British playwright Lucy Kirkwood, whose previous works include NSFW, Bloody Wimmin, Chimerica and Mosquitos, can always be counted on to present through-provoking, female-centered, universally themed theatrical experiences. Her latest, The Welkin, is no exception. Having premiered across the pond in 2020, the US premiere, courtesy Nashville Story Garden, wraps its all-too-brief six performance this weekend with a final performance at 7p.m. Friday, September 30 at Riverside Revival (1600 Riverside Drive, East Nashville).
The Welkin seems somewhere between an all female 12 Angry Men, The Crucible and The Scarlet Letter, with maybe a little Handmaid’s Tale thrown in for good measure. While 12 Angry Men focuses on a group of men determining the guilt or innocence of a man accused of murder, Kirkwood’s The Welkin, set in 1759, presents 12 rural Suffolk UK women tasked to not determine a woman’s guilt or innocence, but rather to ascertain whether or not the already accused and convicted woman is with child or not. Their decision then establishing whether or not she be hanged in the public square or allowed to live…at least long enough to bring her child into the world. All this while the otherwise seemingly sleepy burg awaits the spectacle of Halley’s comet.
I was thrilled when Nashville Story Garden’s Lauren Berst reached out to me to ask me to attend opening night. A new play, in a new (for me) venue. That was enough, but add to that, the cast, many of whom I’ve seen in many of my favorite plays over the years, and a few I wasn’t familiar with…always a potential added bonus.
As the play begins, a title card is illuminated on stage reading simply ‘Housework’, while silhouetted images of the players performing various household chores are seen as shadows backlit on crisp white linens hanging across the stage like laundry on the line. The cast then, removes the draping fabric as the title card is changed to read ‘The Night In Question’ as we meet Ayla Williams as Sally Poppy as we witness a bit of what leads her to her eventual sentence. Williams is spectacular as the convicted murderess. She plays the role with spirit and a no-nonsense bite that also eventually reveals innocence lost, or rather, buried away inside her long before the night of the crime.
A later title card reading ‘The Empaneling’ is where we are first fully introduced to the rest of the cast. During the show’s opening week, assistant director Joe Mobley stepped in for Matthew Rose as Mr. Coombs, the jury-appointed liaison between the court and the women. He is at times humorous and a tad bullish as he wavers between being in the minority, but never forgetting he, as a man, is always in the majority.
As for the jury of matrons, director Halena Kays has assembled a who’s who and a who will be stellar cast including Destinee Monet, Melodie Madden Adams, Tamara Todress, Diego Gomez, Candace-Omnira Lafayette, Jennifer Whitcomb-Oliva, Rachel Agee, Jessica Anderson, Lauren Berst, Megan Murphy Chambers, Matthew Rose, Inez, Rona Carter, Melinda Sewak and the aforementioned Ayla Williams. With Milly Mason and Jordan Bentley sharing the role of young Katy during the run and Brooke Ferguson understudy for all the women.
Nashville Story Garden’s co-artistic directors, Lauren Berst and Tamara Todress play Lizzy and Emma respectively. Lizzy is the neighborhood midwife, with ties to seemingly everyone, even the aforementioned Mr. Coombs. Berst’s Lizzy takes no guff from anyone and, in spite of her own demons and disappointments, seems to see the good in others. Meanwhile, Emma seems to reserve the majority of her interactions simply holding for disdain anyone she deems below her station. That said, Todress’ Emma is delightful in her disdain.
Of the women, many of them get their moment to shine thanks to the playwright’s clever unraveling of the story, and each and every woman’s background, character and involvement, therein. Perhaps none more than the aforementioned, Ayla Williams, who’s portrayal is at times subtle and at times so explosive she seems on the verge of madness, and who wouldn’t be, given the circumstances of her character’s predicament.
