A Night at the Theatre

Mikey and I continued our support of The Little Theatre of Winston-Salem's NC Voices Staged Reading Series. Tonight's offering was Raney. John Justice adapted the script from the book by Clyde Edgerton. The staged reading was directed by Mark Pirolo.

The play follows the early days of the marriage of Raney, an innocent, Southern Baptist, and Charles, who is considerably more liberal and sophisticated than Raney. Jackie Hansen and Brian Joyce brought Raney and Charles to life beautifully. Jim McKeny and Kelly Wallace were superb as Thurman and Doris Bell, Raney's parents. I especially loved Jim's tobacco spitting. Kelly is always a pleasure to watch. Karen Robertson was wonderful as Naomi Purvis, Raney's aunt. Like Kelly, Karen is facinating to see. Both women truly embody their characters.

Peter Juran was great as Dr. Bridges. His voice was as soothing as a therapist's, although he is a lawyer in real life. Roberts Bass played Mr. Simmons and came off exactly as Mr. Simmons should- a jerk.

Mark March, as Nate Purvis (Raney's uncle) was outstanding. I've had the pleasure of seeing several of Mark's shows and of sharing the stage with him. As such, I believe Mark to be one of the most talented actors in our area. His final scene made me teary eyed, and this was only a "staged reading".