Plot twist
‘The Cocktail Hour’ returns after COVID hiatus
By Sabine Wilson
For the TODAY
After a 619-day hiatus, the team behind Lincoln City’s Theatre West are back and ready to display all of their hard work and good humor, as displayed on the theater’s comedic signage throughout the pandemic.
Displaying resilience in matters of ever-changing cast members, loss and mandates, the troupe will finally get to put on their long-awaited production of “The Cocktail Hour” by A.R. Gurney. And they could not be more excited.
“We’re all glad to be putting on a show again,” said Director Bryan Kirsch, a performer onstage and contributor backstage at Theatre West since 2009. “The cast is amazing and doing a great job. And they’ve also had plenty of time to prepare.”
The group started to put on the play in March of 2020 but were shut down after only four shows.
“I guess I like to have a sense of picking up where we left off,” Kirsch said. “I like to have a sense of completion and resolution where I feel like we’re finally finishing what we started after a very long break.”
Theatre West has played a vibrant part in the community for the past 45 years, consistently putting on entertaining shows where every person has a hand in the productions.
“We’re all volunteers” Kirsch said, “and there’s a huge time commitment so the people who are participating onstage and backstage deserve a lot of kudos.”
With the inclusive motto that they embody, it is easy to see why they have had long-term success.
“We don’t judge, embarrass or make fun of anyone,” the company’s website reads, “If we laugh it will be because you read the funny line really well.”
“The Cocktail Hour” explores the complexity of family dynamics in a comedic way that is relatable and forces audience members to reflect on their own families.
The cast includes Cathye Wehr as Ann, Rich Emery as Bradley, Sean Prescott as John and Christina Contreras as Nina.
“It’s about a family and their relationships with one another,” Wehr said. “It also explores their secrets and all the angst and joys that go along with being a family,”
“It will have you thinking ‘dysfunctional’ in relation to your family on the drive home,” Emery said.
Born in 1930 Albert Ransdall Gurney was a former naval officer and well-known American playwright with an extensive background in drama and writing.
After attending the Yale School of Drama, he taught at M.I.T. as a literature major but then moved to New York in 1982 to focus on writing for the theatre.
He is most well-known for “The Dining Room” (1982), “Sweet Sue” (1986/1987), “The Cocktail Hour” (1988) and for “Love Letters,” which was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize.
He is a member of the Theatre Hall of Fame and of the American Academy of Arts and Letters.
From harmless small talk to passive-aggressive banter that elevates into electrifying confrontations, “The Cocktail Hour” provides an honest look at the American family, and the Theatre West cast does an incredible job demonstrating the range of emotions experienced when spending an extended amount of time with family.
“It’s got some family issues” Kirsch said, “and we all understand family issues.”
Since its short-lived opening in 2020, the production has undergone three different lineups, with only Emery and Wehr being in the original cast. Patrick Kiernan came on board as stage manager after the loss of a much-loved member of the Theatre West family.
“This last summer, we lost our former stage manager Donna Morris,” Kirsch said. “She passed away and we miss her dearly.”
As the cast prepares for curtain time after all the changes that have tested their adaptability, they seem to be readier than ever.
“After 20 months, we still want to do this thing,” said Emery, who has been a part of Theatre West since 2003. “My favorite part will be getting to opening night.”
“Seeing it performed live on stage is the most rewarding part,” Kirsch said. “And I want to say thank you to the crews both past and present, everyone who was a part of the different parts of the play — last year up until the current crew. It is a team effort and I appreciate our great team that I get to work with.”
Theatre West is located at 3536 SW Hwy. 101. Tickets are available at the box office or by calling 541-994-5663. Prices are $15 for adults and $13 for seniors and students. Seating capacity is limited to 35 people per show.
The play opens this Friday, Nov. 26, and runs through Saturday, Dec. 11, with performances at 7:30 pm on Fridays and Saturdays; and 2 pm matinées on Sundays.
For more information, go to theatrewest.com.