The afterlife ain’t all it’s cracked up to be.
In “Miss Witherspoon,” the latest in the Toledo Repertoire Theatre’s series of “Edgy Rep” readings, a woman named Veronica takes her own life in a fit of despair. But, that turns out to be just the beginning of her problems.
“Discouraged with the inhumanity in our world, the main character has committed suicide and continually finds herself being reincarnated and sent back to Earth,” said F. Scott Regan, the show’s director. “She experiences life as a baby, a dog, a teenager and even meets Jesus, Gandalf and Rex Harrison.”
Universal questions
Written by celebrated contemporary playwright Christopher Durang, “Miss Witherspoon,” was critically lauded upon its debut in 2005, and became one of three finalists for the 2006 Pulitzer Prize for Drama.
“This play reflects on theology, philosophy and the social condition,” Regan said. “The universal question about what comes after death is played out in humorous ways. Can any of us change the awful things in the world? If we could go back in time, what would we do differently?”
The mature yet irreverent ideas in Durang’s script make it an ideal addition to Edgy Rep series, which also presented a reading of George Brant’s emotional play “The Mourner’s Room” in October.
“[A staged reading is] much like reading a novel versus watching a movie. [It’s] more of a ‘sharing with,’ rather than a ‘presenting to,’ experience,” said Regan.
A special magic
In that vein, any audience members expecting elaborate production values may be disappointed by the presentation’s set-up—a bare stage with only a few music stands to hold the actor’s scripts. But, Regan noted, this will allow viewers to focus more intently on the words of Durang, a playwright whose penchant for off-center comedy has made him a favorite of theatergoers for decades. (His recent work, “Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike,” won the Tony Award for Best Play in 2013.)
“Durang makes deeply serious questions seem entertaining and absurdly comedic, [providing] thoughtful reflection on existence. Perhaps no one does both any better,” Regan said.
Inspiring such emotions is part of what makes theater such a passion for Regan, who has devoted over 50 years of his life to the art form–including nearly a quarter-century spent teaching at Bowling Green State University and directing the Treehouse Troupe, an undergraduate theater group that toured area elementary schools.
“I think it is the immediacy of the human-to-human experience,” Regan said of his love for theater. “Actors, story and audience, hearing, interpreting, and feeling together. When it works, it’s a special magic”
8pm Friday, March 18 & Saturday, March 19. $10.
Valentine Theatre Studio A, 410 Adams St.
