Written by: Lawrence B. Fox
Directed by: David Schappert
Review Written by Paul Adam Smeltz
The Shawnee Playhouse in Shawnee on the Delaware, PA presented The Worthington Players production of the Original Full Length Play which won their 2012 Playwright Competition as part of The Shawnee Original Playwright Series (SOPS). The annual event is a result of inviting playwrights to send in their original works, forming a panel to select the finalist, presenting the chosen plays in a series of staged readings, and tallying the votes received from the viewing audiences to determine which plays will be presented as full productions. This process not only gives a local playwright an opportunity to have his/her work presented on The Shawnee Playhouse stage but also gives the audiences who frequent the venue a chance to experience some new and interesting work.
This year’s selections for the Full Length Presentation was a comedy titled, “The Obituary I’m Dying to Write” written by Lawrence B. Fox. According to the playbill, the work is based upon true accounts of life stories experienced by individuals who were similar to the characters depicted on stage. “Except,” as the author noted, “Where I may have lied a little.” Whether the stories shared during the performance were truthful or a result of “Artistic Lie-sense,” they were well spun by the actors who portrayed the characters.
The play takes place in a nursing home where a group of it’s denizens reads an obituary and realizes the usual announcement of one’s departure from this world seldom reflects the life one has led or the impact he or she had in the lives of others during their time on Earth. The group, therefore, decides to share with one another how they would like their obituary to read. This sharing transforms an ordinary pronouncement of death into an emotionally engaging affirmation of life.
The denizens of this nursing home include Gertie (as portrayed by Eileen Cohen), Lillian (as portrayed by Elizabeth Guarnieri), Milton (as portrayed by Stephen Hellman), Artie (as portrayed by Edward Joseph), Benny (as portrayed by Aaron Pappalardo), “Sarge” (as portrayed by Paul Prevolvsky), Glen (as portrayed by Christopher Roche), and Janice (as portrayed by Meredith Yanuzzi). The cast is rounded out by the appearance of Ben Cohen and Scott E. MacIntosh who portray a number of male characters who serve to dramatize the stories along with Gillian Geraghty who portray a number of female characters. The cast also include Amy Cramer who portrays a nurse at the nursing home facility named, “Sylvia” who eventually shares her story with her charges reminding the audience that each member has their own stories to tell regardless of what milestone on their journey of life they see whenever they peer into a mirror.
This reviewer found the majority of the stories told during the production to be funny, captivating, and touched with a nostalgic sadness. This was not true of all the stories I’ve experienced but, as I looked upon my fellow audience members, I realized each story had a different message to each person in the theater and, while I didn’t find a story particularly meaningful, there were others who did. So, while this reviewer can’t say an audience member attending this production will be entertained by every story they will encounter while viewing “The Obituary I’m Dying to Write,” each person who comes into The Shawnee Playhouse will leave it touched by some element they discover during their visit to the venue.
Other than the subjective point I made regarding the effects of the stories embodied in the production, this reviewer found one tangible flaw in its presentation. While many of the actors were made up to resemble individuals old enough to attend a nursing home, there were some who were not. This takes away from the production integrity as it reminds the audience some members of the cast are really young people pretending to be old people. However, there were actors who were made up to appear elderly and shed some of their disguise in order to reflect the age they were in the story they told. Why this was not done for all the actors in the production is a mystery to this reviewer but it is hoped this observation may be considered by those who decide such matters as a valid one that would enhance the theatrical experience for those who attend future presentations of it.
The Shawnee Playhouse presentation of The Worthington Players production of the Original Full Length Play which won their 2011 Playwright Competition as part of The Shawnee Original Playwright Series (SOPS) titled, “The Obituary I’m Dying to Write” was written by Lawrence B. Fox. It was Directed by David Schappert (who also served as the production’s Technical Director) and Stage Managed by Anne O’Brian. Stephanie Hellman served as the production’s “Follow Spot” light person. Special thanks were given in the program to Sean Olson and Joby Poster, USMC (ret.).
The Worthington Players production of “The Obituary I’m Dying to Write” by Lawrence B. Fox continues its run at The Shawnee Playhouse in Shawnee on the Delaware, PA until Sunday February 10th. In spite of the one area this reviewer found theatrically distracting from the believability of the play, it remains a production many theatre lovers are likely to enjoy. The play and the fine performances it inspires reflects the subtle essence of life whose vibrant qualities are not diminished by its seemingly ordinary and mundane attributes perceived in our everyday living of it. It’s a good play and worth while seeing.
The Worthington Players were established in 1999 and is the non-musical contingent of the Shawnee Playhouse. They present a variety of semi-professional theatrical productions from January through May working with community members to bring a quality-working atmosphere for those participating in the production and a quality performance for those attending. Their Original Playwright Series is one of the many programs the offer to the community.
As mentioned earlier, “The Obituary I’m Dying to Write” by Lawrence B. Fox is the full length play chosen from those submitted for The Worthington Players 2012 playwright competition and to be presented during The Shawnee Original Playwright Series (SOPS). The competition also selected three One Act Plays to be presented as well. This year’s winners were “Getting Out The Green” by Paul Kodiak, Succession” by Charles White, and “Real Friends Help You Move” by K. K. Gordon. They were presented January 5th - 13th. You may read our review of these productions at www.facebook.com/notes/paul-adam-smeltz/theatrical-review-original-one-act-plays/10151240638901232.
The Worthington Players 2013 playwright competition discontinued accepting original work on Tuesday January 31st and will begin holding their weekly Staged Readings for the finalist on Friday February 15th and continue to do so until Friday March 29th. This stage of the competition will consist of a number of actors who will read the plays submitted for the competition from the script. Audiences attending the readings will be afforded the opportunity to vote for the work they enjoy the most. Those receiving the most votes will be presented as full productions early in 2014.
Other Shawnee Playhouse presentations will be The Shawnee Playhouse special presentation of “Anything Goes” taking place February 15th - March 3rd, The SCOMC production of “Dancing at Lughnasa” taking place March 8th - 17th, The Worthington Players’ Productions of “An Easter Cantata: A Musical Celebration” taking place March 22nd - 31st and “The Best of Broadway” taking place April 5th - 14th, The Center Stage Players’ production of “The real Thing.” taking place April 19th - 28th, and The Worthington Players’ Productions of “Sin, Sex, and the CIA” taking place May 3rd - 19th and “Mozart - A Musical Timeline” taking place May 11th - June 15th.
The producers of the productions presented at The Shawnee Playhouse are Ginny and Charlie Kirkwood while the group sales manager is Mary Horn and Becky Haskell serves as the playhouse’s Sales and Marketing Director. The Executive Director of The Shawnee Playhouse is Midge McClosky. The playhouse’s webmaster is David Schrage and their accountant is Erica Stripp. Please contact The Shawnee Playhouse at 570-421-5093 or Explore their Facebook Page at www.facebook.com/shawneeplayhouse?ref=ts&fref=ts for more information and to reserve your ticket for their upcoming presentations.
Those who enjoy the Passionate Art Lover level of membership in The Forwardian Arts Society are offered a $3.00 discount off the admission fee of The Shawnee Playhouse Headlined and Featured Productions. Those who have seen the productions mentioned in this review are welcomed to share their thoughts and reflections by leaving a comment with this posting. To learn more about The Forwardian Arts Society and all they have to offer, please explore their website at www.theforwardianartssociety.com.
Photograph provided by The Shawnee Playhouse.
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