Henry V | Cast & Creatives

Presented by Virginia Stage Company and The Norfolk State University Theatre Company

VANIA AURSBY†

(Katherine/Bates) is excited to appear in her first Virginia Stage Company production Henry V. Alonnie is a Drama/Theatre Major at NSU and her previous credits include School Girls (Generic Theater); and Macbeth (ODU Rep Theatre). She would like to thank herself, her family, MadeInNorfolk, Rayna Johnson, Chelsea Mock and the NSU Theatre faculty for their part in making this all possible.As a message to other young Black girls in the crowd she leaves this message "When you do the work it’s undeniable, no one can impede on what God has instore for you except you” 

KEEAJAH BALDWIN†‡

(Grey/York) is a graduate of Norfolk State University with a B.A in Theatre and English. She’s ecstatic to be working on her second Virginia Stage Company’s production with Henry V. Previous credits include A Soldier's Play (Virginia Arts Festival); The Wiz (Virginia Stage Company); Black Nativity, Eclipsed, Ruined (Norfolk State University), and The Mountain King (Zeiders American Dream Theatre). She would like to thank her family, friends, and God for their everyday love and support. Special thanks to Aiden R. Baldwin, and an honorary thank you to her guardians above.

COREY BROWN†‡

(Cambridge/Michael Williams)  is ecstatic to be working with the Virginia Stage company again, in his 3rd production with them in Shakespeare's Henry V. Previous credits include The Wiz (Virginia Stage Company/Norfolk State University Theatre Co.); Our Town (Virginia Stage Company); Thoughts of a Colored Man, Top Dog/Underdog, Fences, Soldiers Play (Norfolk State University Theatre Company); Sweat (Generic Theatre). He would like to give an honor to God for blessing him with his gifts and talents, and give thanks to his family and friends for all their support as he continues to utilizes his passion to fulfill all his dreams.

MIGUEL GIRONA

(Nym/Constable) is honored to return to the boards of the Wells. Some other notable stage appearances include Solario/Solarino in The Merchant Of Venice, Sir Eglamour in Two Gentlemen of Verona and Messalla in Julius Caesar at the Virginia Shakespeare Festival, Landscaper in Native Gardens and Antipholus of Syracuse in Comedy Of Errors (School Tour) at the Virginia Stage Company, Banquo in Voodoo Macbeth, and Polonius in Ophelia Chooses at Zeider’s, as well as Morrocco/Solario/Duke/Tubal in The Merchant of Venice at Quill Theater.

JEFFREY A. HADDOCK

(Dauphin/Salisbury)  is a local actor and educator, currently working as a Teaching Artist with Virginia Stage Company on their touring production of GreenBeats, Live! Jeffrey holds a BA in Theatre Performance from Old Dominion University, and some of his favorite performance credits include: Algernon in The Importance of Being Earnest, Malvolio in Twelfth Night, and Claude Bukowski in Hair (ODURep); and most recently Bilbo Baggins in The Hobbit (Virginia Stage Company). Jeffrey would like to thank his lovely partner Krystal, his ever supportive family, his wonderful coworkers, and his friends who all inspire him daily. 

JORDAN HAMPTON†

(Scroop/Gower) is a Senior Drama and Theater Major from Harlem, New York and is excited to be a part of VSC's production of Henry V. He has previously performed as Peter Parker in Disney's, Spider Man and the Kid who Flew,  Anger in Thoughts of a Colored Man, Smalls in A Soldiers Play,  and an Off-Broadway production of Prospect High Brooklyn. 

CHRISTOPHER MARQUIS LINDSAY*‡

(King Henry) is delighted to be back at the Virginia Stage Company. Previous credits include Off-Broadway: A Raisin in the Sun (The Public Theater). Regional: Gem of the Ocean (Trinity Rep), The Tempest, The Parchman Hour, A Christmas Carol, (Virginia Stage Company). TV: Blue Bloods. He holds an MFA from Brown/Trinity Rep and a BA from Norfolk State University in English/Theater where he is also a charter member of the Alpha Theta Kappa Chapter of Alpha Psi Omega National Theatre Honor Society.

TERRANCE LIVINGSTON, JR.‡

(Chorus/Governor) is excited to work in another production with the Virginia Stage Company and Norfolk State University in Henry V. Previous credits include A Soldier’s Play (Virginia Arts Festival), The Wiz (Virginia Stage/NSU), and A Christmas Carol (Virginia Stage). Film credits include Mother’s Deadly Son (Lifetime), The Shark side of the Moon (Tubi), and Eric Coker’s Good Poison.

SARAH MANTON*

(Montjoy/Hostess) One Man, Two Guvnors (Broadway), The Coast of Utopia, South Pacific  (National Theatre, London), Baby in Dirty Dancing (West End), Villette (Frantic Assembly /Stephen Hoggett), Juliet in Romeo and Juliet (UK tour), The Mikado, Major Barbara, The Madras House, Village Wooing, (Orange Tree, London) Time and the Conways (Old Globe, San Diego), What the Butler Saw (Mark Taper Forum, LA), Owners (Yale Rep), Pains of Youth (BAC, London), When We Are Married (Denver Center), Time of my Life (Pittsburgh Public), Things We Do For Love, Bedroom Farce, What the Butler Saw and Lettice and Lovage (Westport Country Playhouse), The Champion of Paribanou, (dir. Alan Ayckbourn, Scarborough), House and Garden (PICT), The Rivals (UK tour), Pains of Youth (BAC, London), Peter Pan (De la Warr Pavillion, UK) TV/Film: New Amsterdam (NBC), Doctors (BBC), Casualty (BBC), Seriously Dirty Dancing (Channel 5, UK) Radio plays: Whenever (BBC Radio 4), Christmas Carol (Westport), Sound of Siren (The Artist Experiment) Training: Guildford School of Acting, London. Member of The Actors Center NYC. 

ADAM E. MOSKOWITZ*†

(Westmoreland) is a sophomore Norfolk State University Drama & Theatre major from Hyattsville, Maryland.   He has previously appeared in the Virginia Stage Company and NSU Theatre Company co-production of Dreamgirls performing the role of C.C. White. Other credits include Shakespeare’s The Tempest (Shakespeare in the Grove); A Soldiers Play (Virginia Arts Festival and NSU Theatre Company); Skeleton Crew and Thoughts of a Colored Man (NSU Theatre Company).  After graduation Adam plans on attending graduate school to receive his MFA in Acting. He thanks his mother, family and friends for their love and support.

DERRICK MOORE*‡

(Exeter) is excited to come back for his fourth production at The Virginia Stage Company. Moore's previous productions were The Brother’s Size and A Raisin In The Sun at The American Players Theater. Before American Players Theater, Derrick completed his first feature film IN CONTRAST.  He also performed Choir Boy at the National Black Theatre Festival. Before making his debut at the Virginia Stage Company for the Christmas Carol and The Tempest, Moore presented the Atlanta Premiere of The Brother Size. Moore’s other credits include Comedy of Errors and Hamlet at the Houston Shakespeare Festival. You can follow Derrick @derrickd.moore on Instagram and Derrick Moore Facebook.

