TUESDAYS WITH MORRIE – Written by Jeffrey Hatcher and Mitch Albom; Directed by Ray Brown. Produced by Funky Little Theatre Company (Presented in the Palmer Lake Town Hall, 42 Valley Crescent Street, Palmer Lake) through August 23. Tickets available at FunkyLittleTheater.org.
Have you ever been to Palmer Lake? I hadn’t until a recent Saturday afternoon to get Funkified. Palmer Lake is gorgeous. One of those little hidden gems that Colorado is famous for. Like Ouray or Creede. The streets are winding; each house is a different color and style, and well-kept; there are intriguing restaurants and shops. It’s a fascinating place – almost Brigadoonish. I can certainly see why they didn’t want to be Bucee–fied. Even though the highway is several miles away, it would inevitably change the whole vibe of the place.
And I finally caught up with the folks who work for and perform with the Funky Little Theatre Company. They have been bouncing around between Colorado Springs, Cripple Creek, and now Palmer Lake in search of a permanent home. Palmer Lake seems to have welcomed them with open arms; it’s also really close to Colorado Springs. So a great part of their audience is willing to make the drive to see the good work done by this good company. Actor/producer Chris Medina is the driving force behind the organization, with a whole cadre of Funky folk behind him.
TUESDAYS WITH MORRIE was a lovely production – well-acted, thoughtful in its presentation, kept simple by the director to let the script speak for itself. Mitch Albom is/was a sports journalist who studied sociology under a professor named Morrie Schwartz. They bonded at school, but then lost track of each other until Mitch read that Morrie had contracted ALS. He started visiting and was soon gently coerced into coming every Tuesday to visit Morrie. Through their conversations, the teacher continued adding to his students’ store of knowledge and humanity. Morrie’s gentle, teasing way of checking Mitch’s sometimes jaundiced view of the world cleared the way for a stronger understanding of what was important in life.
John Longo was a spritely, feisty Morrie, getting what he wanted through teasing and hiding profound knowledge inside jokes. The physicality of ALS was demonstrated quite well as he went from dancing to an office chair to an easy chair to a hospital bed. You could not help but be moved by his disintegration from smart talking, erudite teacher to a silent shell of a man. Chris Medina also did an admirable job as Mitch, the visitor. What started as a one-time visit, quick in and out “good to see you” kind of thing changed his life in ways even he could not predict. Morrie became more than a friend and mentor; more like a father figure to Mitch, shaping his future, both journalistically and personally. Their friendship rings true, authentic, and resonates with the audience.
With luck, Chris can continue to bring his magic to Palmer Lake, and we can all continue to visit them there. Besides good theatre, there’s that interesting-looking barbecue joint I want to try. OMG, I’ve been funkyfied!
A WOW factor of 8.50!!