By Donald H. Harrison
LA MESA, California–A character in Linda Goodman’s The Daughters of the Appalachians comforts herself with a bit of her family’s wisdom which teaches that some people are like paper mache: very pretty on the outside, but nothing but dirty old newspaper on the inside.
Sara Jane–currently being interpreted by Michelle Burkhart in the Lamplighters Community Theatre’s staged reading of the play– went on to say that other people are more like oysters. They’re not so much to look at on the outside but they have a pearl inside.
The pearl analogy also might be made about the physical space at 5915 Severin Drive that Lamplighters Community Theatre finally is occupying after six years of searching for a new home. Hidden away in a small shopping center where Round Table Pizza is an anchor tenant, and where the red San Diego Trolley passes nearby with such frequency that it seems to punctuate the dialogue, the current make-do configuration of the theatre proves the value of Theodor Herzl’s adage, “If you will it, it’s not a dream.”
Right now two side-by-side narrow spaces have been opened up, and one side was used for seating with folding chairs, while the other side provided room for a rudimentary set. The stage is not elevated, so theatre goers had to occasionally crane their necks to see over the people in forward rows. A portable set of lights lit the stage, and when they went off, and the house lights came on, the sudden brightness made people squint and even startle.
But all this is temporary. Mark Loveless, the president and artistic director of Lamplighters, introduced Robert Honn, owner of the center, who has agreed to help the theatre company convert and soundproof that space as well as an adjoining space into a bonafide 90-seat theatre with a raised stage, box office, dressing rooms — just about everything a theatre could need.
To begin the necessary fundraising process, Daughters of the Appalachians was scheduled over three nights, with tonight (Saturday, April 27) the last night the folksy play will be read by a group of talented women using only their voices to portray six different characters who live somewhere in the Appalachians.
Those of us who were brought up with Torah’s 5th Commandment — “Honor thy father and thy mother” — might be surprised to learn that in the play’s Appalachian community, the commandment has devolved into “The Code” by which people must stand up for their families, no matter what.
To give an example of “The Code,” narrator Martha Potter (interpreted by Jane Harris) told of the time her grandpappy was accused of thieving a horse, when his brother had no choice but to shoot up the courtroom to rescue him from a certain sentence of hanging — even though he himself would end up going to the gallows.
Exactly how you acquire family is an open-question in this unorthodox community. For Jessie (Raylene J. Wall), the way to her future husband’s heart was through the “Conjure Man” who lived in a cave in the mountains, and could mix up potions. But, as her mama had once cautioned, one ought to be very careful what one wishes for.
Another character, Harlene (Fran Marsh) brought tears to more than one eye, with her story about “Dog.” No other name seemed to fit the canine that stood by Harlene’s family through thick and thin– mostly thin.
There are exceptions to the Appalachian women’s observance of “The Code,” especially when the husband has the nickname “Stinky,” and he doesn’t even remember your birthday. So Boojie (Leslie Drew) took herself to the roadhouse, later telling of meeting with “Corny ,” her star-crossed lover. The hilarious story had the audience laughing over some of her lines.
Quite different was the tale told by Nellveeda (renee levine), who is , in a word, insane. She caused the child of the family maid to drown, and thereafter found herself in a losing contest of wills with the victim’s mama. The superstitious story, involving voodoo dolls among other supernatural elements, was quite a change in mood.
Another mood change came with the Sara Jane piece, in which a self-described homely girl searched for, and found, true love, ending the production on an upbeat note.
There’s a word in Yiddish that perhaps only renee levine in the cast may be familiar with — hamish — which means “cozy” or “homey” and that is as apt a description I can think of for describing the Lamplighters experience. Following the production, cast members drew for such door prizes as $20 in Avon products, a pair of tickets to a future Lamplighters production, a big jar of peanuts, a tub of licorice, and a CD, which the donor obtained when she “went to the doctor’s office and the fellow had made that tape.”
If you want to go to tonight’s (Saturday, April 27) last performance of The Daughters of the Appalachians, call the theatre at 619-286-2685.
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Harrison is editor of San Diego Jewish World. He may be contacted at donald.harrison@sdjewishworld.com