Written by Judith Leora. Directed by Maria Gobetti. Produced by Maria Gobetti and Tom Ormenyi.
Judith Leora, the rather brilliant playwright of the Victory Theatre’s recent production of “Show Pony” has bought her new play “Elijah” back to the wonderful production team of Tom and Maria.
Maria also directs this compelling drama, set in a TGIFridays in the middle of a small town during hurricane Elijah.
A group of travelers are forced off the highway and gather in the only place they can find open. The owner of the restaurant had only come by to check it was still standing, but the flood of people looking for shelter made her open her doors and struggle to feed them all with one cook and her young, inexperienced niece as the only waitress.
It’s chaotic of course and as the lights flicker on and off and the storm rages on the story focuses in on one particular group, sat in the back of the dining room, a young couple on an impromptu vacation, women and a man who arrived separately.
It becomes clear fairly quickly that their stories are as complicated as the hurricane. The town is home to a large prison and the man and women are there, with wildly different reasons, for the execution scheduled for that very night. One a protester and one a supporter. I’ll let you discover which is which.
The young couple picked an unusual place for a break, there is nothing in this tiny town but the prison and the people who work there. But the girl has her reasons, and soon enough the boy figures them out.
This play is all about the fragility of human nature.
How we can be so sure of what we believe and be suddenly just as unsure? Storms will always rage and people too, but we all have our secrets and we all have our million reasons why and in the end what is any of that worth.
The play is exquisitely produced. The staging and set design are phenomenal, but then plays at The Victory always are – such amazing attention to detail, always perfect and subtle and exactly what the play deserves, an anchoring to a place that is so familiar to us all, for a story that I can promise you is absolutely not.
“Elijah” is a wonderful play beautifully performed by gifted actors.
I believed all of them and felt as if I had spent a couple of hours riding out the storm beside them in that drafty TGIFriday’s. Bravo yet again to The Victory Theatre Centre! I highly recommend “Elijah.”
Tickets and Showtimes
Running November 1 through December 15, Friday & Saturday at 8pm, Sunday at 4pm
The Victory Theatre Centre, 3326 W. Victory Blvd., Burbank, 91505
https://www.thevictorytheatrecenter.org
Starring: Molly Gray, Jordan Wall, Jesse Merrill, Elle Vernee, Kathleen Bailey and MacKenzie Rickaby.