Stage Review - Second Samuel (Phoenix Theatre)

Stage Review - Second Samuel
Presented By: Phoenix Theatre - Edmonds, WA
Show Run: January 31 - February 23, 2025
Date Reviewed: Sunday, February 02, 2025 (Opening Weekend)
Run Time: 1 Hour, 45 minutes (including 15 minute intermission)
Reviewed By: Greg Heilman

The truth, as they say, is always somewhere in between. When many look back at a time in American history in which the nation was at its strongest, more often than not they harken back to the middle of the 20th century, after the Great Depression and during post World War II prosperity, when a sense of national pride and a romanticized idea of Americana was prevalent. It’s true, many of us have a mental image of that time, small town America, everyone getting along, conflict behind us, but in reality, as the country scratched and clawed its way to find its footing on the brink of the civil rights movement, especially in the Southeastern United States, it most definitely wasn’t a peaceful time for everyone. Systemic and generational bigotry existed on a grand scale and people of color surely weren’t enjoying the same opportunities that their white counterparts did. But as Pamela Parker’s play, Second Samuel, shows us, the postwar South was more complicated than any of us really give it credit for, as the playwright takes us to that time in the South, to the story’s namesake town in Georgia in the late 1940s where a town isn’t just coming to grips with the intolerance of its people toward some of its own citizens, and those who befriend their “different” neighbors, but it also puts the entirety of the town to the test when an unfathomable secret is revealed about a beloved resident of Second Samuel who has just passed away. The latest production of the play, on stage at Phoenix Theatre in Edmonds, is directed by Keith Dahlgren and runs through February 23.

The story of Second Samuel is told from the perspective of B Flat, one of the younger citizens of the town, a friend to everyone and of most, and a close acquaintance of the recently deceased “Miss Gertrude”. B Flat, neurodivergent, and one off those looked at as “different” by certain citizens (to put it nicely) played here by Ian Wight, weaves his way through the story as part narrator, part character, and through the two primary locales of Second Samuel in which the story takes place, The Bait and Brew, the tavern-like bar where the men of the town hang out and The Change Your Life Hair and Beauty Emporium, where the women gather. The Phoenix Theatre set, from Technical Director Craig Marshall and Set Decorator Susan Connors, shows both of these locations, the bar to stage left and the beauty shop to stage right, with a stone walkway splitting them, a walkway that leads to the exterior door to the late Gertrude’s house. The entirety of the set is done very well, the Change Your Life Emporium design seemingly ripped from a mid-century retro diner and the Bait and Brew interior resembling a Cracker Barrel restaurant. While the layout of the stage provides for a nice flow between locations as Ian makes his way from narrator to character in the story, the overall aesthetic of the scenic design works not just with Elizabeth Shipman’s costuming and the style of the day, but transcends into the characterizations of the town’s citizens as well.

Second Samuel is a hard place to live for someone like B Flat. While he’s an extremely friendly person, his autism makes him stand out, and for many, including some in town, his difference is to be feared, as is that of perhaps B Flat’s only true friend US, played by Raymond Miller. Of the men at the Bait and Brew, located just outside of town and named because they sell both bait and, of course, brew, it’s really only Mozel who has a problem with B Flat, Mozel who is clearly a bigot, quick to lash out at the boy with a derogatory word and quick with a slur directed at US, the only black character in the cast, which is probably why he (US) is drawn to B Flat, their common struggle against their status as minorities in Second Samuel. Besides the vile Mozel, played hauntingly well by James Lynch, there’s Frisky the bar owner (Keith Remon), Mansel (Jay Jenkins), and Doc (Jim Thompson). Frisky and Mozel argue quite a bit about US, who is employed at the bar, especially when the former mentions his inclination to leave the bar to US when he passes. To someone like Mozel, this is an abomination, as is B Flat and his affliction. Holding a similar opinion in the Hair and Beauty Emporium is former beauty queen and southern belle Jimmy Deeanne, played by Ingrid Sanai Buron. Omaha (Reneé Gilbert) owns the salon and is married to Mansel, and Ruby (Melanie Calderwood) is one of the hairdressers in Omaha’s employ, while Marcela (Brynne Garman) is their straight-shooting tell it as she sees it client, who has her fair share of issues with Jimmy. Rounding out the ensemble cast is Bruce Erickson as June, the town undertaker.

