2 Viewings

by Jeffrey Hatcher

Sunday, March 28, 2010 -- 7:30pm

Join us as we close out our Women's History Month events with a bang! Reprised by Wendy Ishii and Frances Burns, these two hilarious and heartbreaking monologues reveal the truth about what really happens to the memories, money and love we leave behind. Adapted from Three Viewings by Jeffrey Hatcher. Proceeds to benefit the Capital Campaign and Annual Fund.

Bas Bleu's one-hour festival version of Three Viewings takes a look at life as it passes through a Midwestern funeral parlour. In Jeffrey Hatcher's play we meet Mac, an L.A. drifter who gets far more than she bargains for when she returns for her grandmother's funeral; and Virginia, a naive housewife who is shocked to find herself indebted to the mob after her husband's passing.

This witty play shows the profound impact that death has upon the living. Full of humor and surprises as well as thoughtful and melancholic moments, Two Viewings  draws its audience in with two beautifully spun tales and fine acting. As the New York Daily News explains, "Nowadays, it is rare to encounter a genuine writer in the theatre, someone, that is, who thinks about such things as character and structure, someone who has a genuine feel for language. So when such a thing comes along, it's exciting."

John Moore of the Denver Post writes: "Bas Bleu's production is the nearly perfect marriage of director, cast, and material...  ....I've been looking for my jaw. I think I left it on the floor of the Fort Collins theatre. Ishii is simply the best actress in Colorado. Period. .... Frances Burns pulls off a subtle miracle .... Again the small details come back to tie the whole evening up in a neat, surprising bow. Somehow Burns makes sure the audience leaves with a smile. The production is deceptively sparse....  ....the modest set is window dressing for the main course, which is the delicacy of watching {two} great actors at the top of their game."

Bas Bleu's production represented the State of Colorado at the 2003 American Association of Community Threatres (AACT) National Festival where it received the "First Runner Up for Best Production Award", "Best Set Dressing Award", and "Excellence in Acting Awards" for Frances Burns and Wendy Ishii. At the statewide 2002 Colorado Community Theatre Coalition Festival, Two Viewings garnered eight awards including "First Place Production", "People's Choice" and "Best Actress" for Frances Burns. The Denver Post Ovation Awards for 2002 included "Best Production for Three Viewings and "Best Supporting Actress" for Wendy Ishii.