RON NEWMAN

(King of France/Erpingham)  is excited to return to Virginia Stage! Previous VSC productions: Guys and Dolls (Arvid Abernathy) , Pride and Prejudice (Sir Lucas/Mr. Gardner) , The Tempest (Francisco),  The Diary of Anne Frank (Mr. Kraler); East Coast Tour in Marlo Thomas' Free To Be You and Me; Additional Regional: Sister Act-the Musical (Monsignor O'Hara)  Jekyll and Hyde -the Musical (Sir Danvers), Freaky Friday (Grandpa Gordon) , Beauty and the Beast (Maurice) , Show Boat (Frank Shultz), The Music Man (Marcellus), The Sound of Music (Uncle Max) at Virginia Musical Theatre; The Importance of Being Earnest (Algernon) at Appalachian Theatre; Oliver! (Fagin), Dames at Sea (Dick), You Can't Take it With You (Tony) at Milburn Stone Theatre;  Television: Doctor Madblood (various characters) with Harrell Productions; The History of Tennessee (Tennessee PBS, Johnson City). Ron is a retired theatre and film instructor/director of 40 + years with Norfolk Academy, Cecil College,The Governor's School for the Arts, Virginia Stage, and Imagination Station in D.C.  He is graduate of Tusculum University (BA), American University ,and Old Dominion University (MA). Many thanks to everyone here at VSC. It's so good to be back! A special shout-out to my husband for all his support.

CAMILLE PETINAUD†

(English Soldier/Deck Crew) is a Junior at Norfolk State University. She is an active member in the NSU Theatre Company where she recently played Geneva Lee Browne in 1940’s Radio Hour, the understudy for the role Faye in Skeleton Crew, and was a Production Assistant for Virginia Stage Company and NSU Theatre Company collaboration of Dreamgirls, Virginia Stage Company’s A Merry Little Christmas Carol (Spot Operator), and Angry Raucous and Shamelessly Gorgeous (Wardrobe Dresser/ Run Crew) She attended and worked at Wingspan Arts Summer Conservatory in New York City, she played the role of Trix in The Drowsy Chaperone, and Gynecia in Head over Heels, and worked as Stage Manager for the play Metamorphoses. She is the founder, creative director, and producer of Cam Filmwork Productions where she wrote, directed, and produced her debut film World We Created. She wants to thank her family for their support and dedicate this performance to her father. Philippians 4:13

TOM QUAINTANCE †

(Chorus/Governor) is in his seventh season with Virginia Stage Company. At the Wells, Tom has directed Every Brilliant Thing, A Merry Little Christmas Carol, Pride and Prejudice, The Santaland Diaries, and Matilda The Musical. Regionally Tom directed Twelfth Night at the Guthrie Theater, and as an Associate Artist at PlayMakers Repertory Company he directed An Enemy of the People, Shipwrecked! An Entertainment, The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby, and The Little Prince. As Artistic Director of Cape Fear Regional Theatre (CFRT), Tom produced over 35 plays and directed many others, including the World Premiere of Downrange: Voices from the Homefront, a play based on interviews with military spouses from Fort Bragg. As the founder of FreightTrain Shakespeare in Los Angeles, he earned a Drama-Logue Award for his direction of Pericles. Other Los Angeles credits range from King Lear to The Devil With Boobs. A member of the Stage Directors and Choreographers Society, Tom is a graduate of Wesleyan University (Middletown, CT) with a B.A. in Theatre and Economics, and the University of California, San Diego MFA directing program, where he was the assistant director on the original production of The Who’s Tommy. Tom and his wife Wallis are the proud parents of Mireille Julia and Annika Christine.

MEG RODGERS*

(Pistol/Alice) is thrilled to be joining Virginia Stage Company for her first season with Henry V. Previous Credits include Romeo and Juliet, Twelfth Night, Comedy of Errors, Pericles, Une Tempete, The Tempest, Thrive, All’s Well That Ends Well, Macbeth, Henry IV Part 1, Henry IV Part 2, Henry V, Much Ado About Nothing, King and No King, Merry Wives of Windsor, Anne Page Hates Fun, Arden of Faversham, As You Like It, Emma, Richard III, Man of Mode (American Shakespeare Center); Shakespeare in Love, West Side Story, The Old Man and The Old Moon (Hope Repertory Theatre); Macbeth, Twelfth Night, Richard III, Much Ado About Nothing (Houston Shakespeare Festival); Enemies (Main Street Theatre); A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Rec Room). She holds an MFA from the University of Houston and would like to thank her family, teachers, friends, and Milo for their love and snacks. Actors’ Equity Association. @meggrodgers

SATARA SALMON†

(Boy) is a newcomer to Virginia Stage Company’s production with Shakespeare’s Henry V, but not new to performing. Her stage credits include two student- directed plays, Call Her Simon and Turn This Mother Out-With Prayer, at Norfolk State University (NSU). In addition, she served as Head Prop Master in the production of Skeleton Crew (NSU). She would like to thank her family for supporting her acting journey thus far, and her friends for realizing her potential and always encouraging her.

ANNA SOSA

(Bardolph/French Soldier) is a proud Filipina American born and raised here in Norfolk,VA.  She has worked locally and internationally across theater, film, improv comedy and voiceover.  You may recognize her from VSC's production of The Hobbit, where she played Kili and Gollum, and most recently played the title role of Deborah Wallace's newest work Artemis, I.  She thanks CORE Theater Ensemble, Push Comedy Theater, TCC's Shakespeare in the Grove, the growing Viewpoints community, and the wonderful theater makers of NSU for empowering underrepresented artists.  She earned her BFA in Theater Performance from Virginia Commonwealth University.

JULIAN STETKEVYCH*

(Canterbury/Fluellen/Orleans) is excited to be back performing for the VSC audiences. At VSC he has appeared in The Thanksgiving Play, Sense & Sensibility, Pride & Prejudice, and the virtual production Something Delightful. Off-off Broadway includes Richard III and The Two Gentlemen of Verona with Oxford Shakespeare Co., Dog Act with Flux Theatre Ensemble, The Silent Concerto at NY Fringe Festival, and staged workshops and readings at Playwright’s Horizons, Classic Stage Company, and Ensemble Studio Theatre. Regional includes A Christmas Carol at American Conservatory Theater, The Berlin Circle at Steppenwolf Theater, and Taking Measure at Zeiders American Dream Theater. He holds MFAs from the American Conservatory Theater and the University of Pittsburgh. He is a member of Actors’ Equity Association and an Assistant Professor of Acting at Christopher Newport University. 

CONNIE TATE†

(Ely/Bourbon/French Queen) is beyond thrilled to be a part of her first production at Virginia Stage Company as an actor. She previously worked in costumes for Dreamgirls (Virginia Stage Company). She is overwhelmed with gratitude for this opportunity with only her family and friends to thank for constantly supporting and uplifting her dreams.

