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| L - R Synthia L Hardy and Eve Sigall |
By Joe Straw
Some days here in Southern California I reminisce about the time I lived in the south. The rustling elms, thundering maples, and sycamores leaves all laughing in the nightly breeze accompanied by sounds of bullfrogs and crickets that came in through my open bedroom window.
So, I jumped at the invitation to visit the sounds again, farther south to Alexandria Louisiana, and what a better way to spend the night watching a play that takes place where people move slower and life is all about living gently and getting by the best way that you can. But, in this show, there’s more to living than just getting by.
One Way Ticket To Oregon written and produced by BC Caldwell, and directed by JJ Mayes is now playing at the Blue Door Theatre in Culver City, CA 90232 through April 24, 2022.
This is my first foray into The Blue Door and it is a beautiful 50-seat theatre. The greeters were pleasant and the mood was very festive with a slight taste, well the unmistakable flavor, of southern charm. Joyce Hutter, Scenic Designer, sends us to that place in Alexandria, Louisiana, on the porch, ice teas on a table, and comfortable chairs to rest the weary souls.
Leigh Anne Rainey (Eve Sigall) and June Collins (Synthia L. Hardy) do just that - sit back and talk. June is Leigh Anne’s caretaker, sage, and most importantly a friend. Leigh Anne has lived in her majestic home everyone calls the White House. And that home has been in her family for more than 150 years.
In the telling, Leigh Anne is suffering to what appears to be more than a slight ailment.
Dr. Cavanaugh (Rick Steadman) pays a house call and tells her that her white blood count is elevated but there are more tests to run. June, coming back onto the porch, wants more information from the doctor and he will give her the information when Leigh Anne returns.
Leigh Anne delicately implores June for more help, taking her to get to the doctors and tests, but June is hesitant because she can’t live on the little Leigh Anne pays her.
In an apartment, not far away, Bobby Rainey (Travis Goodman), Leigh Anne’s son lives with is wife Eve (Kate Krieger) and their son Duke (Ethan Aldridge) in a God forsaken cluttered apartment. Bobby is an opinionated homebody who would like to make love to his wife or have a beer - and not necessarily in that order. But Eve wants more out of life. Her dreams of a successful life include traveling and becoming a model. Their dreams are not mutually inclusive.
And now their life is wrought with interruptions as Duke comes into the living room and Eve has to send him off to sleep with a song. And oh, does she have a lovely voice.
Prominently displayed, above the door, an overbearing shotgun looms in a gun rack, foreshadowing what may be an unbearable event. Or, maybe it’s just something people have in the south.
Well, the news comes for Leigh Anne, and it’s not good, she is heading for troublous times, and is advised to get her affairs in order. And the pain slowly becomes excruciating for her. She asks June if her nephew, Andre Calhoun (Matt Jennings), would stop by with some weed to help with the pain. Andre is happy to oblige. He is going off to dental school in Atlanta and one supposes he does this to supplement his future expenses.
Bobby, coming by, doesn’t like Andre around the house. He calls him “boy”. Andre lets this go, this time. Bobby’s relationship with his mother is amicable. It’s been tough living with the knowledge that his father committed suicide. (And the shotgun is still above the head jam.)
Leigh Anne has found her answers, but she seeks her pastor, Father Brooks (Carl Weintraub) after his unctuous sermon, for consultations. Father Brooks’ faith is unshakeable and he is not in agreement with her choice of going to Oregon. But, a choice has nevertheless been made and she makes it clear that it is not a willful renunciation of her faith.
BC Caldwell, the writer, tells a story which is an amalgamation of his history living in the south. It is a ubiquitous play and a toast to the southern way of life. One Way Ticket to Oregon is both beautiful and excruciatingly painful to watch. Beauty in the way one see love, and painful in the way one sees the other side of love. And in addition there is darker side of humanity beyond the disease and that is a play that showcases humans coming to terms too late.
JJ Mayes, the director, leads an outstanding cast. And while there were only a few miscues, this night was a very pleasant experience with performances that were exceptional. Exceptional work on an exceptional night.
