Story Glows with Warmth
Presented by: Threads Theater Company
Writer: Monica Flory
Director: Misti Wills
Summary: Set in the “afterlight,” or twilight , this play is snippets of three couples’ lives, loosely connected by the recent death of a school bus driver.
Michael (Angus Hepburn) inexplicably hears sounds coming from under the living room floorboards and rips them up, much to the consternation of his wife, Louise (Kim Carlson). His behavior has been increasingly troubling, and the couple deals with that, as well as some repressed memories about the infant baby girl they lost 24 years ago.
Ann (Kimberly Prentice) awaits the birth of her second child and hopes its father, Hess (Frank Mihelich) will adopt Shane (Tyler Merna), her son by a previous relationship, after they marry. Hess can’t relate to the shy, intelligent boy, however. Meanwhile, Shane sees albino Monarch butterflies that no one else sees at his friend the school bus driver’s accident and later in his own bedroom when Ann almost loses the baby.
Dating teens Pru (Allyson Morgan) and Hunter (Davi Santos) meet in the graveyard, where they encounter a wolf. Hunter thinks the wolf is the spirit of the dead school bus driver. Pru thinks it’s the spirit of the father who abandoned her as a child. She sees butterfly larvae at the school bus driver’s funeral, where the couples finally interact (until this, each couple is featured one at a time, telling their stories on distinct portions of the stage). As the couples work through their relationships, wounds are healed.
Highlights:
• Hepburn as the humorously doddering, kind-hearted guy lurking beneath the guise of a curmudgeon in the making.
• Merna as the too-smart-for-his-age, but still young-enough-to-talk-back-and-whine kid which every parent in the audience recognized. He does a swell job for such a young actor.
• Director Misti Wills’ terrific use of a wading pool, a few boards, two benches and some fabric to create separate spaces for the couples on the same stage. Somehow, you’re sure that you see the whole room, not just a few props.
• Lighting and set design by Robby Bradley that creates twilight (there’s a lantern-like piece suspended on the stage which contains a glowing light reminding us of the timeframe), as well as general stage lighting that creates “afterlight” without leaving the audience in the dark as to what is happening on stage.
Lowlights:
• The characters and story are quite interesting (it was inspired by some surreal photographs), but I’d love to see the script developed further. We don’t know enough about these people, why they are doing some of the things they are doing and the ending comes too abruptly.
• The multi-purpose benches serve well until the funeral scene, where only one is used to simulate an open coffin. Both placed side-to-side would be more effective and would eliminate jokes from exiting audience members about how the school bus driver must have been a little person given the diminutive size of the coffin.
Christians might also like to know:
• Some otherworldly qualities to the script involving the wolf and butterflies
• Threads theater Company exists to tell stories that start inclusive conversations about faith and grew out of Redeemer Presbyterian Church in New York. Visit them at www.thredstheatercompany.org.
Fringe Tassels Awarded: 3
VENUE #14: The Cherry Lane Theatre
See it again Tue 25 @ 5:45
Presented by: Threads Theater Company
Writer: Monica Flory
Director: Misti Wills
Summary: Set in the “afterlight,” or twilight , this play is snippets of three couples’ lives, loosely connected by the recent death of a school bus driver.
Michael (Angus Hepburn) inexplicably hears sounds coming from under the living room floorboards and rips them up, much to the consternation of his wife, Louise (Kim Carlson). His behavior has been increasingly troubling, and the couple deals with that, as well as some repressed memories about the infant baby girl they lost 24 years ago.
Ann (Kimberly Prentice) awaits the birth of her second child and hopes its father, Hess (Frank Mihelich) will adopt Shane (Tyler Merna), her son by a previous relationship, after they marry. Hess can’t relate to the shy, intelligent boy, however. Meanwhile, Shane sees albino Monarch butterflies that no one else sees at his friend the school bus driver’s accident and later in his own bedroom when Ann almost loses the baby.
Dating teens Pru (Allyson Morgan) and Hunter (Davi Santos) meet in the graveyard, where they encounter a wolf. Hunter thinks the wolf is the spirit of the dead school bus driver. Pru thinks it’s the spirit of the father who abandoned her as a child. She sees butterfly larvae at the school bus driver’s funeral, where the couples finally interact (until this, each couple is featured one at a time, telling their stories on distinct portions of the stage). As the couples work through their relationships, wounds are healed.
Highlights:
• Hepburn as the humorously doddering, kind-hearted guy lurking beneath the guise of a curmudgeon in the making.
• Merna as the too-smart-for-his-age, but still young-enough-to-talk-back-and-whine kid which every parent in the audience recognized. He does a swell job for such a young actor.
• Director Misti Wills’ terrific use of a wading pool, a few boards, two benches and some fabric to create separate spaces for the couples on the same stage. Somehow, you’re sure that you see the whole room, not just a few props.
• Lighting and set design by Robby Bradley that creates twilight (there’s a lantern-like piece suspended on the stage which contains a glowing light reminding us of the timeframe), as well as general stage lighting that creates “afterlight” without leaving the audience in the dark as to what is happening on stage.
Lowlights:
• The characters and story are quite interesting (it was inspired by some surreal photographs), but I’d love to see the script developed further. We don’t know enough about these people, why they are doing some of the things they are doing and the ending comes too abruptly.
• The multi-purpose benches serve well until the funeral scene, where only one is used to simulate an open coffin. Both placed side-to-side would be more effective and would eliminate jokes from exiting audience members about how the school bus driver must have been a little person given the diminutive size of the coffin.
Christians might also like to know:
• Some otherworldly qualities to the script involving the wolf and butterflies
• Threads theater Company exists to tell stories that start inclusive conversations about faith and grew out of Redeemer Presbyterian Church in New York. Visit them at www.thredstheatercompany.org.
Fringe Tassels Awarded: 3
VENUE #14: The Cherry Lane Theatre
See it again Tue 25 @ 5:45
--Lauren Yarger