AARON TYLER†

(Gloucester) is honored to be making his Virginia Stage Company debut alongside such a beautiful cast. He has been acting since he was a child, and most recently played Happiness (u.s.) in the American Collegiate Premiere of Thoughts of A Colored Man (NSU Theatre Company). He recently played a supporting role in the pilot episode of Jewel Hamrick IV’s upcoming show EXPOSED: THE SERIES, which will soon be picked up for production. Tyler is also a writer, and has had the esteemed honor of performing his original choreo-poem American Tableus for the Black Orpheus event at the Chrysler Museum. He would like to thank his family for always supporting his dreams of being a storyteller, and would like to dedicate his performance to his father, who recently joined the ancestors. Asé. Let’s stay connected…IG: iamaarontyler

Creative Team

TOM QUAINTANCE†

(Director) See bio above.

DAHLIA AL-HABIELI

(Scenic Designer) Recent and upcoming credits include designs for the Dallas Theatre Center, Trinity Rep, The Rep of St Louis, and Harvard College. She currently serves as Special Visiting Faculty in Scenic Design at Carnegie Mellon University, and has held faculty appointments at Wake Forest University and Albright College. While at Albright, Dahlia won the KCACTF Region II Award for Distinguished Scenic Design in 2020 for The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime; she also directed an all-remote, communally-created adaptation of Romeo & Juliet, pairing a company of student actors with 50 artists of all ages from around the world. www.eloquentaction.com

JENI SCHAEFER

(Costume Designer) is the Director of Design and Resident Costume Designer at the Virginia Stage Company in her 21st season. Regional credits include: A Christmas Story at Arkansas Repertory Theatre, Hound of the Baskervilles at The Hangar and White Heron Theatre, Always...Patsy Cline PCPA Theatrefest, World premiere of Tom Jones for Florida Studio Theatre, Wit for Playmakers Repertory Theatre. VSC productions including; 39 Steps, The Hobbit, Every Brilliant Thing, Dreamgirls, Merry Little Christmas Carol, Dear Jack Dear Louise, Hold These Truths, Sense and Sensibility, Guys and Dolls, Matilda, Secret Garden, Fun Home, Always Patsy Cline, Crowns,The Hound of the Baskervilles, Pride and Prejudice, The Wiz, A Streetcar named Desire, Oliver, Peter and the Starcatcher, All my Sons,The Great Gatsby,The Fantasticks, Death of a Salesman, Red, Around the World in 80 days, Crowns, Billy Bishop Goes to War, Hank Williams Lost Highway and A Christmas Carol. Jeni Schaefer holds a MAC in Theatre/Costume Design from Wichita State University. Thank you to my family Tony, Sara and Ethan for being my inspiration and for always believing in me.

CHRISTINA WATANABE §

(Lighting Designer) is an award-winning designer and educator for theatre, dance, music, and events. At VSC: Guys and Dolls, Every Brilliant Thing, The Hobbit. Recent: Clue (Dallas Theatre Center), Gypsy, Jersey Boys (Theatre Aspen), Sueño (Trinity Rep), The 39 Steps (Rep St. Louis), Elf (Pioneer Theatre Company), This Bitter Earth (Theatreworks Hartford), Carla’s Quince (virtual, Drama League nomination), Where We Stand (WP Theatre), As You Like It (Oregon Shakespeare Festival), The Wild Party (Post Theatre Company), Peer Gynt (Barnard), Heartbreak House (Gingold Theatrical Group), A Christmas Carol (Florida Rep), Into the Woods (Charlottesville Opera), Peter and the Starcatcher (White Heron Theatre Company), Scissoring (INTAR), Dido of Idaho (Ensemble Studio Theatre), Small World: a fantasia (59E59), Neighbors: A Fair Trade Agreement (INTAR), Daniel’s Husband (Primary Stages/Cherry Lane), I Will Look Forward To This Later (New Ohio). TV: Colin Quinn: Red State Blue State (co-design, CNN). Lincoln Center Festival (2013, 2015-2017). USITT Gateway Mentor. Knights of Illumination winner. Faculty: Sargent Conservatory at Webster University. MFA: NYU. Member USA 829. www.StarryEyedLighting.com.

STEVEN ALLEGRETTO

(Sound Design) Steven Allegretto is an accomplished sound designer with a passion for creating immersive experiences for live theatre. A graduate of Full Sail University’s prestigious Recording Arts program, Steven has honed his skills through years of hard work and dedication to his craft. In addition to his work as a sound designer, Steven is also a committed educator. He has served as an Adjunct Professor of Theatre Sound Design at the College of William & Mary, as well as a part-time instructor for the Governor’s School for the Arts. He also teaches privately, helping aspiring sound designers develop their skills and reach their full potential. Steven has had the honor of designing past VSC shows including Every Brilliant Thing, Dreamgirls, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, The Hobbit, A Merry Little Christmas Carol, and more. His ability to create complex sonic landscapes that transport audiences to other worlds has made him a sought-after collaborator in the Hampton Roads theatre community. Steven is thrilled to be back at the Virginia Stage Company, where he looks forward to sharing his vision for Henry V with audiences. With his expert ear and tireless dedication to his craft, Steven is sure to deliver a truly unforgettable sonic experience.

EMEL ERTURGUL

(Casting Director) officially joined the Virginia Stage Company team in 2017 but worked on various projects with the company well before.  Her first casting adventure was the beautiful production Pride and Prejudice for Season 39.  Since then it has been a goal to strengthen and cultivate VSC's relationship with professional local and out of town artists.  Each season has provided new challenges and each production a new opportunity to find the perfect showcase of talent. Emel has most recently been seen performing in The Twelve Dates of Christmas on the Wells Stage and currently serves as the Operations Manager for VSC and the Producing Artistic Director for Core Theatre Ensemble.

KYRA BUTTON*

(Production Stage Manager) has previously worked at Cleveland Play House on The Great Leap, Antigone, Where Did We Sit On The Bus?, Tiny Houses, Into The Breeches, and Pipeline, to name a few. Her previous credits also include ABCD  (Barrington Stage Company), Dreamgirls (Virginia Stage Company), Hurricane Diane (Dobama Theatre), Baby Camp (Leviathan Labs), Resistance (Semicolon Theatre), The Heart’s Impatience (Shufflefoot Theatre Company), A Streetcar Named Desire (St. Ann’s Warehouse), Medea and Dreamgirls (Red House Arts Center), This Day Forward (The Vineyard Theatre), and The Intergenerational Project (Rose Bruford, London). Kyra is proud to hold a BFA in Stage Management from Syracuse University’s Department of Drama and would like to thank her family, particularly her husband, for their unflagging support.

EMMA D. EMDE*

(Assistant Stage Manager) is elated to be spending her first season with Virginia Stage Company. Her recent credits here include Angry, Raucous, and Shamelessly Gorgeous, The 39 Steps, A Merry Little Christmas Carol and The Hobbit. Prior to coming to Virginia Stage Company Emma spent the summer in Ithaca, NY as the Assistant Production Manager at Hangar Theatre Company. As a recent graduate from the University of Nebraska at Kearney, her favorite collegiate stage management credits include Nightfall with Edgar Allan Poe, She Kills Monsters, and The Old Maid and the Thief. Following the close of the season, she will be heading to the Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival. Emma is a proud member of the Alpha Psi Omega National Theatre Honors Society and National Honors Society for Dance Association.

