The 1938 Mercury Theatre broadcast of H.G. Well’s classic sci-fi thriller, The War of the Worlds, will be recreated tonight and Saturday night, (Oct. 31-Nov. 1), at 8 p.m.  in “the other space” at the Roxy Regional Theatre. Admission is $10.

Pop Watch Blog says:

“Seventy years ago today (Oct 30, 1938), a 21-year-old Orson Welles, along with his Mercury Theater players, gathered at New York City’s CBS studios to perform a one-hour radio play—an adaptation of H.G. Wells’ War of the Worlds. Panic would ensue—though much of it was probably blown a wee bit out of proportion by newspapermen unhappy with radio’s increasing dominance—and mass media would never be the same. It’s easy to say that we were a younger, more naive society in 1938 and it was cake for Welles to convince six million listeners than Martians really were invading Earth, starting with Grover’s Mill, NJ.”

The first two thirds of the 60-minute broadcast was presented as a series of simulated news bulletins, which suggested to many listeners that an actual Martian invasion was in progress. Compounding the issue was the fact that the Mercury Theatre on the Air was a ’sustaining show’ (i.e., it ran without commercial breaks), thus adding to the dramatic effect. Although there were sensationalist accounts in the press about a supposed panic, careful research has shown that while thousands were frightened, there is no evidence that people fled their homes or otherwise took action. The news-bulletin format was decried as cruelly deceptive by some newspapers and public figures, leading to an outcry against the perpetrators of the broadcast, but the episode launched Welles to fame.

This broadcast of The War of the Worlds was an episode of the American radio drama anthology series Mercury Theatre on the Air and was performed as a Halloween episode of the series on October 30, 1938, airing over the Columbia Broadcasting System radio network. Directed and narrated by Orson Welles, the episode was an adaptation of H. G. Wells’ novel The War of the Worlds.

For more information, call the Roxy Theatre box office at 931.645.7699.

Agamemnon, the great warrior general, leads the Greek army to war in Troy.  On their journey, they arrive at the island of Aulis to rest and prepare for the battle.  However, the wind ceases to blow, paralyzing their ships and trapping them on the island.  The goddess Artemis, angered by the Greeks’ lack of respect, has punished the entire army and demands from Agamemnon a sacrifice – his daughter, Iphigeneia.  Now Agamemnon must decide between his love for his family and his duty to his country, while his wife, Klytaemnestra, must battle for the life of her daughter.  Caught between these two powerful forces stands the innocent, good-hearted Iphigeneia – a young girl faced with making the ultimate sacrifice for the greater good of her people.

Though written in the 5th century BC, this classic tragedy still stands today as a striking parable of the difficult and painful price paid by heroes in a time of war.

For ticket information and directions, call the box office at 931-221-7379 from 3-5 p.m., Monday through Friday. Reserved tickets must be picked up no later than 7:15 the night of the performance.

The Roxy Regional Theatre’s 26th Season will enrich all the senses!

Although the 2008-09 season opens September 19, the annual gala is slated from September 20. The first play to hit the stage: The Robber Bridegroom, book and Lyrics by Alfred Uhry, music by Robert Waldman, adapted from the novella by Eudora Welty.

One of the only genuine bluegrass scores ever heard in a Broadway musical, this unusual tale of the Natchez Trace has a distinctive sound all its own. The Robber Bridegroom is the story of the courting of Rosamund, the only daughter of the richest planter in the country, by Jamie Lockhart, a rascally robber of the woods. The proceedings go awry, thanks to an unconventional case of double-mistaken identity. Throw in an evil stepmother intent on Rosamund’s demise, her pea-brained henchman and a hostile talking head-in-a-trunk, and you have the recipe for a rollicking country romp. Play dates are September 19, through October11.Then, for one week only, the Roxy presents The Last Five Years, words and music by Jason Robert Brown. It’s a contemporary song-cycle musical that ingeniously chronicles the five year life of a marriage, from meeting to break-up… or from break-up to meeting, depending on how you look at it. The Last Five Years is an intensely personal look at the relationship between a writer and an actress told from both points of view. The Last Five Years manages to reinvent the familiar musical formula and offers up one of the brightest, freshest scores of the new century. Roxy fans have one only to see The Last Five Years, which will be staged October 15-18.

