{"id":106058,"date":"2022-11-22T11:18:07","date_gmt":"2022-11-22T19:18:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/forallevents.com\/reviews\/?p=106058"},"modified":"2022-11-22T11:18:07","modified_gmt":"2022-11-22T19:18:07","slug":"bravo-to-cast-of-rvps-picnic-runs-sept-9-oct-9","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/forallevents.com\/reviews\/bravo-to-cast-of-rvps-picnic-runs-sept-9-oct-9\/","title":{"rendered":"Bravo to Cast of RVP’s Picnic-runs Sept. 9-Oct.9"},"content":{"rendered":"

Before Ross Valley Players\u2019 2020-21 season was canceled, Director Adrian Eifenbaum and the actors cast in Picnic<\/em>, met on Zoom and read William Inge\u2019s play together.\u00a0 All were surprised at how the story, set in a small town in 1950\u2019s Kansas, still resonates with our world today. The show was postponed, but as the saying goes, all good things come to those who wait.\u00a0 Picnic<\/em> finally opened September 9 at the Barn Theatre in Ross. It is the first offering of RVP\u2019s 93rd season and runs Thursdays-Sundays through October 9.<\/p>\n

The play revolves around a charismatic drifter, Hal Carter (played by Max Carpenter), who jumps off a freight train to look up his former college pal Alan (Evan Held).\u00a0 Time has changed Hal. Once a popular college football star, he\u2019s now fallen on hard times. Before he goes to see Alan, Hal meets a local widow, Mrs. Potts (Tamar Cohn), and asks if she has any work. Happy to see a new face, she offers to clean his shirt and give him breakfast in exchange for doing some chores around her yard.<\/p>\n

As he goes about his work, Hal\u2019s good looks, muscles and vigor are soon noticed by Mrs. Potts\u2019 neighbors\u2013all women\u2013who are busy getting ready for the town\u2019s annual Labor Day picnic.\u00a0 Flo (Tori Truss) is the mother of two daughters Millie, the smart one (Lizzy Bies) and Madge, the beautiful one (Dale Leonhart). Flo\u2019s hopes are pinned on Madge marrying Alan for the security his wealthy family can provide. Flo also has a boarder, Rosemary (an \u201cold maid\u201d school teacher played by Valerie Weak), whose boyfriend Howard (Steve Price) arrives later with Alan. Alan is surprised but happy to find Hal in town and invites him to join the group leaving for the picnic.\u00a0 As the day goes on and the night\/morning follows, the characters come to terms with their relationships, disappointments, hopes, dreams and desires. Inge\u2019s plot and dialogue is so well written that it is no surprise he won a Pulitzer Prize for the play.<\/p>\n

Choreographer Jannely Calmell and Stage Combat\/Intimacy Director Richard Squeri deserve special recognition for the artistry conveyed by the actors\u2019 onstage movements.\u00a0 The sequences involving fighting, dancing and intimacy were especially good and emotionally moving.<\/p>\n

The subtle Set, Lighting and Sound Design (by Tom OBrien, Robin DeLuca and Billie Cox respectively) rightly puts the focus directly on the impressive acting from all of the cast including those in supporting roles\u2013Dalton Ortiz (Bomber), Raysheina de Leon-Ruhs (Christine) and Jen Marte (Irma). Each one of the actors shines bright and the audience is carried away\u2013captivated every moment\u2013 thanks to their extraordinary talent!<\/p>\n

Coming up next at Ross Valley Players is Gypsy, A Musical Fable<\/em>, a Mountain Play production, directed by Zoe Swenson-Graham running November 11 to December 18, 2022.<\/p>\n

Flora Lynn Isaacson, SFBATCC (with Lori Wood)<\/p>\n

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Before Ross Valley Players\u2019 2020-21 season was canceled, Director Adrian Eifenbaum and the actors cast in Picnic, met on Zoom and read William Inge\u2019s play together.\u00a0 All were surprised at…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":24,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"yasr_overall_rating":0,"yasr_post_is_review":"","yasr_auto_insert_disabled":"","yasr_review_type":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[17],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-106058","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-flora-lynn-isaacson"},"yasr_visitor_votes":{"stars_attributes":{"read_only":true,"span_bottom":"