REFIYE TAPPAN

(Music Director) returns to VSC after working on A Merry Little Christmas Carol in 2021 and 2022. Refiye is currently based in Virginia Beach and works in the Hampton Roads and D.C. areas. She is a collaborative pianist at The Governor’s School of the Arts in the Vocal and Music Theatre Departments, and with Norfolk Public Schools. Credits: D.C. Area: Constellation Theatre Company: Once On This Island (Music Director/Keys 1/Conductor. Helen Hayes 2023 nomination - Outstanding Music Direction). Mosaic Theater Company: Max & Willy’s Last Laugh (Associate MD). Creative Cauldron - On Air (MD. Helen Hayes 2020 nomination- Outstanding Music Direction); Always...Patsy Cline 2021 and 2022 Remount (MD); Audrey - A New Musical (MD); and multiple cabarets as MD and arranger. Synetic Theater: Gala 2020. Regional: Virginia Musical Theatre: Mamma Mia. Virginia Opera-VA Arts Fest: The Sound of Music. Virginia Stage Company: Under the Big Top Gala (MD/arranger); Zeider’s Theater: Fountain of You (Associate MD). Education: Royal Birmingham Conservatoire, UK; University of Reading, UK. Refiye would like to thank TQ and all at VSC for their wonderful collaboration, and husband Philip for supporting her creative endeavours. refiyemusic.com

GREGG LLOYD

(Fight Choreographer) Is an award-winning Director, Fight Director, and Actor specializing in Stage Combat, Acting, and Musical Theater, Gregg has an MFA in Acting (WIU), a BA in Theater (North Central College), and is a Certified Teacher of Stage Combat (Society of American Fight Directors) with black belts in Hapkido and TangSooDo. Currently, Gregg serves as Head of Performance at CNU where he received the KC-ACTF’s Excellence in Directing Award for Brighton Beach Memoirs and When You Comin’ Back, Red Ryder. Fight Direction credits include: The Hobbit, The Valkyrie, Pagliacci, The Great Gatsby, Romeo and Juliet, Fences, I Hate Hamlet, Il Trovatore, and Don Giovani.  Acting credits include: King Arthur (Spamalot), Mark Rothko (Red), McKean (1776), Mushnik (Little Shop of Horrors), the Governor (Man of La Mancha), and Capulet in Romeo and Juliet. For TheaterCNU, Gregg has directed Pippin, Spitfire Grill, Noises Off, Once Upon a Mattress, I Hate Hamlet, HMS Pinafore, and The Adding Machine.

JEFF RYDER

(Managing Director) has been Managing Director of Virginia Stage Company since March 2022. Prior to coming to VSC, Jeff served in several roles at Cleveland Play House from 2013 to 2022. Jeff holds a Master of Public Administration Degree from the Levin College at Cleveland State University and a Bachelor’s Degree from Tufts University. At Levin, Jeff was inducted into Nu Lambda Mu, the international honor society for the study of nonprofit management and philanthropy. Jeff also holds a certificate in Diversity and Inclusion for HR Professionals from Cornell University. He has served on the boards of the Cleveland Kids’ Book Bank, Theatre Forward, the Young Nonprofit Professionals Network of Cleveland, and the Cleveland Professional 20/30 Club. In Cleveland, Jeff was honored to be a part of the Cleveland Leadership Center’s Advanced Leadership Institute and the Cleveland Foundation’s Foundations for Philanthropy Program. Jeff has also been a stage manager at several theatres including Talespinner Children’s Theatre, Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park, and Berkshire Theatre Festival.

* Member of Actors’ Equity Association, the Union of Professional Actors and Stage Managers in the United States
† Member of the Society of Stage Directors and Choreographers, Inc., an independent labor union
§ Member of United Scenic Artists, local USA-829 of the IATSE

The role of Governor/Chorus is played in rotation by Tom Quaintance and Terrance Livingston, Jr.

Black women rule in Virginia Stage Company’s ‘Angry, Raucous, and Shamelessly Gorgeous’

Left to right: Teri Brown, Patricia Alli, Mikayla Lashae Bartholomew and Bethany Mayo in Virginia Stage Company's production of "Angry, Raucous, and Shamelessly Gorgeous." (Samuel Flint)

NORFOLK — Blow, Gabriel, blow! We now have the first anti-August Wilson problem play, though it ends up being more a tribute to him than a bashing.

Audiences are again convulsing at the Wells, this time at a comic tradition — Black women fussing and cracking each other up — even more venerable than the British music hall tradition of Virginia Stage Company’s last comic gem “The 39 Steps.”

The current offering with the tough-to-remember title was written by Pearl Cleage, a Black playwright with an outsized rep (though not so large as that of Wilson — the late author of the “Century Cycle” of 10 plays, one depicting each decade of the 20th century, the most famous being “Fences”).

Cleage’s play, expertly directed by Virginia Commonwealth University theater scholar Tawnya Pettiford-Wates, concerns four Black women united by their profession — theater — though one of them, former diva actor Anna Campbell (Patricia Alli), hasn’t had a role in two years. (She has, notably, been living for decades in Amsterdam trying, until recently, to drink up everything but the canals.)

The other three women are her best friend and manager Betty Samson (Teri Brown), her producer Katie Hughes (Bethany Mayo, also VSC’s director of education) and Precious “Pete” Watson (Mikayla Lashae Bartholomew). The last one is Anna’s replacement in her best-known role, but, at the evening’s start, Anna doesn’t know this. (She thinks she herself is reprising it.) Did I mention “Pete’s” theatrical connection involves dancing and poles?

Mikayla Lashae Bartholomew as Precious “Pete” Watson in Virginia Stage Company's production of "Angry, Raucous, and Shamelessly Gorgeous." (Samuel Flint)

Anna has been invited to current-day Atlanta for a theater festival giving her a lifetime achievement award and presenting a performance of “Naked Wilson” (which, so far as I know, exists only in Cleage’s imagination). Kate reminisces about the day a much younger Anna invented her signature part: “One brave woman doing all those fabulously male monologues, alone on the stage, naked, just to make a point about the silencing of women. It was nothing short of revolutionary.”

Decades later, however, they’re having trouble selling tickets to the reprise of “Naked Wilson,” because “August Wilson is a powerful presence and people are afraid the piece is disrespectful.”

And that was indeed my reaction on first hearing about Cleage’s play “bashing” Wilson for being chauvinistic. “But what about Ma Rainey in ‘Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom’ (1982) and Rose Maxson in ‘Fences’ (1984) and Berniece in ‘The Piano Lesson’ (1986) and Aunt Esther in ‘Gem of the Ocean’ (2003) and (indirectly) in ‘Radio Golf’ (2005)? Aren’t they all great parts for Black women?”

But, as Cleage seems to counter, Wilson did do more for Black men.

Says Anna: “But the story was always and forever about their blues, not ours.”

Betty concurs: “That’s what we were so mad about.”

