Review: CATF 20th CENTURY BLUES is a Comedic and Poignant Crowd Pleaser

A show about older women celebrating and commiserating aging has been done countless times in entertainment, from Steel Magnolias on stage to The Golden Girls on television. However, 20th Century Blues, a world premiere play at the Contemporary American Theater Festival written by Susan Miller and directed by Ed Herendeen, breaks the mold when it comes to the female ensemble dramedy.

A familiar formula sets up the plot: four women reunite once a year for a reunion, to reminisce and share the latest news. However, the women all met in prison and every year they have met, the photographer in the group, Danny, has taken their picture. This year at the reunion, she drops the bombshell that she intends to display all forty years worth of photographs in an exhibit and needs her friends' permission to display the private sentimental photos for all the world to see. With poignant, but still laugh-out-social commentary on the process of aging in America, razor sharp one-liners and thought-provoking questions about older generations adjusting to the younger world, 20th Century Blues takes a tried and true comedic premise and adds a uniquely modern twist.

Betsy Aidem fearlessly leads the female ensemble piece as photographer, Danny. Her self confidence and awkward self awareness sweetly shine through, as she once again hosts the reunion and is caught between caring for her elderly mother and grown son. Aidem is both adorably sweet and scarily strong at times. Her introduction to the audience at the top of the show was outstanding and perfectly set the tone for the rest of the performance.

As a chic and seemingly cold real estate broker, Alexandra Neil makes the most impressive character transformation as Sil. Her character choices and physical changes throughout the show were quite impressive and some of her tense moments with Aidem were powerful moments in the comedy.

Franchelle Stewart Dorn has a captivating and commanding stage presence as Mac, an old school journalist resigned to the fact she doesn't want to adjust to the virtual world of modern media. Her husky, sultry voice and easygoing manner commanded attention, especially in the more intimate scenes with Aidem or Neil.

The standout of the ensemble piece is Kathryn Grody as Gabby. As a free-spirited and adorably quirky veterinarian, Grody livens up all of the ensemble scenes with her wild antics, similar to the adorably ditzy Rose Nylund character's one-liners on The Golden Girls.

The dynamic between the four women onstage for the majority of the show was outstanding and displayed some excellent direction from Herendeen. Though the pace slows noticeably in Act II, the contrast displayed in the small ensemble was phenomenal. The noticeable trend that each character uses a starkly different type of humor and comedic style reveals some excellent writing from Miller.

Mary Suib is fantastic as Danny's devastatingly fragile and frail elderly mother, Bess. Her brief scenes were a delight and some of the most poignant moments of the show. Returning CATF actor Jason Babinsky is very sincere and strong in a very small role as Danny's grown son, Simon. His sweet, earnest energy added a wonderful layer of chemistry to the female ensemble show.

The set, designed by David M. Barber, is a particularly impressive technical element in the production. Giant projection screens double as both fascinatingly deep visual backdrops and methods to display Aidem's character's photographs throughout the show. The onstage apartment was designed extremely well, with exceptional depth to add enough dimension and space so that the staging in the small ensemble show never became stale.

20th Century Blues continues to run as one of the five plays in rotating repertory at the Contemporary American Theater Festival. 20th Century Blues performances occur in the Frank Center Theater on the campus of Shepherd University in Shepherdstown, WV. The final performance occurs July 31 at 2:30 PM. For more information about the show schedule, the 2016 season or to order tickets, please visit www.catf.org.

Photo Credit: CATF Media Gallery

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