Honey, I shrunk the Joads!
The Promised Land isn’t all milk and honey. That’s one big takeaway from John Steinbeck’s Great Depression-era novel, The Grapes of Wrath. GOW tells the hard luck story of the Joad family, who pack up and head for the West coast after losing their drought-stricken farm to the bank. This week Germantown Community Theater is opening a kids-only production of the American classic. That’s right, kids-only.
Last year GCT responded to an apparent need. Between school productions, children’s theater, regional theater extravaganzas like Theatre Memphis’ Oliver, there are many opportunities for young people to perform in musicals. But how often do they get a chance to dig into something serious and meaty?
Is Orpheus there? Can he come down?
The GCT All Children’s Theatre launched last year with a production of the Scopes monkey trial drama Inherit the Wind. Grapes of Wrath is its second dramatic installment.
And speaking of Grapes of Wrath, expat Memphis playwright Jerre Dye has been received outstanding notices for his performance in a Chicago production. Check it out.
The new Cloud 9 theater company got off to a shaky start with its production of the a the forgettable play Marriage to an Older Woman. For its sophomore production the group has chosen to keep things relatively obscure, but with a much better script. The Outgoing Tide, by Bruce Graham tells the story of Gunner, a man who recognizes that he’s slipping into dementia, but has a plan to insure his family’s security. Gallows humor meets heady emotion in a show featuring the extraordinary talents of JoLynne Palmer, Jim Palmer, and Marques Brown.
ONGOING
The Wiz closes at Hattiloo this week, as does Orpheus Descending at Evergreen and Peter and the Starcatcher at Circuit Playhouse.
Sister Act begins its second week at Playhouse on the Square and Theatre Memphis‘ critically acclaimed and popular production of Oliver! continues at Theatre Memphis through July 3.
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God is Love. Gruel is yucky.