But since then, Betty and Anna, now both 65, have declared a “truce” with Wilson, chauvinist or not.

This is the first time the VSC has produced a play composed only of Black women actors and directed by a Black woman, Pettiford-Wates, who brought a gifted cast of designers from VCU.

The play is set entirely in a swish Atlanta hotel suite, true in its stage appearance to its supposed $500-a-night price tag. Betty, Anna’s manager and companion, is already there, serving as glue for the evening. Her compulsive solitaire-playing and whispered blessing/prayer “Ashay” (“Amen” in some African and Asian cultures) take us from scene to scene. Brown bears the burden of lots (perhaps a bit too much) “time-is-passing” stage business. But Brown bears up nicely, also bearing, in character, with her friend’s diva-like ways. Anna enters in fabulous African-patterned silk pajamas (courtesy of VCU-trained costume designer Nia Safarr Banks). She is obviously looking forward to what she thinks will be her big comeback. She’s prepared to bare her 65-year-old body; unfortunately, she has misinterpreted the Atlanta festival invitation. As the audience soon learns, festival producer Kate has always intended that a younger actor play the “Naked Wilson” part.

The first hurdle is disabusing Anna of her misconception. The second is getting her to accept her replacement, the untrained “Pete,” a tall, voluptuous woman whose flashy clothing and makeup choices (too much bronzing) along with her body language (a louche slouch, with feet on the furniture), epitomize the generational and educational gulf between her and Anna. The two clash, loudly and repeatedly, with Anna eventually reporting Pete’s impending nude performance to the police.

But then Pete, a performance artist at heart, holds a nighttime solo show atop, of all places, Margaret Mitchell’s House. As the author of “Gone With the Wind,” Mitchell represents the purest remnant of Lost Cause racism. Pete has only seen only the 1939 film version, but she almost instinctively disses Mitchell by performing Rose Maxson’s self-assertion speech from “Fences,” and singing “Oh! Susanna,” in Spanish for extra — if unintentional — alienation effect. Her performance is brilliant, perfectly transgressive, and even honors Anna, whose real full name is Susanna, for the character in a Langston Hughes poem. While atop the roof, Pete is mistaken by a street lady for a Wilsonian angel figure. (Think Gabriel in “Fences.”) A video of the performance goes viral and suddenly things are looking up for “Naked Wilson” — if only the constant rain will stop at the outdoor venue. Will benevolent Wilsonian ghosts prevail?

Toward the end of the play, Anna confesses the motive behind her first miraculous performance of “Naked Wilson”: “I didn’t do it because I was mad at August. I just wanted to feel his words rolling around in my mouth and see if I could feel them coming out through my skin, which is why I had to take my clothes off. I was so in love with the words.” Cleage is none too shabby a wordsmith herself.

Wherever you are, Mr. Wilson, Ashay. Pearl Cleage has your back.

Page Laws is dean emerita of the Nusbaum Honors College at Norfolk State University. prlaws@aya.yale.edu

___

If you go

When: Through March 19

Where: The Wells Theatre, 108 E. Tazewell St., Norfolk

Tickets: Start at $35

Details: 757-627-1234, vastage.org

Original Article Sourced Here

"Angry, Raucous & Shamelessly Gorgeous" at the Wells Theatre on Coast Live

See the Original Story Here

NORFOLK, Va. — Actresses Mikayla Lashae Bartholomew and Patricia Alli join Coast Live to share a special look at "Angry, Raucous & Shamelessly Gorgeous," a wild and fun show from Virginia Stage Company that you can catch now through March 19 at the beautiful Wells Theatre in Norfolk!

"Angry, Raucous & Shamelessly Gorgeous"
Written by Pearl Cleage
Directed by Dr. Tawnya Pettiford-Wates
March 1-9, 2023
Tickets available at vastage.org or by calling the box office at (757) 627-1234.

Synopsis of the play from vastage.org:
Tickets Available Here

"When actress Anna Campbell is invited to restage her radical performance piece of re-imagined scenes from August Wilson’s play, she is surprised to learn she will not be taking center stage. A much younger entertainer will be stealing the spotlight at a new women’s theatre festival. Will they be able to build a bridge between their generations, or will the curtain close on Anna’s career? "

Wine Down Wednesdays

Looking for a fun way to celebrate the middle of the work week? Then come on down to the Wells for our 'Wine Down Wednesdays!' Every Wednesday from 5 - 7pm the staff and doors of the Wells Theatre will welcome folks to wine, music, and great company (show or no show!) to enjoy the beautiful Wells Theatre while we celebrate the little victories of making it through the work week.

Doors open to anyone who would like to come, no ticket necessary, and the bar will be open serving wine and any other drinks you'd like to enjoy with your friends.

Step out of your everyday and into Norfolk’s historic gem to relax!

March 8, 15, 22, 29

April 5, 12, 19, 26

Angry, Raucous, and Shamelessly Gorgeous | Cast & Creatives

Cast

PATRICIA ALLI

(Anna Campbell) is honored to be performing on VSC’s stage for the first time. She most recently played the role of Mom in Passing Strange which received the Richmond Artsie Award for Best Ensemble, with Firehouse Theatre. Some of her other credits include: Jacosta in Oedipus, with Firehouse Theatre, Hillary in Hillary and Clinton and Ann in Bill W. and Dr. Bob with HATTheatre, Player Queen, Marcellus and Gravedigger 2, in Hamlet, with Quill Theatre and for WCVE, Nurse in 5th Wall’s production of The Lyons, Queen Eleanor in Richmond Shakespear’s King John and Alma in Henley Street Theatre’s production of Yellowman. Patricia has also lent her talents to HATTheatre as costume designer for Popcorn Falls and Jewtopia, choreographer for Why do Fools Fall in Love and as an instructor for several youth and theatre classes. 

MIKAYLA LASHAE Bartholomew

(Precious “Pete”) Is a Norfolk native is a Tony Award winning advocate & award winning stage/film actor & activist based in LA & NYC. In addition to starring as Tunde Price, the eldest of five and well loved sister to Venus and Serena Williams, in the Academy Award winning film King Richard (Warner Bros) Mikayla is a two time NAACP Image Award Nominee. She is among those in the Broadway Advocacy Coalition honored with a Special Tony Award in 2020 for their work combating racism within and beyond the theatre industry. Other credits/upcoming projects include Grace (2023), The Bottoms with Jon Bernthal, Dear Mama (Film Independent, SXSW, NAACP Image Award Nominee, Best Actress CFF) The Niceties (RTCC Award Winner), Pure (HBOMax), The Great Khan (World Premiere), WET (Playwrights Realms) Bayano (National Black Theatre), A Doll’s House: Part 2 (Maltz Jupiter Theatre) and much more. As a long-standing artist, facilitator, and organizer at BAC and Columbia Law, Mikayla has worked with Broadway companies such as Tina, The Lion King, & Girl from North Country. She is also a long standing Artist Ambassador for the NYCLU. This in addition to working with carceral systems to prioritize community restoration, fight education inequity, aid in voting rights, immigration and more. Inspired by her parents, little sister Mya, and the generations of women that helped to raise her, Mikayla considers it a great privilege to be a Black woman afforded the opportunity to use storytelling as a means for social good. It is an honor to come home to Norfolk to give back to the community that built her (shoutout Tanners Creek Elementary, Ruffner Middle, and Granby High). This VCU alum holds a BFA in Theatre, minors in pre-nursing and GSEX, and is repped by Barney Slobodin, Matt DelPiano, and Jessica Coleman of Calvary Management. www.mikaylabartholomew.com

