Kathy Whitaker
as
Florence
|
by John Patrick
February
22, 23, 24 and 25, 2007
| “The
Curious Savage,” by
John Patrick, is the warm-hearted tale of Mrs. Ethel Savage, a slightly
eccentric, extremely wealthy widow. Being the recipient of her deceased
husband’s estate, she wants to make the best use of it, despite her
greedy
stepchildren’s selfish attempts to get their hands on it. Mrs. Savage,
however, has put her wealth into negotiable bonds in the hopes of
establishing
a fund to help others realize their hopes and dreams, much to the
siblings’
chagrin. They then commit her to a “sanitorium” in the hopes of
shocking
her to her senses. There she meets a variety of social misfits, all
needing
exactly the kind of help Mrs. Savage can provide and who eventually
appear
more sane that those outside the walls of the institution. These
wonderful
individuals run the gamut of characterization possibilities, and
immediately
endear themselves to Mrs. Savage (and to the audience as well). With
the
help of her new-found friends, Mrs. Savage leads her stepchildren on a
merry chase which eventually brings them to the pits of humiliation and
despair even as Mrs. Savage obtains her freedom. The dominant mood is
comedy
with plots, plans, and hi-jinx, however the philosophy is far from
laughable.
The audience is left with a feeling that the neglected virtues of
kindness
and affection have not been entirely lost in a world that seems
motivated
at times only by greed and dishonesty.! |
Fun
Pictures
|
Mary Ann Walton
as
Miss Willie
|
