Fans of humorist Judith Viorst already know her target audience -- the WAMMMMs: those unsung throngs of White, Affluent, Middle-class, Middle-aged, Married Mothers. Viorst's several books have addressed themselves to life changes seen from that perspective, virtually decade by decade. Now, Crown Point Community Theatre is set to bring forth a cabaret-style show roaring with the WAMMMM voice – Love and Shrimp, directed by Natalie Franks with assistant direction by KeriAnne Valukis. The show will play weekends May 1-17, 2015.
In songs and poems and musings, with wit and wisdom and rue, three women take us on an emotional journey from young to not so young, from dumb to not so dumb, from single to married, from parenthood to upper eyelid droop. Set in the living rooms, bedrooms, kitchens and carpools of our imagination (in actuality, on assorted easily moved furniture), Love and Shrimp examines the often hilarious and sometimes painful clashes between expectations and our realities. A humorous show full of female angst and reminiscence, the show runs the gauntlet on topics from lost youth to one’s understanding of love, ideals, and relationships.
Love and Shrimp includes satirical songs with lyrics by Viorst and music by Shelly Markham. These songs include "So My Husband and I," which addresses the universal problem of husbands who'd rather roam the Sahara Desert without water through eternity than stop the car and ask for directions; "Did I Do Something Wrong," about raising an upstanding lawyer son who shrinks away ever so slightly when Mom approaches; or "The Answer Is Yes" (the question was do you love me) and "First Baby," a delicate remembrance of the surprise and joy of bonding with a first child.
“It’s a wonderful show about the emotions women experience when we sit and have conversations with our girlfriends, our mothers, our aunts and sisters – things we talk about with any woman that’s important in our lives,” says Franks.” “[Viorst] has a unique way of taking life, putting it into beautiful poetry, and the composer has taken true-life observations and set them to gorgeous music. Every woman will relate to something; every man will probably get a nudge from the woman in their life telling them ‘I told you so.’”
The cast of the CPCT production includes Hobart’s Rea Robinson, Crown Point’s Samantha Reilly and Valparaiso’s Beverly McCann. Franks, choir director at Willowcreek Middle School in Portage, will not only direct, but also appear on stage as the pianist for the show.
CPCT productions take place in CPCT’s black box theatrical space, a 2,500-square-foot storefront located at 1125 Merrillville Road (on the southeast corner of the same shopping plaza as Jewel). Tickets are $15, 12 seniors, students and active military personnel with ID. Tickets are available online through the CPCT website, CPCT.biz, or by calling (219) 805-4255.