The C.S. Lewis classic, 2pm October, The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe, dramatized by le Clanche de Rand, is the heroic tale of love, faith, courage and giving: the life and death struggle for control of Narnia and the grandeur of the triumph of good over evil has enthralled audiences of all ages. This innovative treatment features two actors and is available for touring to all groups. It runs October 4 and 11.

Arthur Miller’s The Crucible continues the season. A compelling drama of paranoia and superstition, The Crucible is set in 1692, in a small American town, a group of mischievous girls are caught dancing in the woods, while conjuring spirits. To escape punishment they accuse others of witchcraft. Husbands, wives, sons, daughters, neighbors and friends are forced to sentence the accused or risk being accused themselves. This magnificent work continues to resonate and is as relevant today as when it was first produced. The show runs October 25 through November 15.

On October 31, at 6 p.m., it’s a halloween mixes of sci-fi horror and history in the recreation of H.G. Wells classic radio play, The War of the Worlds, in its “Other Place” theater, upstairs at the Roxy. An example of mass hysteria, this staged reading of the infamous Mercury Theatre 1938 radio broadcast is one of the earliest and best-known depictions of an alien invasion of Earth and caused public outcry as many listeners believed that an actual Martian invasion was in progress.

An older classic emerges in time for the holidays; an adaptation for the stage by Artistic Director John McDonald of the Charles Dickens favorite, A Christmas Carol. This rollicking holiday morsel will sweeten your taste buds and warm even the hardest of hearts. Ebenezer Scrooge meets the spirits of Christmas while rediscovering its true meaning. A Christmas Carol runs November 28 through December 20.

In January, 2009, Eve Ensler’s The Vagina Monologues makes it annual appearance in The Other Space. Spread the word! They’re back for the seventh year! This touching, often hilarious series of monologues about women and performed by women has played to packed houses around the country. It runs January 9-31.

A midwinter delight for children of all ages is the Roxy rendition of Pinnochio, adapted by John McDonald from the story by Carlo Collodi. Geppetto carves a puppet named Pinocchio! However, he must earn the right to be a real boy by proving that he is brave, truthful, and unselfish. Joining the Cat and the Fox on a hilarious journey, learning life lessons along the way, he risks his own life to save Geppetto, who has been swallowed by a whale! Three matinees performances, Janury 17, 24, 31.

Music returns with Altar Boyz, book by Kevin Del Aguila, music and lyrics by Gary Adler and Michael Patrick Walker. Altar Boyz is a foot-stomping, rafter-raising, musical comedy about a fictitious Christian boy-band on the last night of their national “Raise the Praise” tour. The Boyz are five all-singing, all-dancing heartthrobs from Ohio: Matthew, Mark, Luke, Juan and Abraham. As they perform their signature hits such as “Rhythm In Me,” “The Calling,” and “I Believe,” the Boyz question their loyalty to each other and ask whether or not faith is really holding them together. They finally deliver a message of unity, that “there is no star as bright as its constellation, no harmony in a single voice.” This production runs February 6 -28.

Drama steps on stage in March in the form of William Shakespeare’s classic, MacBeth. An anatomy of the relationship between ambition and corruption, Macbeth is one of Shakespeare’s most bloody and fear-filled tragedies. Often regarded as archetypal, the play tells of the dangers of the lust for power and the betrayal of friends. Based loosely on the historical account of King Macbeth of Scotland many superstitions are centered on the belief the play is “cursed”, referring to it instead as “The Scottish play”. The show runs March 6-14.

