[NoHo Arts District, CA] – A NoHo Arts theatre review of The Group Rep’s MOTEL 66, a collection of eight world-premiere one-act plays celebrating the 100th anniversary of Route 66 with stories of love, loss and unexpected connections.
This wonderfully curated collection takes us on a sweeping, cross-country trek from the heart of America straight to the Pacific, mapping the landscape of the human soul at various stops along the iconic “Mother Road.”
The Group Rep has once again struck creative gold in their upstairs theatre with MOTEL 66, a gorgeous, high-octane evening of eight world-premiere one-act plays celebrating the 100th Anniversary of Route 66.
What makes Motel 66 so utterly magical is its premise. Each vignette takes place in a different city along the route, capturing those transient, crossroads moments where people are searching, transitioning, or desperately looking back.
We arrive at the desert edge in Amboy, California, with Lee Redmond’s Amboy, directed by Kathryn Johnson Schwartz. Two older women, Woof (Lareen Faye) and Purl (Cynthia Payo), are packing up their motel to finally retire. But when an unexpected customer arrives, their retirement plans take a slight, beautifully written detour. The chemistry here is magnificent, leaving the audience on a high note.
We then cross into Eaton, California, with Fox Carney’s Ash Fault Highway, directed by Carmen Maria Milito. Christine Conte and Marc Antonio Pritchett play a middle-aged couple drowning in catastrophic loss. Their painful struggle to restore faith in one another is beautifully illuminated by a sage motel manager, played with quiet, grounding brilliance by Judy Rosenfeld.
We are now in Gardner, Illinois with Julie Davis’s Cover Story. Directed with a deft hand by Lisa McGee-Mann. It’s a sharp, poignant look at two vastly different individuals (played with wonderful friction by Amy Jean Shaughnessy and Steven Young) who somehow find a shared language, even if the ground beneath them remains entirely unstable.
The tone shifts brilliantly with Troy Whitaker’s Employee Training Program: Your First Day on the Job, directed by James Castle Stevens and set in Needles, California. Jackson LaFleur plays a wide-eyed new hire undergoing an orientation via an old-school training video, led by a disembodied voice (Mimi Kmet). What starts as a sunny corporate procedural quickly devolves into something deliciously surreal and unhinged.
Shifting into Moriarty, New Mexico, is Finding, written by Steve Rozic, directed by Helen O’Brien. This poolside encounter between an older man (Lloyd Pedersen) and a young woman (Anastasia Little) is a masterclass in subtlety and unexpected connection, humming with a gentle, hypnotic pacing.
Next, we pull into Cuba, Missouri, for Bill Fitzhugh’s delightfully enigmatic Mr. Humphrey’s Package, directed by Marc Antonio Pritchett. Three wary strangers (Stephanie Colet, Steve Rozic and Gerard Marzilli) gather to bid on a mysterious package, only to have their reality completely upended when an independent film producer (Mimi Kmet) arrives with a camera. This play is twisty, funny and very, very clever.
We stay in New Mexico for Denise Downer’s Road Trippin’, directed by Linda Alznauer. Deniz Boysan and Anica Petrovic star as siblings Maya and Liam, just one stop away from completing a road trip in honor of their late father. When one wants to turn back, it sparks a deeply moving, beautifully balanced exploration of the heavy dreams we leave behind.
Finally, we find ourselves in Arizona, where Doug Haverty brings us the truly brilliant She Slipped Me Her Room Key, directed by Casey Alcoser. Two widowed high school friends (the absolutely charming Lon Juber and Judy Nazemetz) return to Flagstaff for a major reunion. It’s an idealistic, romantic, and beautifully funny look at second chances, asking if an old foursome can successfully downsize to a duo.
It’s a treat to see this year after year and watch the company’s talents grow, and the actors meet every challenge. Everyone was wonderful, funny, heartfelt and beautifully real.
Support our local theatres, especially the gem that is The Group Rep!!!
Tickets:
https://thegrouprep.com/show/motel-66-2026/
When:
October 17-November 22
Saturday matinees at 4pm and Sundays at 7pm
Where:
The Group Rep
10900 Burbank Blvd, NoHo Arts District, CA 91601
The Creative Team
The Production Team includes Helen O’Brien (Managing Director), Nick Foran (Lighting & Sound Design), Julie Davis (Assistant Managing Director), John Ledley (Production Technician), Denise Downer (Marketing), Nora Feldman (Public Relations), Doug Haverty (Graphic Design), Kristin Stancato (Webmaster & Online Marketing), Doug Engalla (Photography & Promotional Video), Hartley Powers (Social Media), Sam Logan (Stage Manager), and is produced by James Castle Stevens for the Group Rep.