In a word, Shooting Star is adorable!
Another word: charming!
I loved Providence Players' show which grabbed me and held me from beginning to end. It may have the same effect on you.
It's got drama, it's got romance, lots of humor, all the elements necessary for a good time at the theatre.
Andra Whitt and Rob Gorman star in the two-person show by Steven Dietz about a long "lost" couple who meet coincidentally at an airport where a snowstorm has shut them in for hours which becomes overnight. Hmmmm ....
Ms. Whitt as Elena is fantastic, expressive like her personality, while Rob Gorman as banker Reed (even with a "red" name...?) is a bit more restrained, at least until consumption takes over and he lets love flow.
(Not to worry about politics here: Popular views of the political spectrum are represented.)
These middle-aged lovers relive moments from their past when they were together. When one moves off stage to get replenishment or a drink, the other speaks in a soliloquy for he or she's got some 'splaining to do.
Long held, dark secrets come out and thoughts of what they really think about the other.
A few seconds of old classics play in the background every so often, a playlist music director John Smith includes in the program. Holding Back the Years by Red, Riders in the Storm by the Doors, and, of course, Shooting Star by Bob Dylan are some of the tunes.
Director John Coscia and Jayne L. Victor have created a realistic airport waiting area with signs for gates, seats with arm dividers to prevent stretching out, and a list showing constantly evolving departures times for Boston, Austin and beyond.
And best of all, through the big glass window is a moving jet moored in the snow just like our twosome.
The predictable ending is ... not.
For a good time, go to Shooting Star. And for more fun, study the waiting area the next time you're at an airport. You may want to don sunglasses and scout the place for a familiar face.
For if you blink, you may miss the shooting star falling into your life. How many times have we not acted?
Like Coscia says in his program note: "Enjoy your life. I hope it all works out." Now's your chance.
On the inside cover of the program, Providence Players of Fairfax devotes a full page and tribute to one of its former actors, Congressman Gerry Connolly (1950- 2025).
Other members of Shooting Star's production team are:
Janet Bartelmay, producer; Chip Gertzog, technicals, lighting, and sound; Robbie Snow, costumes, hair, and makeup; Tina Hodge Thronson, stage manager.
When: Thursday, Friday, and Saturday nights at 7:30 p.m. Sunday matinees at 2 p.m. through June 21, 2025
Where: James Lee Community Center Theater, 2855 Annandale Rd., Falls Church 22042 with plenty of free, lighted parking
Tickets start at $18. Buy online or at the box office.
Duration: 90 minutes plus a short intermission
Language: Some adult words
For more information: 703-425-6782 and news@providenceplayers.org
patricialesli@gmail.com
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