Review: THE PAVEMENT KINGDOM: A CLINIC ESCORT PLAY and THE BIGFOOT DIARIES

Two of St. Louis’ most creative playwriting voices premiered new plays this weekend at Greenfinch Theater and Dive Bar. Courtney Bailey is arguably the most talented playwright in St. Louis creating new works. Her new one-act play, THE PAVEMENT KINGDOM: A CLINIC ESCORT PLAY, shared a double bill with Eric Satterfield’s THE BIGFOOT DIARIES. Satterfield is an up-and-coming playwright who has a knack for writing mysterious stories with unexpected twists.

Bailey’s THE PAVEMENT KINGDOM: A CLINIC ESCORT PLAY stars Marcy Wiegert (Charon) in a hurricane like performance. Wiegert is a force of nature who gusts onto the stage like winds of a category 5 storm. Her energetic and positive Charon welcomes patients onto the Planned Parenthood parking lot with the enthusiasm of an overzealous usher welcoming churchgoers to a Christian tent revival.

Charon is a staunch pro-choice volunteer with an affable personality. Her charm flows from her sense of humor. She establishes palpable connections with the audience and the unseen characters in Bailey’s script.

Wiegert and director Rachel Tibbetts bring Charon off the page with appealing aplomb. Wiegert and Tibbett’s cunning collaboration births Bailey’s multifaceted character who masks real emotions with drollery that she calls “bits.”  Her dauntless portrayal magnificently captures Charon’s passions, pains, and challenges.

Bailey’s witty new play is a complex character study that takes on dramatic themes and contentious topics while disarming the audience with laughs from an endearing protagonist. THE PAVEMENT KINGDOM: A CLINC ESCORT PLAY is a marvelously written monologue that engenders empathy by examining the complicacies of choice.

Eric Satterfield’s THE BIGFOOT DIARIES, directed by e.k. doolin, leans into the fascination and lure of the mythical beast. THE BIGFOOT DIARIES is set in the fictional town of Cedar Creek that hosts an annual bigfoot festival. Souvenir Store owner, Marty, has an unusual fascination with the mythical icon. The annual festival drives people to his town and his tchotchke shop in hopes of a Sasquatch sighting.

THE BIGFOOT DIARIES opens with the neurotic Marty, clearly disturbed by the events of the previous night, rushing into his apartment in a blood-stained T-shirt. The shaken and nervous Mary clearly has a secret to hide. A teenager, Daniel, was seriously injured in a beastly attack is now in a coma in the local hospital. Sherriff Ruby Lee is investigating the attack, and Marty quickly becomes the central focus of the investigation. But all is not as it seems in Satterfield’s twisty story. It seems Bigfoot isn’t the only mystery in the small town.

PHOTO CREDIT: David Nonemaker

doolin’s well-paced direction, coupled with Satterfield’s occult projections, tell the mystical tale from a reporter’s perspective. Satterfield’s eccentric characters are brought to life through quirky performances from doolin’s cast of six. Xander Huber (Marty), Moira Healy (Cassie), Irene Cornett (Harper), Nikki Pilato (Ruby Lee), Zach Pierson (Daniel), and David Nonemaker (Deputy Riggins) each inhabit their peculiar characters with fun, offbeat portrayals.

THE BIGFOOT DIARIES is a lengthy 90-minutes. It is a one act full length play. doolin’s brisk storytelling keeps the play moving to deliver a mostly satisfying story.

There are opportunities for edits to truncate the script, create greater conflict between the protagonist and antagonist, and strengthen the conclusion. But anyone who is even remotely fascinated by the legend of Bigfoot will find Satterfield’s play an entertaining diversion.

THE PAVEMENT KINGDOM: A CLINIC ESCORT PLAY and THE BIGFOOT DIARIES are being presented by Chorus of Fools through February 2, 2025, in a sold-out run at Greenfinch Theater and Dive Bar. More information can be found at chorusoffools.org.

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