Keegan Theatre: West By God

I see a lot a plays.  For the past four years, it's become sort of my thing.  By a lot, I mean a lot--between 40 and 60 a season!  Of course, living in the DMV really helps.  I honestly think we have more professional and semi-professional theatre companies in Washington, DC and the Maryland/Virginia suburbs than any other place outside of the Metropolitan New York region.  I point this out to highlight that among the many offerings available to me, some are premieres.  Young playwrights testing the waters.  Theatre companies like Mosaic Theatre in Washington, DC, and 1st Stage in Tysons Corner, VA are good at including new works.  Today it was Keegan Theatre in the duPont Circle neighborhood of DC that offered me such an opportunity.

The play was "West by God."  The playwright, Brandon McCoy.  The play is set in West Virginia.  So before I go any further, if you can't trust a native West Virginian named "McCoy" to tell a tale of regional relevance, who can you trust?  A Hatfield?  Sorry!  I couldn't resist.

And who better to enjoy the play with than my West Virginia born and bred friend?  Not that you have to be from West Virginia to get this play--but it helps.  "West By God" is a love story for West Virginia.  It is set amidst the context of an extended family torn asunder by the forces of modernity that form an existential threat to every rural and 19th century economically rooted paradigm common in places seen as forgotten by the current tide of innovation and political socio-economic winners.  That's a big sentence.  Brandon McCoy has written a big play that is no less encompassing.  I liked it!  I really did.  Within the larger themes are universally pedestrian conflicts that could be as easily relocated into any other region or family.  This allows the audience that entree into something special and unique via a route as pedestrian as any we find familiar.

The set was beautiful.  The rest of the incidentals (lighting, sound, props, special effects) flowed without notice--as they should.  The actors gave performances that demonstrated their love for play.  I felt every one of them created a character that was true to themselves and true to the story.  Within the story, I have to say that the playwright got the humor most effortlessly of all.  After the show was over, he came out and addressed the audience.  At one point, he shared how he'd been a stand-up comedian for a time---time well served, I thought. 

In particular, I enjoyed the portrayal of the matriarch of the family, Sophia, by Rena Cherry Brown and the arc of emotional range that Kevin Hasser presented as her youngest son, Bobby.  To be clear, there were no weak links in this ensemble.

In his post production presentation to the audience, the playwright shared how the play was moving on to performances in Morgantown, West Virginia next.  I wish it luck.  I wish that the old adage about a prophet finding no quarter in his hometown proved false.