By Jarice Hanson
For the Valley Advocate
If we’ve learned anything since the Inauguration of the current President, it’s that chaos can make you feel hopeless and helpless. But in such trying times, theater and the ability to join together for a common goal can be empowering and comforting. As the 2025 theater season begins there have been recent opportunities to once again feel connected to community, to the arts, and to each other.
Hartford Stage brings August Wilson’s work to the contemporary world
T. Charles Erickson
From left: Jerome Preston Bates, Godfrey L. Simmons, Jr., and Taji Senior in “Two Trains Running” at Hartford Stage.
‘Two Trains Running” at Hartford Stage, which ran from Jan. 23 to Feb. 16, was an extraordinary production that filled the souls of audiences with hope, and belief that miracles can happen. Directed by Gilbert McCauley with sensitivity and a nod to our need to find joy, this production delivered one of the tightest, most convincing ensembles on stage in some time. McCauley, a professor of theater at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, is an accomplished interpreter of the work of August Wilson, one of our nation’s greatest playwrights, and has amassed some outstanding directing credentials in theaters across the country.
The story of “Two Trains Running” is set in 1969, as the Black community was reeling from a loss of civil rights leaders while still hoping for the promise of a better tomorrow. According to the playbill, Wilson himself said the “two trains” represented life and death, but from a contemporary standpoint, I see the title as suggesting there are different paths, and how the choices we make determine our destiny.
Every character in this production was likable — and the bond between the characters on the stage and the audience was palpable. As a slice of life — this production may be even more salient today than it was when originally staged on Broadway in 1992, at which time it was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize.
The cast was led by Godfrey L. Simmons, Jr., who some audience members might remember as one of the lead characters in Silverthorne Theater’s excellent production of “Bulrusher” last summer. As Memphis, the owner of a failing restaurant in the Hill District of Pittsburgh, Simmons registers optimism despite the economic downturn of the community.
Jerome Preston Bates as Holloway, with a velvet voice reminding us of the past, present and future possibility, served as the “wise man” of the regular diners. He delivered some of Wilson’s most poetic lines and infused his character with warmth and gravitas. David Jennings as Hambone, a mentally challenged character, refused to give up on a promise that once was made to him. Rafael Jordan as Sterling, the smooth-talking opportunist, would be easy to dislike but was played sincerely and honesty, winning over the audience and the other characters. Postell Pringle as Wolf, the two-bit numbers runner, was smooth and unflappable, and entirely believable. And Jeorge Bennett Watson as West, the wealthy neighborhood undertaker, was the counterpoint to the characters all struggling to get by. His solid, stoic performance was masterful.
The one woman in the show who represented all women, everywhere, was played by Taji Senior. As Risa, the put-upon waitress who quietly took care of everybody and everything, Senior demonstrated poise, perfect timing, and a heart-breakingly beautiful characterization of a woman who has seen too much and who needs to protect herself while remaining vulnerable.
And while the cast wove the spell upon the audience, the set, designed by Lawrence E. Moten III, was stunningly simple, yet totally believable, allowing the audience to feel that they were in the restaurant too.
“Two Trains Running” blended the issues and ideology of the late 1960s in such a way that showed happy endings can be achieved, no matter how hopeless we sometimes feel. The show was a gift to the audience (like many of August Wilson’s plays) and those who were able to immerse themselves in the story may have come away a little more hopeful about the future.
Serious Play Ensemble’s gift to the community
‘In the Dark Times There Will Be Singing” was a community-based effort of the Serious Play Theatre Ensemble that had two performances, Feb. 1 and 2, but involved a number of poets, writers, singers, musicians, and speakers who each offered their perspectives — often told through personal experience, to show that even when things look bleak, there is always a path for resistance and resilience.
Photo by Jarice Hanson
The a cappella group Green Street Brew at Serious Play Ensemble’s “In the Dark Times There Will Be Singing.”
The cast list included 26 performers/speakers who participated in one or both of the performances. The popular a cappella group, Green Street Brew, brought 13 singers to the opening night’s performance, thereby making a full list of all of the participants impractical to identify with such limited space. Serious Play took a risk with this type of unrehearsed performance production, but true to its mission, it reminds us that the Northampton community is one with a history of getting through challenging times.
Compelling first-person accounts by many of the participants offered real examples of acts of resistance that have saved lives and helped people deal with trauma. Some speakers had specific stories of hope and survival, but all focused on the need for community and for people to keep working together in difficult times. The message was abundantly clear — that when you band together with like-minded people, there is an outpouring of hope and agency.
The intimate A.P.E. Gallery, centrally located on Main Street, was an excellent venue for this performance project, and while both days were bitterly cold outside, the life-affirming nature of the gathering showed once again, how speaking up and taking a stand can move us toward hope and connection.
Photo by Jarice Hanson
Singer, musician and poet Deja Carr performing at Serious Play Ensemble’s “In the Dark Times There Will Be Singing.”
Barrington Stage Company announces summer season
As the cold weather (eventually) subsides and we look forward to new beginnings, Barrington Stage Company has been the first regional theater to announce their 2025 season — and a fascinating one it is.
On the Boyd-Quinson Main Stage, Broadway actor and film star John Rubinstein will be portraying our 34th President in “Eisenhower: This Piece of Ground.” This will be the New Los Angeles Repertory Company production of the show originally staged in 2023, and will have a relatively short run, June 3 to 8, so tickets will be in great demand.
One of the most romantic musicals of all time, “Camelot,” will be on the mainstage next, with all of the pageantry and drama to take your mind off of whatever may be going on in the real world — and since it will be directed by Alan Paul, I’m sure it will be a fresh, original interpretation of this Lerner and Lowe classic. “Camelot” will run from June 25 to July 19.
Another regional premiere will be next in line with “Joan,” a comedy about Joan Rivers that BroadwayWorld has called “a bit of nostalgic hilarity in its portrayal of one particular real life, unabashedly brazen woman.” “Joan” will run from July 31 to Aug. 17.
On the intimate St. Germain Stage, a regional premiere of “N/A” running June 25 to July 20 will focus on the “relationship between the youngest woman elected to Congress, and its first female Speaker of the House.” Even though the specific names of those two women are not mentioned in the preview material, it doesn’t take much to image who they are, and personally, I can’t wait to see the portrayals.
The World Premiere of the musical “fuzzy” will run from July 8 to July 27. It’s described as a “little musical about all the big things — how we take care of each other and, in doing so, take care of ourselves, even if you are just a little fuzzy puppet.”
The friendship-inspired “King James,” currently running at TheaterWorks, Hartford, will run from Aug. 12 to 31, and the reference to the King in the title is to LeBron James. In this light-hearted comedy in four parts (four quarters) two men bond over a sports celebrity, but the show deals more about the importance of trusting a friend and bonding despite interpersonal differences.
Finally, the World Premiere of “The Yom Kippur Play” will be presented from Sept. 16 to Oct. 12. Running throughout the Yom Kippur celebration, it will be an excellent time to look at what it means to be Jewish in today’s world.
As the Barrington Stage Company roster of productions indicates, themes for this year are unity and difference. As you approach the upcoming theater season, please think about what acts of resistance and rebellion can be found as close as the nearest theater, and take the opportunity to be with others, immerse yourself in new thoughts and challenging alternatives, and support the arts in your community and in your region. It’s important, because as you know, Theater Matters.