Rachel Agee is marvelous as Judith. She’s played as a bit boisterous and cheeky, perfectly aligning with Agee’s generous talents at both. Jennifer Whitcomb-Oliva is splendid as well. Her Helen seems meek and sweet, but there’s some fierceness fueled by sadness revealed as the play unfolds. Other standouts include Rona Carter as Sarah Smith, portraying the eldest member of the group and Melinda Sewak’s Sarah Hollis, who without uttering one word, provides insight to her character’s pain.
Once the verdict is in, and the action nears its end, there’s a post-show scene in which the women reappear in modern wardrobe performing those same household tasks seen in the opener. A jarring reminder that what the audience has witnessed, and what these character’s portray of a world three centuries ago, seems just as much at the forefront of society today. As the adage states, “a woman’s work is never done” and I’ll add, neither is her fight for herself, her body and her rights.
Off-stage, the team responsible for technical aspects of the play should also be celebrated. Jonathan Nicholson’s stark but effective set, Tony Nappo’s mood-enhancing lighting and Matt Logan, listed as costume consultant. Of the costumes, maybe I read more into it than I should…or should I say ‘red’ more into it, but I love that each women, save one, has a bit of red fabric accented somewhere on her wardrobe. To me this symbolized life’s blood, and with the subject matter revolving around whether or not a new life exists in the belly of the accused, that just made sense. Again, perhaps reading more into it than I should, as more and more was revealed about each woman, I wove my own story in my head as to the placement of the red fabric on each woman, and even the amount of it used in her costume. Without giving too much away, a few examples: Lizzy’s arms are both bound with red fabric wrapped ‘round them, perhaps symbolic of her ties to most of the women. Helen is wrapped in a shawl of red, a visual manifestation of the sadness and burden that envelopes her. Even Sarah Smith, who only has a tiny string of red around one finger…by chance suggesting something she need recall. As I said, maybe I read too much into the fabric and the placement, maybe it was just a nice wardrobe accent that created a constant of the otherwise mostly nondescript clothing of the time period.
The Welkin concludes its run with a final performance Friday, September 30. CLICK HERE for tickets. For more from Nashville Story Garden, CLICK HERE to sign up for their newsletter or follow them on FACEBOOK, INSTAGRAM and TWITTER.
It’s well-known that RENT is based, in part, on Puccini’s opera, La Boheme, which, coincidentally or not, is also currently on stage at TPAC’s larger theatre, the Andrew Jackson Theatre as presented by Nashville Opera. In Puccini’s opera, the action begins in the cold dark apartment of two artists, one a painter, the other a writer, both struggling to make a living and pay their rent.
Van Meter’s Mark is vibrant and full of hope, something not always seen in portrayals of this central character. A definite welcomed interpretation. Van Meter supports the soundtrack throughout, but it’s when he’s featured in numbers like ‘Tango Maureen’ (also featuring powerhouse vocals by Carli Hardon as Maureen’s current love interest, Joanne). Van Meter’s Act 2 solo, ‘Goodbye, Love’ also gives opportunity for his voice to be truly appreciated.
Cast as their on-again-off-again love interests are Natalie Rankin as Maureen, who dumped Mark for a female lover and Marena Lucerno as Mimi, a drug-addicted lost soul who wonders into Mark and Roger’s apartment literally and figuratively looking for light. Rankin’s Maureen is ballsy and unafraid. Even my absolute least favorite musical number, ‘Over the Moon’ is hilariously enjoyable in the capable hands and voice of Rankin. As for Lucerno’s Mimi, she hides her insecurities behind a brash exterior. Both sides of her character are showcased in a couple of the show’s numbers. Her softer side shines bright alongside Sallee’s Roger in ‘Light My Candle’, while her more flamboyant exterior revs up the vibe in ‘Out Tonight’.
JHP ENTERTAINMENT: As I mentioned in my intro to our chat, you’re returning to Analog at The Hutton Thursday, August 4 for another jazz set. You’ve played Analog a couple other times recently…is this becoming a regular thing?