What I’ve come to expect from Phoenix Theatre since I’ve begun attending shows there are humorous, fast-paced ensemble pieces that are well directed and excellently performed, with good individual performances, and even better achievements by the largesse group. Here, all of these characteristics are in play, but Second Samuel has more of an edge to it than some of the theatre’s more recent work. The first act of the play is largely character development as well as the development of the town as a character unto itself, a small southern town which, at face value, seems peaceful enough, like something right out of Mayberry, but something that’s slightly more insidious when you pull back the curtain. At the Bait and Brew, the audience learns about the more progressive Frisky, who was raised side by side with US, and respects him regardless of skin color, that opinion at odds with the conservative Mozel. Mansel, meanwhile is an “everyman”, quick with a joke or a story, and in many ways the male side of the story’s comic relief. Doc is the local physician, sort of that stereotypical small town doctor who knows everyone, but comes under scrutiny from the folks in town when a secret is revealed about the deceased, a secret he knew about but kept to himself much to the chagrin of his bar mates, but, since, as he is quick to point out, everyone else in the bar has something that he knows about as their doctor that he’s sure they wouldn’t want getting out, he was never inclined to tell anyone about. On the other side of the stage, at the Hair and Beauty Emporium, the audience has the opportunity to contrast how the men interact with how the women do, the latter with a bit more gossip and a bit more tension. Most of that tension is between Marcela and Jimmy Deeanne and their interactions drive much of the first act humor, especially in Marcela’s passive aggressiveness, the way in which she deals with her angst toward Jimmy, and there is a lot of angst. What I like about the structure of this play is how it’s split up, distinctly between the two acts. As I mentioned, the first act is all about character development, and it’s where we get to see the lighter side of the actors’ performances, even with the harder roles. Ingrid and James both portray conservative and racist people, and they are both extremely powerful among their friends but they wield their power in different ways, and while James plays Mozel with an aggressive angle, Ingrid’s ignorance is like twisting a knife in someone’s back while keeping a smile on her face, both are excellent, and I admire their ability to play these challenging people so well. Balancing out each of them are Brynne and Keith as Marcela and Frisky. I like Keith’s Frisky, he shows a good heart in not just his words but his actions as well, but for my part it’s Brynne who stands out in the first act, in the way her Marcela undermines Jimmy Deeanne at every turn. Aside from the few moments when these racist tendencies rear their heads Act 1 is generally where the majority of the humor takes place. It’s also the act when every character, to a person, professes their adoration for the recently passed Miss Gertrude. All that changes, though, when, at the end of Act 1, Omaha comes running, screaming into the salon and Bruce Erickson’s June comes stumbling into the bar, both having come from the funeral home where Omaha had gone to fix Gertrude’s hair one last time. It takes a while for Omaha to settle down, and about ten drinks for June to prepare himself, but what the pair subsequently tells each group, a secret so ghastly for this small Georgia town, is about to turn this seemingly peaceful southern burg into one that will have every resident questioning their own opinions, their relationships, and doing their best to come to terms with their current racial tension and an increasingly changing world.

It’s in this second act when the brilliance of the ensemble comes to the fore, like flipping a switch, each actor comes out after intermission with a bit of an edge to their roles, as they all try to figure out why Gertrude kept this seemingly horrific secret from them, how long she’s been keeping it, and what the fact that she had this secret means to all of their relationships with here, even questioning who the real Gertrude is, or was. If she wasn’t honest about this, was she honest about anything? All of a sudden, a town that, to a person, just a little while ago claimed how much they loved this woman have now turned on her, even willing to take some extreme measures when it comes to her burial, that is everyone except B Flat. B Flat has been consistent all along, and it’s a time like this when a steady voice is needed to bring order. And as good as Ian is throughout portraying the autistic narrator of the story, it’s in Act 2, when he’s challenged by the townsfolk, because he doesn’t turn on Gertrude like the rest of them, that his work excels. It’s an emotional, standout performance that is heart wrenchingly good. This is also when Ian’s B Flat turns to his only friend US, when the two share a tender moment, Ian and Raymond sitting together on stage, their characters sharing in their common difference, one of the truly sweet moments in the show. The show in its entirety is very well put together, Keith Dahlgren should be proud not just of the cast that he’s put together, but of his creative team as well, including the aforementioned Technical Director Craig Marshall, Costumer Elizabeth Shipman, and especially Dialect Coach Grace Helmcke. Grace’s work with the unique accents for each of the characters, from Ingrid’s southern belle drawl, to Mozel’s rednecky accent, to B Flat’s unique delivery, is excellent all around.

Second Samuel is a play that presents a time that has passed and yet it feels so current as we, once again, deal with racial injustice while at the same time witness entire groups of people struggling to deal with a changing world, judging people on their physical characteristics and not their character. Perhaps the world would be a better place if we all took a lesson from the play’s character B Flat, and looked at life, and people, a little more simply. And while a play like this stands pretty well on its own, this particular production, under the direction of Keith Dahlgren, and featuring a stellar performance from Ian Wight and a phenomenal ensemble, soars.

Second Samuel runs on stage at Phoenix Theatre in Edmonds through February 23. For more information, including ticket availability and sales, visit https://www.tptedmonds.org/.

Photo credit: Jim Sipes