Mill Mountain, and Owens agreed that by forming a partnership, they “saved production costs, allowing them to spend more on props and talent.  It also allowed the actors and actresses to perform at two venues” (Spencer.  “Wayside teams up ….”  NVD.  30 Aug, 1994).  The Valley performances took place near the time that the film of the same name was released.  Those who have seen the film prior to attending the theatre version “will unavoidably draw comparisons.  One actor bears not only a striking physical resemblance to Tom Cruise but also duplicates several of Cruise’s mannerisms and voice inflections” (Dawson.  “Wayside salutes ‘A Few ….’ ” LTM.  14 Sept, 1994).  The cost factor in scheduling this play was a serious item to consider as the play requires a cast of 23 actors.  In addition, the set was a major concern as the stages of the two theatres differed:  the depth was about the same, with the stage at Mill Mountain being a few feet wider.  The set was “stark but effective:  barbed wire ringing the raked stage with several levels and sparse furniture that is moved around for various scenes” (Horan. “ ‘A Few Good Men’ is ….” NVD.  3 Sept. 1994).  By sharing, the expenses were divided between the two theatres.  In this joint effort, the play was first produced in Roanoke for a three-week run, then moved to Wayside.  Owens added, “We’re going to pick up the entire cast and costumes - - everything - - and truck it up I-81” (Hough. “Wayside ’94.”  TWS.  2 Feb. 1994).  Reviews of the performance were generally positive with one congratulating the Theatre for undertaking a challenging production “both in terms of script and staging — and manages to meet those challenges with flying colors” (Dawson.  “Wayside Salutes ….” 14 Sept. 1994).

The Passion of Dracula was directed by guest director, J. Barrett Cooper, whose extensive stage combat experience had been seen earlier in I Hate Hamlet and Corpse.  In seeking a horror work for this slot in the schedule, Owens states that he read eight or nine different Dracula scripts before deciding to use this particular one.  The reason?  It had “some wonderful intentional humor … and it’s scary where it needs to be scary – a great theatrical roller coaster,” as well as being a script where the technical staff can have a field day (McCarty. “ ‘Dracula’ at Wayside.” TWS.  21 Sept. 1994).  Doug Zschiegner, who played the Count, wore a wig and abundant makeup along with a “set of fangs made by an area dentist.  [Zschiegner adds] They were molded to fit my mouth perfectly, because I have to be able to talk while they’re in” (McCarty. 21 Sept. 1994).  All the actors of the nine-member cast gave strong performances, wore sumptuous costumes and performed in the very “incarnation of an English manor interior [that] is both attractive and functional” (Horan.  “Wayside’s Dracula is ….” NVD.  24 Sept. 1994).

Before the opening of Dracula, a champagne and chip reception was held to observe the 40th anniversary of the theatre.  Sarah Cohen, owner of Route 11 Potato Chips, had read that chips were the perfect food for tasting champagne.  She enlisted some of her friends to host this event which was held at the Route 11 Potato Chip factory, which at that time was in Middletown, only a block from the Theatre.  From the account, nine different combinations of chips and champagne were provided.

For the sixth consecutive season, an adaptation of A Christmas Carol was Wayside’s December show.  While it was the same Dickens’ story, Owens attempted to give it a fresh touch each year, along with using some of the actors who had appeared in previous productions.  Commenting on the 1994 performance, Horan felt it was “more lively than previous scripts while retaining the basics of the story firmly in place” (Horan.  “Scrooge & Co. are ….”  NVD.  5 Dec. 1994).  Hilmar’s set is mentioned as a “series of walls that roll around and combine to seamlessly reveal interior and exterior scenes.  The small Wayside stage may look as crowded as a train yard but the sets swing easily into place, revealing a new vista almost every time” (Horan.  5 Dec. 1994). To advertise the upcoming performances, some of the cast took part in Winchester’s annual Christmas Parade performing before some 5,000 people who had lined the parade route.  A newspaper photo shows a few of the cast members, led by the Ghost of Christmas Present, along with an article about the parade (Detamore. “St. Nick Delights ….”  TWS.  29 Nov. 1994).  It is not known if Wayside took part in the Christmas parade at any other time, although it was the Theatre’s practice to participate in the Apple Blossom Festival parade each spring.