The world premiere of All Quiet On The Western Front, adapted for the stage by John McDonald from the novel by Erich Maria Remarque, gives us the story of a young soldier facing profound disillusionment in the soul-destroying horror of World War I. First published in German in 1929, it sold 2.5 million copies in twenty-five languages in its first eighteen months in print. In 1930 the book was turned into an Oscar-winning movie of the same name. Now in these uncertain times of war All Quiet on the Western Front will speak to a new generation from the stage. This show plays from March 20-28.

Andrew Lloyd Webber’s hit musical, CATS, based on Old Possum’s Book Of Practical Cats and the poetry of T.S. Elliot, tells the story, in song and dance, of the annual gathering of Jellicle cats at which time one special cat is selected to ascend to the Heaviside layer. A true musical theatre phenomenon, featuring the classic “Memory,” CATS opened in London on May 11, 1981 and ran for a record-setting 21 years and was nearly matched on Broadway where it ran for just over 18 years.This musical runs April 10 through May 2.

The second children’s production, Honk!, based on the Ugly Duckling by George Stiles and Anthony Drewe, is the story of Ugly, whose odd, gawky looks instantly incite prejudice from his family and neighbors. Separated from the farm and pursued by a hungry Cat, Ugly must find his way home. Along his rollicking and harrowing journey he not only discovers his true beauty and glorious destiny, but also finds love and acceptance in all its forms. Witty and hilarious, but also deeply moving, Honk!(s) charm, humor and message of tolerance is perfect for a family audience … and every audience. This one runs May 9,16,23.

Disney’s Cinderella Jr. blends timeless fairy tale with the magic of Disney in this adaptation of the treasured animated film. Poor Cinderella is endlessly mistreated by her wicked stepmother and stepsisters, and denied a chance to go to the Royal Ball. With a little help from her mice friends, and a lot of help from her Fairy Godmother, Cinderella goes to the ball, meets the Prince, and falls in love! With a beautiful score including “A Dream Is a Wish Your Heart Makes” and the classic “Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Boo,” this musical will charm its way into your heart, and remind you that dreams really can come true. this production is presented by The Roxy Regional School of the Arts. Book adapted by Marcy Heisler; lyrics by Al Hoffman, Jerry Livingston and Mack David; music adapted and arranged by Bryan Louiselle; music by Al Hoffman, Jerry Livingston and Mack David. The fairy tales plays May 26 through June 13.

The Andrews Brothers, a new play by Roger Bean Mistaken identities, madcap comedy and the greatest music of the 1940’s fill this hilarious new musical. Three soldiers find themselves giving the performance of a lifetime when a certain singing trio of siblings fail to arrive at the USO gig. “Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy”, ”Slow Boat to China”, “Shoo Shoo Boy”, “Stuff Like That There”, and “Don’t Sit Under the Apple Tree” are but a few of the favorites in this valentine to the heroes of World War II. It runs June 12-27.

Walt Disney’s Mulan, Jr., travel back to the legendary, story-telling days of ancient China with this action-packed stage adaptation of Disney’s Mulan. The Huns have invaded, and it is up to the misfit Mulan and her mischievous sidekick Mushu to save the Emperor! Including favorites like “Reflection,” “Honor to Us All,” “I’ll Make a Man Out of You” as well as new songs that will get your audience up on its feet, Mulan JR. is a heartwarming celebration of culture, honor and a fighting spirit. (Presented by The Roxy School of the Arts) It runs June 19-July 3. Based on the 1998 Disney film MULAN and the story FA MULAN by Robert D. San Souci.

Once again the Roxy will end its season with a blockbuster musical, RENT!. Jonathan Larson’s rock musical is the joyous, breathtaking and inspiring story of a group of New York City East Village artists struggling to find their voices and find love in today’s tough times. Based on Giacomo Puccini’s classic 1896 opera, La Boheme, Rent broaches controversial themes like homelessness, AIDS and drug addiction with compassion, and thrills audiences of all ages with its moving tale of hopes and dreams. The show runs July 10 through August 22. RENT! Book, music and lyrics by Jonathan Larson.

