TIME STANDS STILL – Written by Donald Margulies; Directed by M. Shane Grant. Produced by Coal Creek Theater of Louisville (801 Grant Street, Louisville) through November 15. Tickets available at cctlouisville.org.
This production is one of the best I’ve seen at Coal Creek – and I’ve seen a lot. While the promotional material doesn’t tell you much about the story, I found it a touching exploration of a relationship in crisis. The writing is sharp and authentic; the characters are well-drawn and well-acted; the story is both funny and moving, exploring an unusual modern romance between likable people who must face some hard truths about their life choices.
James and Sarah are a journalist and a photographer, respectively, who have found each other in a war environment and manage to carry home some of the characteristics that kept them alive in their professional setting. As Sarah recovers from her injuries incurred at her last assignment, she returns to the States to the loving care of James, her partner. But they have both changed from their mutual experiences in ways that affect how they respond to each other. Their friend and employer, Richard, while anxious for them to be able to work again, sees the toll it is taking on both of them. The fourth character is Richard’s new trophy (read very much younger) wife, Mandy. Both Richard and Mandy are delightful characters full of the joy of new life and love; an unlikely couple that you would think was only for show, but that will surprise you. Mandy especially shows a depth of caring and wisdom far beyond her years.
While Jaccie Serbus as Sarah and Terence Keane are familiar faces to Coal Creek audiences, both Mark Caswell-Yee as James and Myrrh Curie Powers as Mandy are new to this venue. All four displayed the ease and familiarity of old friends telling a story they liked to a new group of people. Both the affection and the conflict between Sarah and James were conveyed with authenticity and tension that kept the audience guessing how it would all end. Physical and emotional pain rolled off the stage as well and as easily as their caring love. Enter Terence with his big, bold laugh and presence that fills a room with smiles. His acceptance as a stereotypical “released” long-time husband, wildly infatuated with a younger, slightly dippity doo new girlfriend, was joyful and realistic. Imagine all our surprise when she turned out to be the one with the quiet solutions – the answers to their questions, the wisdom for their problems. Myrrh, in her professional debut, was absolutely perfect for this role. She was nonchalant about her body, aware of her youth in light of the others’ difficult life experiences and yet determined to hold on to her own joy in a new, promising relationship. She, along with her fellow players, was spot on.
For the usual audience members, there was a new seat arrangement that proved a little challenging, yet fitting. The seats were placed on risers at one end of the long, narrow acting space. This allowed the creation of a studio apartment in an appropriately sized configuration with minimal changes required between scenes, cleverly designed by Jaccie Serbus, the actress who then got to inhabit the space. As always, the professionally abled amateur crew at Coal Creek polished the rest of the production needs with skill: Kathleen Raushch’s costumes, Bob Boxer’s sound design, Shane Forman’s lighting, and Leigh Harkins’ props completed the picture, with everyone involved in the production pitching in on the set build and paint. This is volunteer community theatre at its best.
A Wow factor of 8.75!!