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On stage: Inclusive-theater troupe scores a wacky winner
The reviews are in! Alexandria Theatre Company’s production Outta Time is a hit!
We extend our gratitude to theatre critic Matt Reville from the Sun Gazette for writing a stellar review. Below is a snippet from his review.
It was three years ago this very month that ArtStream’s Northern Virginia theater troupe was revved up and ready to go with its two new shows.
And then? COVID.
The Nannie Lee Center in Alexandria, where those March 2020 performances had been slated to have taken place, last weekend provided the backdrop for the 2023 ArtStream outing, marking the 17th season of productions for the inclusive-theater company.
It’s part of an innovative effort where adults with developmental disabilities are guided as they develop a theme, characters and the plot line for musical productions.
“They spend all year coming up with the show,” said ArtStream board member Robert Holden, whose daughter Jenny has been participating for a decade.
Making its debut on March 17 was “Outta Time,” a clever romp directed by Mark Mumm, set in the late 1950s and centering around the disappearance of a prom queen and her replacement by a real queen from centuries ago.
The machinations of a witch; battles between a reporter and a detective; and even an encounter with the mysterious “time lord” who can send you forward and back are all part of the experience. Plot twist: milkshakes make an appearance, saving the day.
(“It’s best not to overthink this kind of thing,” one character recommends as the hour-long performance reaches its twisting-and-turning climax.)
The show runs for a second weekend, and at the March 26 matinee performance, there also will be a screening of “Outta the Woods: A Not So Grimm Story” created online and featuring a second cast from the same Northern Virginia ArtStream troupe.
“Zoom presents challenges that are so unique,” said Elizabeth Cronin, who directs the show, which mashes up some Brothers Grimm fairy tales. “Can you imagine staying focused for two hours on a Zoom rehearsal, let alone every week? Our actors do it without the blink of an eye.”