JHP ENTERTAINMENT: Speaking of your hometown. While researching in preparation of our conversation, I noticed the ‘notable people’ from your hometown, aside from you, are mostly athletes and coaches. So, I gotta ask…were you ever into sports?
JHP ENTERTAINMENT: Back to your current musical expression, who’ve you got performing alongside you for your upcoming jazz night at Analog?
RAPID FIRE Q&A WITH NAN GURLEY CORRIE TEN BOOM IN THE HIDING PLACE
RAPID FIRE Q&A WITH JOHN SCHUCK, CASPER TEN BOOM IN THE HIDING PLACE
RAPID FIRE Q&A WITH CARRIE TILLIS, BETSIE TEN BOOM IN THE HIDING PLACE
Another genius aspect of this incarnation is that while the tempo of the tunes and the emotion and intonation of the delivery may have changed, the lyrics, and for that matter, the dialogue is the exact same as it has always been. A prime example of how this affects the mood and meaning of the show is seen when Curly attempts to woo Laurey (Sasha Hutchings) as he describes the fancy horse-drawn surrey he intends to take her to the comping social in. With no change at all in the lyrics, but a slower, more seductive delivery, he describes taking her on a date, keeping her out all night and waking up still in the surrey together. The tune’s lyrics “whoa! You team, and just keep a-creepin’ at a slow clip clop. Don’t you worry with the surrey with the fringe on the top” suddenly take on a new meaning. Is Curley telling Laurey not to worry if anyone see’s their surrey ride of shame the next morning as the top of the carriage will keep their secret? Maybe. Maybe not.
Speaking of camp, enter Ado Annie played by trans actress and activist, Sis. Here’s the deal, I myself am a member of a couple of less-than-equally-represented demographics, one being I was born with a neuromuscular disorder that now requires I use forearm crutches to walk, so when Fish debuted his Oklahoma! on Broadway coinciding with the show’s 75th anniversary and he cast wheelchair-using actress/singer Ali Stoker as Ado Annie, who subsequently won the Tony, I was all for it. Now, when the tour was announced and Stoker’s star was on the rise, I figured she wouldn’t join the tour, but I had kinda thought they might cast another wheelchair’d actress. Nope. Sis won the role. Again preconceived notions and my own thoughts of the powers that be overcompensating for decades of Broadway literally and figuratively being the great white way, by checking all the boxes was my initial reaction. But the minute Sis breaks into Ado Annie’s signature song, I Cain’t Say No, I was done…in the best way possible. Sis, who is the very definition of a big, Black, beautiful woman, owns that song, the stage and everything that comes with it. As if the first few verses aren’t enough, she goes to the rear of the stage, grabs the mic from the stand by the band, comes back to the edge of the stage and breaks out into a rollicking reprise. Plus, the juxtaposition of Winkler’s Will Parker and Sis’ Ado Annie, is a perfect comedic role reversal in every sense of the word. Yes, it’s ok to laugh, ‘cause guess what, they’re totally in on it.
Another major difference between traditional mountings of the show and the current version is the fact that the Dream Ballet, originally choreographed by Agnes de Mille, and the stuff of which legends are made, has shifted from the end of Act 1 just after Laurey solo’s on Out of My Dreams, to the top of Act 2. Not only that, gone are the stunningly ethereal movements of most of the cast members and they bring to life Laurey’s dream/nightmare of being torn between two men. Instead, a single barefoot dancer emerges wearing an iridescent white t-shirt emblazoned with the message “Dream Baby Dream”. This might be my one biggest disappointment with the update. I get that it’s modern dance, but scooting across the stage like a puppy with a clogged gland, that’s not dance, that’s just bizarre. Now, I’m no dancer, though I did win the dance contest at homecoming in high school one year, but let’s face it, it was a popularity vote, but I digress. Again, my companion for the evening had a little to say about this particular moment. She is a trained dancer, so there’s some merit in her reaction. She too felt as if we were watching the equivalent of a young child performing for the family in the living room after Sunday dinner, noting the lack of proper extensions and a pointless pointe. That said, we both appreciated the final seconds of the Dream Ballet, when an ensemble member joined the soloist onstage and they embrace whilst the lighting shifts, casting their shadow large across the wall. Another beautiful nod to the original and the film version.