TERI BROWN

(Betty Samson) - Honored to make her Virginia Stage Company debut!  Regional theatre credits include: The African Company Presents Richard III (Sarah) with The Great River Shakespeare Festival in Minnesota,  Doubt (Mrs. Miller) with the Public Theatre in Maine, Dutch Kings (Jocelyn) with Brave New World Rep in Brooklyn, NY, Romeo and Juliet, Midsummer Night's Dream (Juliet, Titania) with the Atlanta Shakespeare Company, Joe Turner’s Come and Gone (Mattie) with the Alliance Theatre in Atlanta. The themes and truths explored Angry, Raucous, and Shamelessly Gorgeous are particularly meaningful to me as I navigate a return to the theater world after a 20-year absence! As I do so, I am upheld and sustained by the love of my husband and children, who offer me undying encouragement and support on this journey. I am thankful!

BETHANY MAYO

(Kate Hughes) is an actor and teaching artist from Des Moines, IA. She has come to Norfolk by way of Kansas City, Pensacola, and Baltimore. Her favorite acting credits include Elise in The Miser/Classic Theater of Maryland, The Player in Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead  at Fells Point Corner Theater, and The Narrator in Virginia Stage Company’s touring production of Every Brilliant Thing. She holds a BA in Musical Theater from William Woods University and a MA in Theater Education from The Catholic University of America. She is a founding member of the Black Classical Acting Ensemble at Chesapeake Shakespeare Company. She is a Teaching Artist at Governor's School for the Arts and the sitting Director of Education at Virginia Stage Company. When not teaching or acting, she sews and takes ballroom dancing lessons.

Creative Team

Tawnya Pettiford-Wates, Ph.D.

(Director) Professor of Acting and Directing Pedagogy at Virginia Commonwealth University and the Co-Artistic Director & Founder of The Conciliation Lab, a non-profit social justice theatre company www.theconciliationlab.org . Dr.T is a playwright, director, actor, poet, and writer. She has appeared in the New York Shakespeare Festival’s Broadway production of “For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide / When the rainbow is enuf” performing in both the 1st national and international touring companies.  Her television, film, industrial, voice over and commercial credits are extensive. Favorite directing projects include uncle tom:deconstructed for The Conciliation Project www.theconciliationproject.org, Passing Strange for Firehouse Theatre, The Niceties for The Conciliation LAB, and Fences for the Virginia Rep all to critical acclaim. Favorite academic directing projects include: Les Blancs by Lorraine Hansberry for the University of Richmond at the Modlin Center, Eclipsed by Danai Gurira and Intimate Apparel by Lynn Nottage both for Theatre VCU. Fun fact: She’s featured voice talent for the video game HALO. She’s a featured scholar in Black Acting Methods: critical approaches, a best seller on Amazon. Her chapter “The Conciliation Project as a Social Experiment: Behind the Mask of Uncle Tom-ism and the Performance of Blackness” was featured in an anthology titled, African American Arts, Activism, Aesthetics and Futurity, edited by Dr. Sharrell D. Luckett.  Dr.T has been a columnist for Urban Views Weekly for the past decade, her column and other articles, presentations and workshops can be found at www.coveringtheground.com .

JEFFREY HALES

(Scenic Designer) is overjoyed to have been invited to be a part of Virginia Stage Company’s production of Angry, Racious, & Shamelessly Gorgeous. He feels honored and privileged to have been able to participate in such a nuanced piece that delves and twists through the generational disconnects between younger and older people pertaining to the different outlooks on equality and social justice. He is a graduate of Virginia Commonwealth University, with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Theatre with concentration in Scenic Design. Previous scenic design credits include the Dogwood Dell, Richmond City, production of The Addams Family, the Traveling Players Ensemble production of A Christmas Carol, The VCUarts Theatre production of James & the Giant Peach, the Traveling Players Ensemble production of Antigone, and the VCUarts Theatre production of Eclipsed, among many others. He would like to thank the amazing artistic team that he has joined with on this project for their amazing work and wonderful support throughout the entire production.

NIA SAFARR BANKS

(Costume Designer) is a Costume Designer from Richmond, Virginia. She graduated Cum Laude from Virginia Commonwealth University with a Bachelor of Fine Arts, and she’s currently working on her Master of Fine Arts at Boston University. She was nominated for two Richmond Critic Award for Outstanding Achievement in Costume Design in 2019 and 2022. Her credits include: Passover (American Shakespeare Center), Paradise Blue (Gloucester Stage Company), and August Willson’s The Piano Lesson (Barrymore Theatre, Broadway).”

AUSTIN HARBER

(Lighting Designer) is very excited and grateful to be working on his first show at Virginia Stage Company (VSC). They graduated from Virginia Commonwealth University— GO RAMS!— where they met some of their fellow designers. Notable works include the award-nominated shows A Christmas Kaddish and the Pink Unicorn. Both are from Richmond Triangle Players. Austin also ranked third at the 2020 Southeastern Theatre Conference's undergraduate lighting design competition. But they don't like to talk about it because it is a mouthful to say. Austin has been described as "shamelessly gorgeous," mainly by himself to the eye rolls of his friends. Outside of theatre, Austin works as a freelance copywriter, providing businesses with high-caliber marketing materials. See for yourself at AustinHarber.com. Austin would like to thank the cast and crew for giving him such a warm welcome to VSC. They hope to work with every on again real soon. Enjoy the show!

NICHOLAS SEAVER

(Sound Design) Is excited to design his first show at the Wells Theatre and for Virginia Stage Company. Nicholas graduated from Virginia Commonwealth University in 2019 receiving a BFA in Technical Theater. Recent design credits include Artsie Award Winning Sound Design Fences ( Virginia Repertory Theatre), In the Red and Brown Water, The Wolves, and Two Gentlemen of Verona ( TheatreVCU). He would like to thank his friends and family for all their love and support. 

Emel Ertugrul

(Casting Director) officially joined the Virginia Stage Company team in 2017 but worked on various projects with the company well before.  Her first casting adventure was the beautiful production Pride and Prejudice for Season 39.  Since then it has been a goal to strengthen and cultivate VSC's relationship with professional local and out of town artists.  Each season has provided new challenges and each production a new opportunity to find the perfect showcase of talent. Emel has most recently been seen performing in The Twelve Dates of Christmas on the Wells Stage and currently serves as the Operations Manager for VSC and the Producing Artistic Director for Core Theatre Ensemble.