For ticket information and reservations, call the Roxy box office at 931-645-7699 or visit the box office on Franklin Street from 9-12 a.m.  Musicals are $20.00 adults, $15.00 13 and under. Plays are $15.00 adults, $10.00 13 and under. Jr. Musicals  and Other Space tickets are $10.

Bradley Vile from the Roxy Regional Theatre has written and is currently directing a one-act piece entitled Fostered Ideal, which will be presented in theotherspace on August 15-16 at 6 p.m.

The play concerns the Foster family and their perpetual struggle to maintain the ideal family image throughout the last five decades. They ravenously defend their obligatory family relationships despite their total lack of communication or recognition of love.

The play features (pictured at left) Bryan Davis as the Son, Harmony Livingston as the Mom, Brendan Cataldo as the Dad, and Beth Koperwhats as the Daughter.

theotherspace at the Roxy is a smaller theater dedicated to presenting alternative plays and staged readings of new anddeveloping oworks, and has hosted some superior works in development .

Morrie (Jay Doolittle at left) with Mitch (Joe Sonenshein) in the Roxy Regional theatre production of Mitch Albom’s Tuesdays with Morrie.

Doolittle as the aged professor Morrie Schwartz and Sonenshein as student/author Mitch Albom loom larger than life even as they navigate the simplest truths of living, dying and what it means to love. The play is based on real-life Albom’s memoir of the same title. This is adaptation of another medium at its finest and our actors capitalize on that.

At first view, the stage is fairly barren: a piano and stool, a wingback chair and side table. A tree in autumn radiance. That’s it for the set as the play opens with flashbacks of the college relationship between the men: teacher and student. The graduation pledge to “stay in touch” — like many such promises — vanishes as quickly as it was made, lost in the mindless priorities of a working life and a life spent working. Only when Morrie, diagnosed with Lou Gherig’s Disease, is interviewed on national television do the intervening sixteen years fade to black. Joe visits his old friend, tumbling into a pattern of Tuesday visits that become a last classroom.

As Joe confronts his own life, as Morrie moves ever closer to death, time is measured by medical need: first a walker, then a wheelchair, and finally, in the last moments, the deathbed. Along the way are conversations, wit and simple wisdoms, one-liners that lace the building sorrow with bright notes of laughter. The set seems almost irrelevant as the faces, the emotions of the characters emerge; their faces, their movements large and small, dominate the stage. Morrie becomes that “someone” in everyone’s life who has been lost. Morrie is that final goodbye.

What is most impressive is Doolittle’s absolute mastery of the character. Not just the dialogue, but manner and movement, the nuance of facial expression, even the lack of movement while huddled in the wheelchair or the bed, was perfection. This is by orders of magnitude veteran actor Doolittle’s finest performance. When Morrie wept, the audience wept with him.

We remain equally fascinated by the transitions within Joe. Sonenshein as Joe is the perfect counterpoint, evolving from the me-centered Type A through an almost feminine nurturing of his old friend, the kind of feelings and commitments many men are afraid to make, or at least, to make public. This entity called Tuesdays with Morrie is sheer, raw power delivered from one small stage.

Anyone who has been ill, or who has dealt with progressive, debilitating illness and death knows the nuance all too well. It is too familiar, and no matter what span of time has passed, the experience comes racing back to our consciousness. In the first of several heart-wrenching scenes, Morrie tries to taste his favorite egg salad, a fumbling frustrated effort in which weakened hands can barely hold the fork, much less dig into the container and actually eat. A single tiny taste defeats him, and Morrie asks Joe to put it in the refrigerator for later. And much later, Joe finds the fridge full of uneaten containers of his professors favorites.

That’s when the first sniffles echoed through the audience. That’s when the first jolt of memory hit many viewers. As the play moves forward in a passage of time, Morrie weakens, and Joe begins to reassess what his own life is all about. It’s obvious that they have hit the right mark when the men in the audience are sniffling and reaching for Kleenex. This production quickly became one of the few times in my decades-long career as a critic that I have watched so many men whipping out a handkerchief to wipe away tears. Bridges of Madison County, Iris and Field of Dreams — both films –were the other three memorable stories that made grown men cry.

