Review: PICNIC at The Wimberley Players Delivers on the Charm of Small Town Americana
By: Addison McKissack Sep. 09, 2019
When I think of PICNIC by William Inge, I think of the charming nature of classic, small town Americana, and PICNIC at the Wimberley Players delivered that charm in spades.
Following two neighboring houses, one a boarding house headed by Flo Owens with her two daughters, the beautiful Madge and the plain, yet incredibly intelligent Millie. The other house belonging to Mrs. Potts and her bedridden mother. Everything is thrown into chaos when Hal, a mysterious and suave young man, comes to visit his fraternity brother Alan, and falling in love with Alan's girlfriend Madge.
The set design by Carroll Dolezal was stunning - which is to be expected with the Wimberley Players. The meticulous attention to detail in even the smallest set decorations does so much for letting us know just who lives here and what their home life is like. The mural in the background, showing a path that winds through the Kansas plains towards the town, was one of the most beautiful pieces of background design that I have seen in years.
The cast brought a ton of heart to their characters, especially Karin Cunningham and Sarah Seaton as Mrs. Potts and Flo respectively. Both of these women brought the emotional core to the show, each giving a different form of maternal love to the show. Seaton's Flo delivered a heartbreaking monologue at the end of the show where she is begging Madge to not run after Hal and make the same decisions that she had made in her youth.
One of the best parts of the show was the dynamic between Mary Jane Windle's Rosemary, the spinster school teacher, and Dave Giminiani's charming and skeevy businessman, Howard. The two played off of each other very well and the scene that opened Act Three was both incredibly funny and heartbreaking. The overwhelming need that Rosemary had to feel loved and secure in a relationship was beautiful and a true joy to behold.
Overall, PICNIC at The Wimberley Players did justice to Inge's award winning play that elevated moments beyond what I could have ever hoped for.
PICNIC by William Inge is running at the Wimberley Players from August 30th until September 22nd. For more information and to buy tickets go to https://www.wimberleyplayers.org/single-post/2019/01/15/Picnic.
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