This is no ordinary Laurel Little Theatre production. The audiences attending opening weekend were presented with a realistic look at a truly human experience involving loss, grief and hope.
Known for upbeat comedies, Southern-style spectacles and affirmative drama productions for most of its 63 years, the popular community theater group took a dramatic turn with the stirring and soul-searching story of “Ordinary People.” And they knocked it out of the park, receiving standing ovations at each performance.
This weekend will mark the final opportunity to see the play at the historic Arabian Theatre in downtown Laurel.
“It is a heavy drama dealing with really tough subjects such as crippling grief, loss and suicide,” director Christy Liverett said. “Those topics can be prickly to some people but need to be talked about more.”
The story involves the Jarrett family, who struggle to deal with a difficult loss. After losing a member of the family in a tragic accident, each must find their own way to work through the grief. It’s based on the Judith Guest novel that became an Academy Award-winning film in 1980. It was the directorial debut of Robert Redford and starred Judd Hirsch, Mary Tyler Moore, Donald Sutherland and Timothy Hutton.
“It really gets emotional,” Liverett said. “We even made it a habit with the cast and members to check on each other often — a mental check-in just to see how we are doing.”
Many of the scenes create a need for introspection, and such was the case with one audience member visiting from Canada. After the show, she approached Tommy Smith, who plays the role of Dr. Tyrone Berger, and told him the lines in his scene were the very things that young people need to hear — especially the ones who are struggling with heavier things in life.
“I am so thrilled with the abilities of all of our cast,” Liverett said. “They truly amaze me. I gave them the freedom to develop their own characters, and otherwise the characters may not have quite developed so well.”
William Carey student and LLT veteran Jackson Corley plays the lead role of Conrad. For him, the presentation is deeply personal.
“As someone that has dealt with depression and anxiety, which is so prevalent among young people today, this play is very personal,” Corley said. “I want to do the best I can in this role so those conversations can happen, and we can bring more awareness to suicide prevention and mental health.”
Fists even fly between characters during the show, which was somewhat challenging to prepare for.
“We had actors that needed to learn and practice fighting on stage,” Liverett said. “So that entire scene was especially choreographed and designed so it would look and feel real.”
Corley said, “It is very similar to choreographing a dance scene. Matt Hogan has professional experience with it and helped a lot with the detailed planning.”
Herb Murray and Mary Beth Griffin portray the Jarrett parents, Cal and Beth. Ella Powell, Matt Hogan, Camille Colley, Jordan Breland and Scottie Corley round out the cast. Cynthia Welborn is assistant director.
ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7rbHAnZyrZZOWua16wqikaKaVrMBwstGenJimlazAcLrOZqarnJmjrrPFjKmpqJylmMGqu81omKusmZi5pqvFbmdrmpRnf26wlXBsZmlhmrJuhMNrmGZtY2eGerDCcmubcWhjtbW5yw%3D%3D