Director Tom Thayer gets full marks for craft and style, knowing where and how to move his characters and how to pace dialogue for maximum effect.

Tuesdays with Morrie — the book — is a masterpiece. Tuesdays with Morrie — the play and the Roxy production — are also masterpieces. See it, but be prepared for both laughter and tears. Bring a box of Kleenex to pass around.

The show runs through June 7. For ticket information, call the Roxy box office at 931-645-7699.

For nearly 60 years, old blues eyes — Frank Sinatra — was larger than life, a singer, movie star, and worldwide legend with 1300 songs to his credit. The Roxy Regional Theater captures a collection of the very best in their current production of My Way: A Musical Tribute to Frank Sinatra.

Even before the show began the mood was set with soft music from yesterday that hasn’t lost is charm — hummable, dance-able music that continues to endure. As the combo took their seats and began to play, as the singers stepped back in time, they carried their audience with them all the way.

Working through a collection of medleys, the show opens with Strangers in the Night, and quickly moves through over 50 of those hits: you probably know most of them, at least by tune — The Way You Look Tonight, I’ve Got the World on a String, High Hopes, I Get a Kick Out of You, Chicago, New York New York, Summer Wind, The Tender Trap, Witchcraft, The Lady is Tramp, Luck be a Lady, That Old Black Magic, Fly Me To The Moon… My toes were tapping out the tunes, I was mouthing the words, I was wishing for a shot at that dance floor and my ballroom partner to whirl me around that floor…

Noah Aberlin, Tiffany Herlieu, Allyson Pace and John Winters gave us the songs, moving up, down and around the minimalist stage, backed by a combo including piano and bass, moving in and out of dance steps choreographed by Michael Hartman. Smooth moves, a hint of rhumba here, a touch of tango there. A quick shimmy of shoulder or hip. Subtleties with a hint of sex appeal.

To the left on the set was a simple bar, a few stools, and the perennial martinis (not accompanied by cigarettes) that were trademarks of the Sinatra lifestyle. It was a stylish production, with male singers in tuxedos and occasionally the classic fedora, while Herlieu and Pace wore black cocktail dresses.

The set included a jazzy backdrop of musical notes, bold keyboard and colorful musicians. The lobby area included original paintings of the Sinatra years including Rat pack buddies Sammy Davis Jr., and Dean Martin, rendered by artists Larry Martin (set design) and Jeff Bertrand, Charles Bennett (painting below of Sinatra at the Sands, reminiscent of the Las Vegas “Rat Pack” era) and Brant Hardin.

My Way ended with a reprise of Sinatra’s New York New York mega-hit, a triumphant My Way, and the haunting I’ll Be Seeing You. As the sound faded, that oh-so-familiar fedora hung over the vintage microphone. The lights dimmed and went black.

My guest for this show, my 19-year-old granddaughter, said “you were having so much fun, Grandma.” Then she looked up with her big brown eyes and asked “can you teach me to dance like that?” Oh, yes I can, sweetie. Now if we could just get this combo, these singers, to play in a local club some night…

The show runs through March 1. For ticket information, call the Roxy box office at931-645-7699.

Photos by Debbie Boen 

Many of us remember Grease as a movie with John Travolta as the bad boy Danny Zucko and Olivia Newton John as the sweet young Sandy, a classic case of opposites attracting in the hallowed halls of Rydell High, complete with a jazzed up car, the leather jacketed T-birds and the Pink Ladies living on the edge. This rollicking musical which opens Sept. 21 and runs through October 6, featuring such hits as We Go Together, Look at Me I’m Sandra Dee, Summer Nights, Greased Lightnin’, and more.

The season continues with a staging of Oscar Wilde’s The Picture of Dorian Gray (Oct. 12-27), drawn from the classic novel. Dorian Gray is obsessed with a belief that beauty and youth are at the center of life, and makes a bargain that keep his outward appearance young while his portrait continues to age.

