Christopher Owens: 1995

The up-beat musical, Dames at Sea, kicked off the 1995 season with an enthusiastic start.  The May 15 opening night began with a cocktail reception hosted by the Music Guild of the Shenandoah Valley Music Festival. Guests stepped onto a gang-plank painted on the side-walk that led from the street into the Curtain Call.  At the door were Greeters:  the men dressed as sailors or naval officers, the women, wearing grass skirts with leis around their necks. At the door, a sign welcomed the guests to the SS Music Guild, sailing at 0500 hours and destined for Hawaii. 

A few days earlier, a fundraiser/auction had been held in a dining room of the Wayside Inn that had been labeled for the occasion as the USS Opequon.  The goal of the event was to raise $10,000 for the theatre.  Many impressive items were on the auction block: a trip to New York, various art items and entertainment packages, facials or massages, athletic club memberships, even a three-day cruise to the Bahamas (McCarty.  “Wayside’s Gala.”  TWS.  10 May 1995).

Dames at Sea, with its high energy singing and dancing, proved to be a great opener for the 1995 season.  Some of the reviews included a bit of Theatre history by mentioning that Dames at Sea had appeared in try-outs at Wayside in 1966 before moving to New York for its very successful run.  Unfortunately, the date given was incorrect as the show appeared at Wayside in 1967.  Some reviewers also wrote that Bernadette Peters had been a member of that cast.  However, Peters became part of the production in New York.  For the Wayside try-out, all the cast members were from New York with Hal Herman being the only ‘local’ actor.  When the entire production moved from Middletown to Broadway, Herman did not make the move and remained in Middletown.  (SEE:  Phillips, 1967)

The 1995 production of Dames at Sea was directed by New York actress-director-choreographer, Ann Nieman.  A Texan by birth, Nieman trained at North Texas State University in theatre and, after graduation, joined the national tour of Hello, Dolly staring Carol Channing.  At the time, Nieman was a Virginia resident.  She  was pleased with the cast Owens had selected for the Wayside production as they all “have to sing and dance, and act.  When one is taking center stage singing, the other five are the chorus” (McCarty.  “ ‘Dames at Sea.’ ” TWS.  17 May 1995).  Crediting the cast’s work, Horan states, “The current Wayside cast is strong on the requisite singing and dancing - - and director Ann Nieman sees to it that they miss no opportunity for hilarity” (Horan.  “ ‘Dames’ musical returns ….”  NVD.  20 May 1995).

Born Yesterday, the 1946 classic drama, fit right into the 1995 political world and provided a strong “portrayal of this Pygmalion-on-the-Potomac with its sure-fire dramatic fireworks” (Muller. “Wayside Delivers ….” TWS.  16 June 1995).  He praises the work of each cast member individually as well as the set which is an attractive hotel suite.  While Joseph Parra and Kim Goldfeder are the central characters, Horan credits her as being “quite the vamp in the first act alternately sowing her wares … and pouting.  Her Brooklyn accent is ‘soo-poib’ and her voice ranges from sultry to screechy.  Her transformation from uncouth concubine to bookish-crusader in the second act is completely convincing” (Horan.  “ ‘Sparkling production’ amuses.”  NVD. 17 June 1995).  All the reviewers comment on the stylish costumes and the Art Deco set by resident designer, James Gross, who had worked at Barter Theatre the previous year.

The year 1995 was the first of the three appearances of Forever Plaid that were to grace the Wayside stage.  And, it must have been a sell-out!  The appearance of this show was another example of cooperation between theatres.  Christopher Owens joined Jere Hodging, Artistic Director of Roanoke’s Mill Mountain Theatre and Forever Plaid’s director, Drew Geraci, for a meeting in New York “to look for a perfect blend of voices for the musical.”  After the four-week run at Wayside, the production moved to Mill Mountain’s stage, then to Barter Theatre in Abingdon, and ended in the Charlotte Repertory Theatre, Charlotte, NC - -totalling a six month tour! 

The Wayside files contain thank-you cards from those who attended the show expressing their appreciation for the performance.  Newspaper reviews are all positive.  One states that “For two hours (blissfully uninterrupted by an intermission) the actor-singers … become “The Plaids,” the ultimate guy group, embodying all the cliches of the style.” The writer continues, “The evening’s high point … was the tribute to ‘The Ed Sullivan Show’ with the four singers re-creating everything from the dog and juggling acts to operatic arias and ballet, pax de deuxes” (Hudson. “Wayside Looks Great in ‘Plaid.’  HDNR.  13 July 1995).

Bart Shatto, who sang  the role of Frankie, had auditioned for the role in New York, states,  “This is a dream show for anyone involved in musical theater.  It’s like a male version of ‘Nunsense’ ” (McCarty. “ ‘Forever Plaid’ ” TWS.  5 July 1955).  Shatto made a second appearance to the Shenandoah Valley in 2011 when he performed the role of Fagin in Shenandoah Summer Music Theatre’s production of Oliver. It was this writer’s privilege to talk with him about his time at Wayside and learned that, while in Middletown, he “stayed with a family in a farmhouse and the rest of the company all lived in one location” (Shatto. Interview.  31 July 2011).  Shatto added that while the names of the understudies were listed in the program, the cast never worked with them, nor were they used in any performances. 

