Reviews

North Coast Rep Brings the Fun in Funny with Latest Production “Incident At Our Lady Of Perpetual Help”

Currently Playing Until November 24

A Blog View by Alejandra Enciso-Dardashti

Abbi Hoffpauir and Samantha Gorjanc. Photo by Aaron Rumley

The Solana Beach theatre company is closing the year nicely with several debuts in the San Diego premiere of Incident At Our Lady Of Perpetual Help, a play written by Katie Forgette and directed by Jenny Sullivan.

It is 1973 and Linda O’Shea (Samantha Gorjanc) is the oldest of two, about to start college soon. Linda is smart, sharp, and not shy about sharing her thoughts. Her little sister Becky (Abbi Hoffpauir) loves classic black-and-white movies and emulates them, especially the crime-solving ones, carrying a tape recorder and keeping track of conversations. Something goes south quick when the girls’ mother Josephine ‘Jo’ (Erin Noel Grennan), asks Linda to talk to Becky about the birds and the bees…Linda goes too deep, too soon, and too graphic; Becky is shocked.

Being a traditional family, Mike (Tom Dugan), the patriarch, is the breadwinner while Jo is a stay-at-home mom who cooks, bakes, and takes care of the whole family, -including her disabled mother-in-law -, the banking, payments, and transcribing someone’s novel. Jo’s sister Theresa “Terri” (Shana Wride), is going through a rough patch with her husband and is also living with the family. The O’Sheas are close with the church priest, Father Lovett, who by accident listens to one of Becky’s taped files and is pressed to talk seriously with Mike. The family unites to keep that from happening, during which time Linda reveals a secret to her mom and aunt.

Shana Wride and Tom Dugan. Photo by Aaron Rumley

Linda narrates the happenings while stating reenactments in the play within the play and interacting with the audience. Samantha Gorjanc in her NCR debut is outstanding as Linda hitting all the marks with tone and intention. Erin Noel Grennan sharply illustrates an overwhelmed Jo who is keeping it under control for everyone’s sake. Shana Wride reaches the layers in Terri and plays harmoniously with both the comedic and sad aspects, delivering it all on point.

Jenny Sullivan’s direction can be grasped along with the play’s flow as each performance ran smoothly and went back on track after the audience interactions, having space to land the jokes and to follow the plot.

In his first NCR appearance, Tom Dugan is an absolute histrionic threat as he plays the patriarch Mike, the priest Father Lovett, and his nosy assistant, Betty. The character reveals are done in a vaudeville manner going in and out of the stage with Dugan giving comedy, naughtyness, and a lot of sass. Abbi Hoffpauir, also in her NCR debut, does a fantastic job in each of the scenes as Becky with the different cast members and definitely takes the stage while relaying some of her dad’s messages to Father Lovett.

Shana Wride and Erin Noel Grennan. Photo by Aaron Rumley

Marty Burnett’s set design for the O’Shea home is very yellow, green, and orange, seventies galore with the tile to seal the vision. Even the coffee mugs -courtesy of Christopher M. Williams- have a seventies feel. Matthew Novotny’s lighting design for this production pops with bright tones that match the set design, while Elisa Benzoni’s costumes are psychedelic with a busy print for Jo and Terry, using a high-rise, dark blue jeans with a striped top for Linda.

Katie Forgette’s writing is rounded and realistic. The two-hour play is mostly relatable comedy and, once the audience is high on suspenseful endorphins, Fogette lands the ending with varied outcomes that are also relatable, having that be the cherry on top.

Currently playing until November 24th. For performance days and show times please click HERE.

Alejandra Enciso-Dardashti is a binational communications, public relations, and production consultant specializing in the performing arts. As the founder of Enciso Consulting, she has spent over a decade bridging media, Latin American audiences, and the theater scene across the Tijuana-San Diego border.