Currently Playing Until November 24
A Blog View by Alejandra Enciso-Dardashti
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| 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.
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| Shana Wride and Tom Dugan. Photo by Aaron Rumley |
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| Shana Wride and Erin Noel Grennan. Photo by Aaron Rumley |
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.
