The Curious Savage: playful and laugh-out-loud funny

Opinion

Teri Mathis

Cast Theatrical Company presents The Curious Savage, a play written by John Patrick. The drama/comedy runs from through Oct. 22 at the W.M. Long Theater located in the Vogelsang Building, 1909 Avenue G in Historic Downtown Rosenberg.

Curtain is at 7:30 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays and 2:30 on Sundays. Doors to the theater open at 7 p.m. and 2 p.m. respectively but come early to meet friends, have a glass of wine or to browse the antique emporium.

The setting for this unique play is a sanatorium, the Cloisters, in the 1950s. The patients, er, rather guests, are quite normal on the surface but each has his or her own psychological quirk, some humorous and others tragic.

The audience thoroughly enjoyed the obvious comic moments as well as the more subtle ones.

The tone is playful and laughout-loud funny as the characters move through a three-day period of tumult upon the arrival of one Mrs. Savage. Lisa Jones Bevil, as the recently widowed and very wealthy Ethel P. Savage arrives at the Cloisters amid much curiosity from its guests.

Lisa’s stage presence exudes a grand aura of the craft’s golden age — the grace and depth with which she portrays Mrs. Savage is pivotal and she performs flawlessly, as her greedy step children have her committed to the mental institution until she ‘comes to her senses’. She’s also pretty good at darts.

We welcome back Lisa’s husband, John Bevil, after an 8-year hiatus from acting, though as President of the Cast Board of Directors and first rate set builder, he’s a busy man for whom Cast is grateful. His Dr. Emmett is believably measured and calm amidst the ensuing drama.

But let’s talk about the ending.

Director Stephanie Phillips has accomplished what might be the wowest ending of a play in the history of community theater. A sweet grace note of a reveal gives way to a surprise that will have patrons talking about this performance long after the final curtain.

Stephanie adroitly manages to direct eleven bodies on Cast’s small stage without it seeming crowded or claustrophobic. Kudos to her and the 1950s detail she brings to the performance including seamed hosiery worn by one of the actresses — a nice touch indeed from one who remembers.

The Cloisters guests are Florence, played by Crystalpearl Rodriguez, who portrays a mother perfectly; Hannibal, played by Donald Hale, the would-be violinist with a soft heart; Fairy May played by Tricia Yurcak, who gives a stunning performance of a fragile waif (have I said this play is perfectly cast?); Jeffrey, played by Dan Giles, a Cast favorite who brings his special brand of angst to his character; and Mrs. Paddy, played by Sylvia Powers, the artist who paints seascapes.

Under- studies Ivannah Bandalan and Omar Darwiche will perform Oct. 12 and 13.

Besides Dr. Emmett as staff, Kate Proctor portrays the sturdy nurse, Miss Wilhelmina, whose sublime sweetness would earn her a Nurse of the Year award, were this not theater.

‘Miss Willy’ is key to the epoch ending. Ahh, the Savage siblings…. Titus, the bellicose politician is portrayed by Jeff Hochreiter, no stranger to the Cast stage.

Jeff’s voice is a clear and present danger and he uses it to advantage as he attempts to procure the Savage fortune. Darin Mielke, also familiar to Cast patrons, is Judge Sammuel Savage and Darin’s presence is like a solid rock — a funny solid rock. Danielle Mari portrays the Savage sister, Lily Belle.

The tiara-wearing, six-times married character dominates the action with her confident over-the-top persona.

Danielle comes to Cast from an impressive acting background and her skill brings a professionalism to her every performance. As always, the set design is perfection.

The faultless tech booth, in this case, Director Stephanie’s husband Andrew, the assistant Director, stage manager, the box office, not to mention the countless hours of rehearsals — it all comes together to provide a memorable outing for the audience.

Cast is a veritable gem for those who care to discover its magic.

Concessions including coffee, soda, water and wine, along with snacks are available before the play and during the 15-minute intermission at no cost, though donations are appreciated and encouraged!

The concession stand is located just outside the theater doors on the second floor. For tickets and information on upcoming plays, call the Box Office at 832-889-3808 or visit CastTheatrical.com.

A limited number of wheelchair spaces are available as is the manual elevator (manned by Cast volunteers).