Henrik Ibsen’s A Doll’s House (Nov. 9-24) introduces us to Nora, pampered, cared for, sheltered from life, a doll-like plaything to the world and her husband. She puts her life and her honor on the line to save her husband, only to find that he is unwilling to sacrifice anything for her. At this crossroad in her life, Nora is faced with a choice that will affect her very survival.

The Chimes (Nov. 30-Dec. 27) is a hybrid of Charles Dicken’s classic play, A Christmas Carol and Frank Capra’s memorable film, It’s a Wonderful Life. In The Chimes, Toby Veck meets the spirits of the church chimes and sees the greater importance of his life.

Faery Tales makes an appearance for two matinee performances only, Jan. 19 and 26, with a retelling of of the Little Red stories and other classic happily-ever-after tales.

The iconic Ol’ Blues Eyes comes to life in My Way: A Tribute to Frank Sinatra, running February 8 -March 1 with a Valentine’s day performance). This show features 40 classic Sinatra songs. Be prepared for great music and plenty of nostalgia (and maybe even a slow dance in the aisle).

“Beware the ides of March…” We find another kind of lyric in the poetic playwriting of William Shakespeare, whose Julius Caesar reigns over the Roxy stage March 7-15. Politics, interpersonal conflict, and public violence mark the play as one of the Bard’s most powerful.

Music returns with the start of spring and the production of High School Musical (March 28-April 19), based on the Disney channel movie that has become a cult hit among teens. What happens when a pretty brainy math whiz meets the basketball team captain over a Karaoke mic? And what do their friends think of the magic they create? Will it change them?

Dr. Suess makes a house call in two matinee performances of Seussical (April 26, May 3), bringing Horton, the elephant, and a host of Suess creations and characters. Guaranteed to enchant.

Mowgli, Balloo, King Louie and all the characters of Disney’s version of The Jungle Book hit the stage May14-31 including three matinee performances and early evening start times to accommodate younger viewers. The ferocious Shere Khan joins the madness and mayhem of this delightful story.

Sentimentality and love return in Mitch Albom’s Tuesdays With Morrie (May 23-June 7). Mitch visits a former professor, now dying from cancer. He is unexpectedly enriched by the experience, enough to return every Tuesday for what becomes an exploration of life, love and compassion.

What damage a little lie can do, as we find out in Lillian Hellman’s landmark play, The Children’s Hour (June 13-28). One lie, two lives shattered, and a testament to the devastation a little gossip; no sets such a stage as Hellman as she offers in one angry child a way to damage innocent lives forever.

The Roxy season closes is 07-08 season next summer with a lot of ‘Shake, Rattle and Roll’ in the form of the rock and roll musical All Shook Up, a tribute to the King, Elvis Presley. Running from July 11 through August 23, this tribute has the pelvis-twisting moves, poodle skirts and ducktail haircuts, and all your favorites — Jail House Rock, Love Me Tender, and the title song, All Shook Up.

Tickets are priced at $20 for musicals $15 for age 13 and under), $15 for other performances ($10 for age 13 and under). Ten-show subscriptions are available for $150. For more information, call the Roxy box office Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to noon at 931-645-7699. You can also visit the Roxy website at www.roxyregionaltheatre.org.

In a lesser known part of American history, in the southwestern Utah landscape of 150 years ago, tragedy unfolded supposedly at the hands of a Mormon militia. The Mountain Meadows Massacre of 1857 occurred when a group of at least 130 Arkansas pioneers — men, women and children — were slaughtered by raiders supposedly with ties to the Mormon Church, a link still debated to this day. The raiders were laboring under the misconception that these new settlers were somehow linked to the persecution of Latter Day Saints in the Midwest years before.

While On The Road In America this summer, I was gifted with the opportunity to see a new Berkshire Theater Festival production, Two-Headed, which has its roots in this historical tragedy. Then I stumbled upon an upcoming film, September Dawn, a Hollywood version that specifically chronicles the massacre with the usual fantasized story lines that will attempt to make the characters real when it hits the silver screen in about a month.

