287 - Talking Heads

Opening night for Talking Heads in Players By The Sea's Studio Theatre.  2 ladies who I am humbled to call friends are starring in the show.  Originally staged as complete monologues, the creative team behind the PBTS show split the monologues up into segments; the stories intertwined with one another even though none of the 4 ladies interacted.  I can't imagine the show any other way than it was last night - the splitting up of the monologues left the audience (at least this audience member) waiting to hear the next part of each character's story, and the culmination of each story brought closure to the evening that I think would have been lacking otherwise.

Staci and Holly were, in a word, magnificent.  With just enough stage experience and some of Caryl's acting class, my understanding of the difficulty of those monologues gives me an even greater appreciation of their talent.  Both of them are inspirations.  It was the first time I've seen Caroline and Simone in a show, but look forward to seeing them again.  Simone's knowledge, training and talent were obvious.

As always, it was a wonderful evening ... dinner and thoughtful conversation with RG, followed by seeing so many theatre buds at PBTS, and a fantastic show.

If a show intrigues me, I prefer to see it more than once, and I look forward to seeing this show again.

Big congrats to the cast and crew of Talking Heads. The Standing-O was well deserved! 

TTFN!

From the PBTS Newsletter:

For award-winning English playwright Alan Bennett, there are no ordinary lives. In these quirky and often hilarious monologues, four unremarkable women reveal themselves as far from mundane.

Clueless actress Lesley, played by Staci Cobb, analyzes her role in a cheapie skin-flick as if it were high dramatic art.

Predatory antiques dealer Celia, played by Caroline Lee, hovers by a deathbed, waiting to pounce on the museum-quality estate.

Eagle-eyed spinster Irene, played by Simone Aden Reid, busily pens letters to authorities, reporting the lapses and infractions of her neighbors.

Holly Gutshall plays elderly widow Doris, whose obsession with cleanliness leads to her downfall.

Originally written for BBC television, Talking Heads was a big hit on Masterpiece Theatre on PBS. Directors Joe Schwarz and Sam Fisher have taken the imaginative step of cutting between the four woman as they tell their stories, making them even livelier and more suspenseful.