EMILY ELLEN*

(Production Stage Manager) has been stage managing in-person (and virtually) for about seven years. After recently earning a BFA in Stage Management with minors in English and General Business, Emily has mostly moved into production management work for live events with a company based in Richmond. However, Emily is thrilled to be back in the theatre world, and on a Pearl Cleage piece no less! Emily's favorite theatre experiences center on works that ask hard questions about identity, amplify voices that are often suppressed, and feature gorgeous, human writing. Some of Emily's favorite pieces to work on were Intimate Apparel (PSM, VCU, dir. Dr. Tawyna Pettiford-Wates), a radio play version of Grand Concourse (PSM, Shafer Alliance Laboratory Theater, dir. Caroline Mae Woodson), and The Niceties (ASM, The Conciliation Project, dir. Dr. Tawyna Pettiford-Wates). Emily wants to thank you for supporting live theatre and hopes you walk away with a little something to mull over!

TOM QUAINTANCE

(Producing Artistic Director) is in his seventh season with Virginia Stage Company. At the Wells, Tom has directed Every Brilliant Thing, A Merry Little Christmas Carol, Pride and Prejudice, The Santaland Diaries, and Matilda The Musical. Regionally Tom directed Twelfth Night at the Guthrie Theater, and as an Associate Artist at PlayMakers Repertory Company he directed An Enemy of the People, Shipwrecked! An Entertainment, The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby, and The Little Prince. As Artistic Director of Cape Fear Regional Theatre (CFRT), Tom produced over 35 plays and directed many others, including the World Premiere of Downrange: Voices from the Homefront, a play based on interviews with military spouses from Fort Bragg. As the founder of FreightTrain Shakespeare in Los Angeles, he earned a Drama-Logue Award for his direction of Pericles. Other Los Angeles credits range from King Lear to The Devil With Boobs. A member of the Stage Directors and Choreographers Society, Tom is a graduate of Wesleyan University (Middletown, CT) with a B.A. in Theatre and Economics, and the University of California, San Diego MFA directing program, where he was the assistant director on the original production of The Who’s Tommy. Tom and his wife Wallis are the proud parents of Mireille Julia and Annika Christine.

JEFF RYDER

(Managing Director) has been Managing Director of Virginia Stage Company since March 2022. Prior to coming to VSC, Jeff served in several roles at Cleveland Play House from 2013 to 2022. Jeff holds a Master of Public Administration Degree from the Levin College at Cleveland State University and a Bachelor’s Degree from Tufts University. At Levin, Jeff was inducted into Nu Lambda Mu, the international honor society for the study of nonprofit management and philanthropy. Jeff also holds a certificate in Diversity and Inclusion for HR Professionals from Cornell University. He has served on the boards of the Cleveland Kids’ Book Bank, Theatre Forward, the Young Nonprofit Professionals Network of Cleveland, and the Cleveland Professional 20/30 Club. In Cleveland, Jeff was honored to be a part of the Cleveland Leadership Center’s Advanced Leadership Institute and the Cleveland Foundation’s Foundations for Philanthropy Program. Jeff has also been a stage manager at several theatres including Talespinner Children’s Theatre, Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park, and Berkshire Theatre Festival.

‘39 Steps’ at Virginia Stage Company is flat-out funny

By Page Laws

The Virginian-Pilot | Jan 31, 2023 at 1:46 pm

NORFOLK — What’s so funny?

Well, I’d have to be a psycho to try to explain why “The 39 Steps” at Virginia Stage Company is so flat-out funny. I’m getting vertigo at the very thought of such scholarly acuity and daring! But here goes.

Step aside, Aristotle. Dr. Laws will attempt to explain why this MacGuffin-filled takeoff on Alfred Hitchcock and other old spy-thrillers can make a body ache with laughter.

My first indication of monkey business was the presence of two new mezzanine-level theater box seats built far downstage right and left, plus a new large cameo portrait — the outlined profile of a chubby man’s face — at the apex of the proscenium. The profile seemed to match a curious disembodied slow and creepy voice that intoned “Good eeeevening,” and proceeded to warn the audience to turn off cellphones or face dire consequences. But why “remodel” a theater that’s on the National Register of Historic Places?! Why add fake box seats (later seized upon by the actors for their antics) when there were already lots of them available? Perhaps they didn’t want the genuine ones covered with blood?

But don’t bother looking for 39 steps — to the mezzanine or anywhere else. What are “The 39 Steps”?

Shtick around. Maybe someone will let us know. …

But first let us dispense with the provenance of the production in question, taken from the Samuel French print edition: “The 39 Steps, adapted by Patrick Barlow from the novel by John Buchan from the movie of Alfred Hitchcock licensed by ITV Global Entertainment Limited and an original concept by Simon Corble and Nobby Dimon.”

For a sense of historical context, the novel dates from 1915 and Hitchcock’s movie from 1935.

The VSC production has a similar hero, Richard Hannay, played by an agile, cheeky fellow named James Taylor Odom who is tasked with saving England and therefore the world from a dastardly Nazi masquerading as a British Professor Jordan (who, like his castmates, plays many other parts). The actor is one Steve Pacek, last seen as Miss Tracy Mills in “The Legend of Georgia McBride.”

Pacek is also billed as “Clown #2,” implying the presence of a “Clown #1,” who indeed exists and is deftly played by Michael Di Liberto (a master of half-audible, comic, mumble speak). Kristen Hahn joins in as Annabella Schmidt, Margaret, Pamela, and any other female role that sashays her way and hasn’t been grabbed by one of the men.

All four actors are brilliant physical comedians, guided by a clearly sadistic director, one Mark Shanahan, who is surely making actors run and jump and role-switch much faster than Actors Equity allows. To prove my point, the stage directions on Page 96 of the French edition read: “Quite a lot of this show depends on your actors’ level of Olympian fitness. It has proved an invaluable aid to weight loss.”

Weight loss? As if that were ever desirable!

At any rate, there are four actors playing dozens of witty/witless characters. Their goal? Apparently to mock every conceivable cliche from the Golden Age of Cinema, with special attention to the portly Master of Suspense and his oeuvre. (“Good eeeevening!”) Someone is also out to disembowel the very notion of a spy mystery, using slow, terrifying cruelty and questionable wigs.

Here are just a few of the shticks that poke at the ribs of spy-thriller fans.

Hannay, our world-weary hero, begins his efforts to cheer himself up with a trip to the theater, where he meets the English (or is she a Nazi?) agent Schmidt watching an elaborate music hall number. Mr. Memory (Di Liberto) and his “compère” (emcee, played by Pacek) do an outrageous act where Mr. M is supposedly asked questions by the Wells audience. (When the compère “repeats the question,” he’s actually planting a planned query for his partner to answer onstage.)

The funniest part is their exaggerated bows to one another and the repetition of “Thankoo” (cockney for “Thank you”). This is just the start of the ongoing accent shticks, hilariously mocking Oxbridge English, German and Scottish (Schmidt constantly switches her English V’s for W’s, and D’s for T’s — classic giveaways of a native German speaker). The “ch” at the end of German words is gargled and fairly spat across the stage; likewise, the “ch” ending on Scottish words is delivered with a choking bark: “Alt-na-Shellach!” (It takes about 10 seconds to expectorate that one.) Another nice trick when accent-mocking is using naughty words (untranslated) from that language. Annabella Schhhhhh-midt (“Sch” is lengthened) is fond of saying “Scheisse” for … well, ask your local German.