A very spry Eve Sigall manages a steady pace as Leigh Anne Rainey. Aside from the pain of the disease Leigh Anne holds a competitive edge over the frustrations of her kinfolk and stays the course in this time of her life. She has made her decisions and firmly moves forward despite the conflict that it will bring. Sigall is beautiful when she meets with the pastor, and when the disease takes over; she slowly moves to take control. Sigall is remarkable in the role.
Synthia Hardy brings a lot of warmth and humor to the role of June Collins. Her performance is a joy to watch. She dances when spirits needs to be lifted and dances with joy when things go her way. It is a delightful performance, true to nature, truthful in execution.
Travis Goodman as Bobby Rainey has his work cut out for him. He must move from being a homebody racist to someone who has our complete sympathy. He loses everything and only comes to an understanding after he retrieves the shotgun above the head jam. (How that happens one is not sure.) It is a moment when he has lost everything. But that moment is an accumulation of all things that preceded it and should not be lost in the execution. His last meeting with his mother needs another level of emotion, not only for him but for us as well. That aside, Goodman was superb in the role.
Kate Kreiger’s voice is lovely as Eve Rainey a wife and mother on the eve of her destruction. Her destruction is not so much as to what she wants; it’s how willing she is to sacrifice everything to satisfy her needs. And when drugs are part of the equation then her road will be a difficult one in satisfying those needs. Eve’s character needs to be open to all opportunities the moment we see her. If wanting a better life, we need to see that when she interacts with the other characters. Relax the hands. Use them when you need to showcase the vitreous glitter of your nails and the model-like hands, and let your objective be the force that guides you.
Ethan Aldridge plays Duke Rainey and does very well in the role. He is a cute kid, doing cute things, who could ask for anything more.
Rick Steadman does well as Dr. Cavanaugh, a nice guy, doing nice things, and there’s nothing wrong with that. But, there’s very little insight in how the doctor feels, how he really feels, about a woman, a friend, a patient wanting to end her life. The conflict is very subtle here. Steadman also play Quickdraw, a man who is unsure of his role when it comes to a family squabble about football. Pick a side and go with it in this scene. That aside, Steadman showcases some remarkable work.
Carl Weintraub plays Father Brooks as a man who believes in the good book, finding answers in that book, and knowing how to guide his parishioners. His words are for naught which must have some kind of effect on him. He also does well as Uncle Lou.
Matt Jennings is Andre Calhoun who is June’s nephew. Andre is working to become a better man, possibly a dentist. But for now, in this town of Alexandria, he appears when he is needed. A ride, some drugs, an unwanted friend/lover are some of the things he does to make life easier. But two of those things drugs and lover will get him into a lot of trouble. He may be able to manage the solicitation of drugs, precariously, but a married lover, in the south, gets him into dangerous territories. This is a better outing for Jennings showing much improvements than his last show.
Costumes by Linda Muggeridge, Costume Designer, worked well in this 2010 period piece.
One heard a lot of birds from Jaime Robledo, Sound Designer, and that worked effectively.
Douglas Gabrielle, Lighting Designer, used a different type of lighting system you normally don’t see in this kind of house. The purple glow when one enters the house had an interesting effect on the set. The lighting was terrific if not subtle.
Other members of the crew are as follows:
Jeremy Aldridge – Associate Producer/Assistant Director
TJ O’Brien – State Manager
Michael Teoli – Composer
Scott Golden – Publicity
Ronel Alberts – Poster Artist
A portion of the proceeds from the show will benefit ArtsUP! LA which is a nonprofit theater and arts program serving people with disabilities, military veterans, and opportunity youth.
The virtual programs compliments of a QR code brings the cost of printing way down. I've seen that in the last two show I've been to. In each, the programs were glorious.
Run! Run! And take someone who loves, unconditionally.
Fridays & Saturdays @ 8pm, Sundays @3pm, Mondays @7pm
The Blue Door
9617 Venice Blvd.
Culver City, CA 90232