Theatre East Presents

A NAME FOR A GHOST TO MUTTER

By CINDI WILLIAMS

With
EMILY VERLA, KELLY KUNKEL, LORI FISCHER, TOM GREEN, KATHLEEN HUBER
DAVID VOLIN, RACHEL CAPLAN, CHRISTA KIMLICKO JONES, RYAN GEORGE

Directed by JUDSON JONES
Associate Producer: KIRK OLSON
Scenic Design: JESSIE BONAVENTURE
Costume Design: SHERRY MARTINEZ
Lighting Design: ZACH MURPHY
Sound Design: JOHN D. IVY
Production Stage Manager: TINA TRUONG
Assistant Director: MIKE McNULTY
Press Representative: KEVIN P. McANARNEY/KPM ASSOCIATES
Publicity Photos: JAMES M. WILSON

Urban Stages
259 West 30th Street (between Seventh & Eighth Avenues)
www.theatreeast.org
November 11-26; Opening Night 11/15/16

In Cindi Williams’ A NAME FOR A GHOST TO MUTTER Lucretia (Kathleen Huber) and her three children (David Volin, Rachel Caplan, Chirsta Kimlicko Jones) have come to clean out the house of Lala (Emily Verla), a recently- deceased relative. The time jumps in random intervals from 1901 through 1999. Lala’s story is told through anecdotes from Great Grandmother Gabrielle (Kelly Kunkel) and Grandmother Augusta (Lori Fischer), along with re-enactments of her relationships with her husband B (Tom Green) and a waiter (Ryan George). Act 1 is filled with family history, but don’t waste your time untangling the family tree (there’s an actual family tree inside the playbill); instead, sit back and enjoy the characters and the stories. I promise they all come together in Act 2 where the past meets the present. A mystery is uncovered, history is revealed, memories are shared, and members come to terms with their roles within the familial structure.

A NAME FOR A GHOST TO MUTTER is a glimpse into the life of one family and the profound effects that family members can have on one another. It is also a triumph of spirit, Lala being the renegade relative who rarely played by the long-established rules. Williams uses a down-home folksy style to tell the story, and the cast breathe life into multi-faceted characters superbly. Throw in some humor, a blending of past and present, and an authenticity made more so by costumes by Sherry Martinez and sets by Jessie Bonaventure, and the result is both familiar and poignant.

- Laurie Lawson -