You Scream, I Scream, We All Scream for

Posted by Bruce Miller

It was a dark and stormy night, on stage and in the “real world,” as we kicked off the fall season at Barksdale Hanover Tavern with tonight’s opening of Deathtrap by Ira Levin. After directing last fall’s successful production of Agatha Christie’s whodunnit, The Mousetrap, John Moon returned to direct this fall’s thriller, Deathtrap. He's done a terrific job. We’ve yet to decide which trap will be used to ensnare John’s services for next season.

Screams and laughs accompanied all the flashes of lightning and claps of thunder as John’s talented cast kept things edgy until the final curtain. Michael Goodwin made a terrific Barksdale debut in the leading role of has-been playwright Sydney Bruhl. One of our nation’s finest actors, Mike has built a stellar career at Seattle Rep, the Guthrie in Minneapolis, Arena Stage in D. C., the American Conservatory Theatre in San Francisco, the Long Wharf in New Haven, and the New York Shakespeare Festival under Joseph Papp. Broadway credits include A Patriot for Me, Cyrano, Ambassador, and a revival of Charley’s Aunt. TV credits include recurring roles on Dynasty, Falcon Crest, St. Elsewhere, McGyver and Matlock, among many others.

Christopher Evans returned from New York to rejoin his Barksdale family in the role of novice playwright Clifford Anderson. Chris appeared with us before in The Full Monty, Melissa Arctic, Fifth of July, and Gross Indecency: The Three Trials of Oscar Wilde. He even filled in for a week in the lead role of Paul Bratter in last year’s Barefoot in the Park.

Robin Arthur, Jacqueline Jones and ‘Rick Gray round out the cast of potential murderers and/or murderees. Robin is well remembered at Willow Lawn for her role as Vera Charles in Mame, and she counts among her Hanover Tavern credits everything from Nunsense to Amanda Wingfield in The Glass Menagerie. Jackie starred in Das Barbecu, the last show before the start of Barksdale’s ten-year hiatus from the Tavern in 1996, and Over the River and Through the Woods, one of the shows in the first season back at the Tavern in 2006. ‘Rick makes a point to come play with us every six years or so, having last appeared at Barksdale in my 2001 production of The Little Foxes at Willow Lawn.

Sharing in the Opening Night festivities were Barksdale Board members Rick Arenstein and Kevin Kilgore, and longtime supporters Roy Burgess and Ed Ramsey. Steve Moore and Derek Phipps, two of the poker playing pals from The Odd Couple, came back to experience life on the other side of the footlights. Chase Kniffen and his mom, Bev Kniffen, were overheard making book during intermission as to who on stage was and who wasn’t who or what they seemed to be. Brad Tuggle, our able stage manager, and Alex Whiteway, his weapon wielding assistant, hovered over the food tables at the post-show party, glad that their responsibilities had gone off without a hitch. Terrie Powers (my wife) beamed with pride as crowds of fans congratulated her on another fantastic set.
(From left to right: Michael Goodwin, 'Rick Gray, Brad Tuggle, Chris Evans, Jackie Jones, John Moon and Robin Arthur)

If you weren’t there for Opening, you have six weeks to get caught in the Deathtrap before it becomes just another scream in the night. After breaking all records as the longest-running thriller in Broadway history (5 years), Deathtrap promises to be a hot Barksdale ticket during this most haunting time of year.

It was a great Opening. Hope you’ll call 282-2620 for your tickets today!

--Bruce Miller

"The O C" Knocks 'Em Dead at Tavern

The first review is in (Sunday, July 1, Richmond T-D) and The Odd Couple is a smash hit!

“Hilarious!” raves Susie Haubenstock in this morning’s newspaper. “Neil Simon’s beloved 1965 play still has the ring of truth. Barksdale Theatre’s second Hanover Tavern season validates their premise: classic comedies and mysteries are reliable crowd-pleasers. No playwright is more trustworthy than Neil Simon. And no Neil Simon play is more foolproof than The Odd Couple.”

If this iconic masterpiece of good humor is in fact foolproof, that’s a good thing, because we surely have a passel of fools working their hindquarters off on this production. Divine fools, to be sure. Fools who, like Neil Simon, have the ability to see what is true in life, and then make merciless fun out of it.

If you can’t laugh at life’s ups and downs, what can you do? The Odd Couple, as everyone in the English-speaking world must know by now, is about two men who are recently divorced, who decide to move in together and immediately begin to drive each other crazy. Both men are lemons, but leave it to Neil Simon to make lemonade.

“Scott Wichmann is great as always,” praises Haubenstock, “with the combination of physical comedy and neurotic dialogue, and his ear-clearing snorts are unlike any other sounds made by man.”

“Bridgewater plays Oscar as a sort of combination Ralph Kramden and Ed Norton from ‘The Honeymooners.’ His quiet moments on the phone with his ex-wife are as believable as his air-freshener attack on Felix.”

Rounding out our lunatic cast are four exceptional poker buddies – Jeff Clevenger, Steve Moore, Mark Persinger and Derek Phipps – and two delightfully ditzy British coquettes – Jennifer Frank and Jen Meharg.
“The four poker buddies are totally convincing,” continues Haubenstock in her hit-making assessment, “especially Jeff Clevenger, who speaks with the music of Brooklyn. The Pigeon sisters are wacky and hysterical. Gwendolyn (Jennifer Frank) is especially alarming in her scary bouffant wig, and it’s fun to see Jen Meharg, Wichmann’s wife, play Cecily opposite him.”

With additional kudos going to Joe Pabst for his expert direction, Terrie Powers and David Powers for their well designed set, and Heather Hogg for her magnificent ‘60s costumes, the T-D review is glowing to say the least.

But Haubenstock reserves her biggest praise for Neil Simon himself, and justifiably so. “It’s no accident that this play has spawned a hit movie, a TV series and numerous adaptations over the years—it’s a modern classic. Pabst’s program note suggests that Simon will eventually join George S. Kaufman and Moss Hart in the American comedy pantheon, and surely he’s right about that.”

“The American comedy pantheon.” You can’t beat a review like that.

Congratulations to all involved. And if you don’t have your tickets yet for this summer-long fun fest, please call our box office today.

Bridgewater and Wichmann to Star as Felix and Oscar

The most hilarious mismatched roommates in the history of Broadway comedy are coming back to Hanover Tavern in this brand new production of one of America's favorite comedies. Directed by Joe Pabst (last seen at Barksdale in Brooklyn Boy), The Odd Couple will open June 29 and run through August 12, with extension probable.

And who will be filling Felix's shiny wingtips and Oscar's grubby sneakers? None other than Barksdale and Theatre IV All-Stars (and audience favorites) Dave Bridgewater (last seen at the Tavern in Over the River and Through the Woods) and Scott Wichmann (last seen as the Cowardly Lion in Theatre IV's The Wizard of Oz).

Other cast members include the two delectible Pigeon sisters (Jennifer Frank and Jen Meharg) and the four poker-playing buddies (Jeff Clevinger, Steve Moore, Mark Persinger and Derek Phipps). All indications are that The Odd Couple is going to sell out fast, so please call the box office to make your reservations TODAY!

Last produced by Barksdale in 1973, Neil Simon's irrestibly funny play tells the story of two friends (one divorced and the other recently separated) who decide to share an apartment … with sidesplitting results. Don't miss the sheer pleasure of rediscovering all over again the reasons we all first fell for this rousing American classic.