A stark change of pace from the season’s previous three offerings was seen in the dark and challenging story, Equus.  The viscerally strong male leads, Eddie Collins and Traber Burns, set the tone for this powerful drama, along with Nina Edgerton as the captivating, Jill.  The intensity of the play was praised by all reviewers.  Once again, the set played an important role. “Walls of large blocks frame the stage, and the open space in between permits smooth transitions from scene to scene.  Swinging doors in back permit dramatic entrances and exists and a turntable down front is used to simulate movement” Horan.  “Wayside’s ‘Equus’” Probing ….” NVD.  5 Aug. 1995).  Also recognized and complimented, was the work of the steel-helmeted actors doubling as horses.  Although recognizing the strength of the production, one writer felt the ‘horses’ could have been stronger with whinnies, snorts, and pawings, rather than “merely men in equine costumes” (Hudson. “Wayside’s ‘Equus’ Is a ….”  HDNR. 8 Aug. 1995).  Another reviewer summed it all up by stating “The script has multiple layers of meaning and asks more questions about religion, sex, and parental abuse than it answers, but it provides riveting drama” (Harvey.  “ ‘Equus’ Brings Power, ….”  LTM.  9 Aug. 1995).  All reviewers concluded their comments by stating that Equus is recommended for mature audiences over 18.

After the intensity of the Equus production, the season shifted to a contemporary comedy, The Sisters Rosensweig, a play that is “a gem, a warm, bubbly encounter with three unusual sisters suffering from various degrees of midlife angst … fully formed, believable people …” (Horan.  “Bubbly Rosensweigs ….” NVD.  26 Aug. 1995).  Another calls the performance of the actresses playing the sisters “uniformly excellent; there isn’t a false note to be found in any of the three characterizations.”  He also credits Wayside’s technical staff stating, “One is always amazed at the achievements of Wayside’s technical crew, but the ‘Rosensweig’ set by James Gross and the lighting by Jeff Beam are quite exceptional.” It is this attention “to detail [that] makes us believe we really are in a classy London apartment” (Hudson. “Wayside Theatre Presents ….” HDNR.  29 Aug. 1995).  The set was stunning!  It was “so detailed it could pass for a room in a real house.  Painted roses adorn wallpaper; chair rail and crown molding decorate the walls; a stained-glass window is cut into one wall.”  And continuing in that line, the writer concludes, “The only thorns are part of the plot” (Harvey. “ ‘Rosensweig’ Sends ….” LTM.  30 Aug. 1995).

Reworking the traditional setting and mood, Sherlock’s Veiled Secret put a new slant to the customary viewing of the Sherlock Holmes story that rounded out the season.  Written by a Seattle author, this “mystery was designed to interest young and old alike.”  And, it was partly through Owens’ efforts that the play was to be published by Dramatist’s Play Services in New York.  Owens states he was interested in the play upon reading the first draft and “could see great potential for other regional theaters …” (McCarty. “Sherlock at the Wayside.”  TWS.  20 Sept. 1995).  For this production, Wayside hired actor Ed Sala to play Holmes.  Richmond raised and a veteran of many Broadway shows, and the TV show “Matlock,” Sala had appeared in Wayside’s I Hate Hamlet two years earlier.  When asked about the new play, Sala felt Sherlock’s Veiled Secret “is another original show that might get somewhere.  It’s a pretty fascinating play.  It shows another side of Sherlock Holmes’ life” (McCarty.  20 Sept. 1995).  However, not all of the reviewers agreed.  One called it “an uneven play,” in which “the immortal Sherlock Holmes does not fare so well here.  But, credits Sala for salvaging what he can in this flawed portrait of Doyle’s master sleuth” (Muller. “Holmes for the ‘90s.”  TW S.  23 Sept. 1995).  Despite Sala’s strong work, and the excellent supportive cast, especially seen in the work of Kathy Lichter, Jen Wolfe, and the outstanding Eve Johnson, the consensus was that the script is not on a par with previous versions of the Holmes story, despite taking an interesting twist into Holmes’ private life.  Once again, the set receives notice, not only for the copious folds of muslin that rise and fall to reveal or hide “various pieces of furniture and scenery that rotate to achieve different settings” (Horan. “ ‘Sherlock’s Veiled Secret’ is pale ….” NVD.  23 Sept. 1995).  And, on that slightly disappointing note, the very successful summer season ended.

For the seventh season, Wayside’s December show was a presentation of A Christmas Carol, with John Michalski again playing the role of Scrooge, displaying “a range of acting skills that make the old geezer seem fresh and compelling” (Horan. “Wayside’s ‘Carol’ hits ….” NVD.  4 Dec. 1995).  There were other cast members who had appeared in previous December productions as well.  Regarding the set, one reviewer noted that Hillmar’s design was similar to the previous year’s set, using sections that rolled together forming different scenic combinations, but felt that in this production it was not as effective as it gave a more “claustrophobic” effect.  Others who reviewed the show all agreed that the play was a most appropriate way to observe the season of Christmas as well as bringing Wayside’s season to a close. In general, all the reviews were quite favorable, save one.  While the writer praised much of the production, overall she felt this might not be Wayside’s “best effort [as] parts of the play were a little flat and some of the actors amateurish” (Cather.  “ ‘Christmas Carol’ Sings ….” TWS  4 Dec. 1995).

Despite this negative comment for the December production, the very successful 1995 season ended on a positive note.