As Jane and Michael, Benfield and Campbell light up every scene they’re in, as I’m sure their cohorts do during their alternate appearances. Their interaction with McNeal’s Mary Poppins and the rest of the cast is truly blissful. I particularly enjoyed Benfield and Campbell’s mischievousness regarding their behavior around Gavin’s Mr. Banks. They also seem to genuinely be having a blast as Michael and Jane during many of the show’s familiar moments with Mary and Bert.
Special mention has to be made of Katie Bruno, Jonah M. Jackson and Dennis R. Elkins. Bruno and Jackson play The Banks Family’s house staff, Mrs. Brill and Robertson Ay, respectively. These two obviously feed off each other perfectly giving the audience some of the show’s best snark and silliest slapstick physical comedy moments. I always think of character actresses like Mary Wickes and Hermione Baddeley when I see Bruno in a supporting comedic role. Interestingly, both Wickes and Baddeley themselves have ties to Poppins. Wickes played the lead in a 1949 TV adaptation, while Baddeley played the maid in the Disney film. Jackson goes all in for laughs, pratfalls and all leading into and out of one of the show’s most popular numbers, A Spoonful of Sugar. 
Then there’s the magical unicorn of a talent, Jennifer Whitcomb-Oliva. Whitcomb-Oliva pulls triple-duty in Mary Poppins appearing first near the end of Act 1 as Mrs. Corry, then briefly as the Statue of Queen Victoria, and finally as Miss Andrew, George Banks’ own Nanny, three characters created and expended when the musical was adapted for the stage. When Mary takes the children on a walk in the park, they encounter Mrs. Corry, who runs the Talking Shop, a place to buy conversations and gingerbread stars. What? What else pairs well with letters of the alphabet for sale? Come on, it’s Mary Poppins, just go with it. That leads to an all-in moment and another familiar tune, Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious. With a brightly colored costume and wonderfully whacky wig for Whitcomb-Oliva it’s another moment in the show I dare anyone who sees it to try not to sing and clap along. On that note, as my friend, Bryce and I were walking into the lobby, I ran into Nashville Rep’s Executive Director, Drew Ogle. As we chatted, he mentioned that opening night he, and the cast were surprised when the audience randomly, unanimously erupted into syncopated applause during a couple of the numbers. I guess they’re used to it by now, because the same spontaneous magic happened the night I attended.
While Whitcomb-Oliva’s Mrs. Corry is a hand-clapping delight, it’s her more playfully sinister turn as the strict Miss Andrew that’s simply marvelous. As the darkly-dressed villainous Miss Andrew, complete with a Jane Russell-esque swirl of gray among her severely styled raven-colored wig, Whitcomb-Oliva revels in the role during the lyrically frightful Brimstone and Treacle near the top of Act 2 and again during a good vs. evil mashup of Brimstone and Spoonful with McNeal’s Mary Poppins towards the end of the show. 
I can’t review Nashville Rep’s Mary Poppins without special mention of Denise Hicks. Hicks, a legend among the Nashville theatre community, plays not only Miss Lark, the puppy-carrying neighbor to the Banks family, but she’s also featured as the Bird Woman, the elderly lady who sells bird seed for “tuppence a bag”. Knowing Hicks was cast in the role, as Bryce and I settled into our seats, I leaned over and told him to avert his glance away from me during the heart-wrenching moment when Hicks’ Bird Woman sings Feed the Birds, and as certain as Mary Poppins comes in on the east wind, when Feed the Birds happened, I was once again thankful that masks are still being required in the theatre because my eyes began to sweat as I sobbed uncontrollably. 