Talking funny is coupled, as mentioned, with pure physical comedy of the highest and fastest order (except when exaggerated slow motion is called for). The overall joke of the play is the playwright’s implicit insistence that anything film can do, theater can do better. We, therefore, get exaggerated light, wind and sound effects meant to recall every train scene in cinematic history. Though you can’t easily put a train car onstage, you can place two actors closely standing across from two other actors to mime moving within the close quarters of a train compartment. Awkward intimacy is involved each time somebody comes or goes. It’s mime time sublime.

My favorite related film shtick is the “wind” effect, necessary each time the train compartment door opens and repeated later out on the heath where Hannay runs to escape his assailants. There’s no real wind, just a lot of choreographed clothes-shaking to simulate the wind hitting cloth.

I’ve never seen a better example than Odom’s wind shakes. Odom’s likewise a hit in his “escaping from beneath the female corpse” and his “escaping as a handcuffed couple” routines, both of which also require the antics of the talented Hahn. Di Liberto and Pacek deserve commensurate awards for their quick-change “hat tricks” and duck-and-cover instant costume changes. In the climactic melee back at the London Palladium (Mr. Memory is on again), Pacek gets to spout a line not in the script that definitively and hilariously shatters the “fourth wall” between the audience and players.

As his evil Nazi guy Jordan gets shot by an unknown assailant (all four actors are standing innocently onstage), Pacek shouts in a final complaint: “It was supposed to be a cast of four!”

One final bit of praise for this manic masterpiece: Some of its silliness is soulful. Listen for the scripted “extemporaneous” speech Hannay is forced to make when he tries to hide out on the lam at a political rally.

Hannay calls for “A world where no nation plots against nation! Where no neighbor plots against neighbor, where there’s no persecution or hunting down, where everybody gets a square deal … A world where suspicion and cruelty and fear have been forever banished!”

What a funny idea! (Not.)

And what are “The 39 Steps”?? A gang of Nazis, a secret aeronautics plan, a MacGuffin (red herring, in Hitchcock-speak)?

You got me! Or maybe I got you … .

Page Laws is dean emerita of the Nusbaum Honors College at Norfolk State University. prlaws@aya.yale.edu

——

If you go

When: 7:30 Wednesday through Friday; 3 and 7:30 p.m. Saturday; 2 p.m. Sunday

Where: The Wells Theatre, 108 E. Tazewell St., Norfolk

Tickets: Start at $35

Details: 757-627-1234, vastage.org

The 39 Steps Goes Off Without a “Hitch”cock! Review from HR Spotlight

Dial “M” for “Must-See”…wait, wrong movie…

Words by Nathan Jacques. Images courtesy of the Virginia Stage Company.

It was a dark and wintry night on the streets of Norfolk, Virginia. A frigid breeze chased us down Granby street to the elegant Wells Theater. Alleyways on all sides were abounding with eerie shadows and unsettling sounds. Who (or what) could have been lurking in them? Yes, the setting was reminiscent of those often pictured in stories and films, saturated in intrigue and mystery; what on earth was in store for us? As we arrived at the remarkably ornate auditorium, we were met with…an exceptionally written and uproariously clever comedy based on an exceedingly dark film and book. Wait, what?

The 39 Steps first teased the brains of readers as a novel by John Buchan, published in 1915 during the thick of World War I. The public is likely more familiar with the 1935 Alfred Hitchcock adaptation of the novel, which is lauded as one of the best entries in Hitchcock’s filmography. Patrick Barlow adapted the story for the stage in 2005 and took quite the liberty in doing so – this new, improved version of The 39 Steps took one more step in a new direction; he went and turned it into a sidesplitting comedy that absolutely nails every gag and gaff within the script, well-earning each giggle and guffaw it elicits from its audience. It remains a classic tale of a man on the run, encumbered with the fate of his nation, but the refreshing, new tone of this staged version will prove itself as a classic, too. Unlike Hitchcock, I do not offer you a perplexing mystery; rather, let me offer a clear answer on whether you should see this production or not. To put it plainly, you’d have to be a “Psycho” to skip out on this one.

I am chuffed to inform you, dear reader, that Virginia Stage Company’s production delivers a farcically genius rendition of this very same play. Director Mark Shanahan, his production team, the cast, and crew all exhibit pure aptitude in bringing a tantalizing Broadway-quality performance to Norfolk audiences.

This cast does not suffer from “Stage Fright”. The principal, James Taylor Odom, is nothing short of spectacular. His performance as the hunted Richard Hannay oozes with charisma; with that said, Mr. Odom is every bit an athlete as he is an actor. The script calls for a seemingly insurmountable order of physical comedy but – have no fear – Mr. Odom makes it look easy! Don’t worry- the rest of the four-person cast, who all embody an exceptionally long laundry list of characters, are fantastic as well. Kristen Hahn offers an equally brilliant performance as various characters, including Pamela. Michael Di Liberto and Steve Pacek cover (literally) everyone else. Ms. Hahn, Mr. Di Liberto, and Mr. Pacek all offer performances for the ages, effortlessly morphing into different personalities that all manage to have distinct attributes and dialects. Never once did I find myself confused about who someone “was”. I did, however, find myself baffled about how such a miniscule cast could possess such incredible skill. Bravo, all – you got a standing ovation from me! If I keep going, you, dear reader, might become “The Man Who Knew Too Much”, so I will refrain from spoiling any surprises.

Such marvelous performances are impossible without the production teams and crews that make them happen. “I Confess” that costume designer Jeni Schaefer deserves special recognition for the Herculean effort of clothing all the quirky personas the cast members embody throughout the night. My hat goes off (ha!) to all the costume change specialists backstage as well, who go unnamed in the playbill.

Scenic designer D. Craig M. Napoliello and Assistant Scenic Designer Chen Wei-Liao take the “less is more” approach, and it pays off – such a fast-paced fiction requires a setting that can keep up with it. Richard and the cavalcade of characters that follow him move quickly, and the scenic designers have masterfully crafted a set that never once falls behind. A special round of applause is in order for Lighting Designer Alyssandra Docherty, Sound Designer Ryan Rumery, and Sound Engineer Shyloh Bailey, too – not a single cue felt “off”. In fact, many scenes where no set was present at all felt complete and full of life, thanks to well-timed sound cues and superb lighting schemes. The team director Shanahan pulled together is truly first-rate. I might not be able to keep myself from telling any “Strangers on a Train” I meet about how much I loved this production. It’s got me in a “Frenzy”.

The 39 Steps is one of Virginia Stage Company’s finest offerings thus far. I must admit, I have not seen the original Hitchcock film on which this play is based, but after seeing VSC’s version, I fear that the film might not hold my interest like this production did.

“Verti-go” to the box office website right this minute and procure a ticket at https://tickets.vastage.org/5646.
Original Article at HR Spotlight | https://www.spotlightnews.press/post/the-39-steps-goes-off-without-a-hitch-cock