In the movie version of this tragedy, John Voight stars as a Mormon elder with two sons on opposite sides of the issues of faith and free will: follow doctrine, or follow one’s own spiritual beliefs. To kill or not to kill. And to love, even if one’s love stands on the other side of your theology. Terrence Stamp is featured as Mormon leader Brigham Young in this retelling of murders with religious ties.

The film has sparked rebuttal from Latter Day Saints, and controversy as the horrors of another time and place spill into today’s headlines, rekindling debate and triggering strong statements from Mormon leaders decrying the murderous attribution and citing the honor and atonements offered to the dead over the ensuing one and a half centuries. In 1999, The LDS dedicated a memorial on the massacre site.

But even as Hollywood is scrambling toward the release of September Dawn, a little theater in the Berkshire hills of Western Massachusetts was telling the same story from a smaller, humbler perspective in the striking Julie Hensen play, Two-Headed.

At the BTF’s Unicorn Theater, Corinna May played the headstrong Lavinia, wild and unruly, mocking the Mormon that surround her. Diane Prusha was her counterpart, Hettie, quiet, malleable, unquestioning, blind follower of her faith. They hate each other, as least as much as ten-year-olds can, and that’s the age at which we meet them. Lavinia is horrified by her father’s participation in the massacre, and Hettie sees the killing a justifiable “revenge” for past sins against her Mormon people.

So begins a journey through five decades (five scenes) of their lives, tangled years in which words, movement, action, faith and architecture juxtapose with history, memory and the constricting structure of their lives. The wiry Lavinia plays against the slow, ambling Hettie. We watch them grow; we watch history erode their spirit. We watch the plurality of marriage undermine their tenuous friendship when Hettie marries Lavinia’s father, and then 20 years later takes Hettie’s daughter as a second wife, bringing the two women into and “equal” but divisive bond. In this society of plural marriage, men rule and control, leaving these dissimilar women with only each other for company and a sustenance that is ever more difficult to cling to.

Apart from the stunning performances, I found the spectacular set design of the play — a huge tree, with sprawling roots growing deep into the earth — most impressive. This monumental anchoring tree overshadows a “root cellar: the former with widespread branches reaching upward and out, the latter a deep dark place of secrets and shadows and hidden things. Natural representations as intertwined as the lives of the women in shade and shadows. Both women are dressed in earth-toned clothing, melting into the patriarchal landscape they inhabit, chained to each other by a quirk of history and circumstance.

Through their eyes, and their lives, we are given a window into Mormonism in the words of a playwright who is descended from participants in the massacre. Two-Headed is a stunning and provocative production that would be amazing repertory for any growing theater in the country to produce — including our own Roxy theater.

As for the truth behind the stories, speculation rules.

“The complete — the absolute — truth of the affair can probably never be evaluated by any human being; attempts to understand the forces which culminated in it an those which were set into motion by it are all very inadequate at best.”

– Juanita Brooks, Mormon historian.

What is known about the Mountain Meadows Massacre is that these settlers were attacked over a period of many days, either by Paiute Indians, possibly a mix of Mormons and Paiutes, or Mormons disguised as Native Americans. The innocents were slaughtered while under a flag of truce, though children under age 10 were spared and adopted by Mormon families until federal troops recovered them and brought them to what was left of their families in the east.

The film version, September Dawn was drawn in part from the confession of John Lee, a lieutenant of Brigham Young. Lee was the sole person prosecuted for the massacre, and was executed by firing squad while claiming to the end that he was the public sacrifice on the altar of other people’s sins.

September Dawn, in keeping with the graphic styles of today’s filmmakers, will offer extremely specific views of what the massacre was, tangling its horrors with love stories and vignettes and oratory of the people on both sides of disaster. Two-Headed has subtler inclinations, looking at the massacre through the eyes of two of its survivors and fifty years of the lives lived in the shadow of death. September Dawn will be widely screened; Productions of Two-Headed will be much harder to find, but worth looking for.
Berkshire Theater Festival photos by Kevin Sprague.