Due to a very busy September in #TCTheater, and a long weekend at
American Players Theatre, I wasn't able to see Lakeshore Players Theatre's production of the dramedy
Come Back until closing weekend, and all the remaining performances are sold out. That's bad news for you, because it's a beautiful play about grief and loss and undying friendship, with a fantastic cast and gorgeous design in Lakeshore's intimate black box space. Written by Milwaukee-based playwright Neil Haven, it premiered a little over ten years ago and has finally made its way to the Twin Cities (
after a production at Commonweal in Lanesboro five years ago). It's funny and sad, irreverent and moving.
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| Elizabeth Dunn as Sky (photo courtesy of Lakeshore) |
The play centers on Sky (a raw and real performance by Elizabeth Dunn), whose eccentric and free-spirited best friend / soul mate Erin has just died (embodied in flashbacks by Marisa Schwab). In her will, Erin has left Sky much of her estate, but first she has to complete a task: go on a road trip planned by Erin to find the best place for her ashes to rest. Sky reluctantly complies, encouraged by her friend Mel (Lewis Youngren) who just wants her to get out of the house. The places she visits are pretty ridiculous, including businesses that will turn the ashes into jewelry, bullets, even a cake (ew). When Erin's somewhat estranged mother Val (Emily Dooley) hears of the plan, she joins Sky to try to convince her to bring the ashes back to the family plot. For these two very different women, this is not just a journey across the country, but a journey with grief.
Marci Lucht directs the play, and brings out all of the humor and pathos of the script. The seven-person cast is larger than previous productions of the play, with Lyreshia Ghostlon-Green, Stephanie Kahle, and Clara Marsh playing multiple characters, sometimes with no lines and only a few minutes on stage. This makes the world of the story come alive as Sky tells it, and gives it a playful feel.
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| photo courtesy of Lakeshore |
The design of the play is really beautiful and creates an immersive experience. The black box space at the back of Hanifl Performing Arts Center has been turned into a magical forest, a green stage surrounded by the audience on all sides, with tree branches and the trailing leaves of a willow hanging from the ceiling. Many lanterns hang from the tree branches, the lights inside them changing as the mood changes. Tree stumps hide props, and a ladder ascends to the ceiling. The evocative sound design includes story-specific songs, as well as sounds of traffic or the birds that Erin loved so much. We even hear the voice of the parrot Bruce coming from his cage, as he accompanies Sky on her journey. Characters are dressed in flattering casual chic wear, a little more boho for the eclectic Erin, with a dizzying array of costume changes for the ensemble members. (Scenic design by Justin Hooper, props design by Brandt Roberts, lighting design by Lindsay Fulton, sound design by Marcus Whitehouse, costume design by Marsh Kelly.)
Lakeshore doesn't often do plays in their black box space, but they're always great and unique choices that provide an intimate experience.
The rest of their 74th season continues in the main theater with the classic movie-turned-musical
White Christmas, the apocalyptic Simpson's play
Mr. Burns, the popular and endlessly inspiring musical
Come From Away, and the Neil Simon play
Rumors.
