REVIEW: In Another Church Basement, Richmond Hill Finds Faith, Friendship, and Hope
Circa ’21 and Richmond Hill Players, despite being very different venues with very different shows (a large dinner theater presenting mainly musicals and a small barn theater in the round offering primarily straight plays), share some key commonalities.
The Rock Island and Geneseo houses both seem to pride themselves on staging comforting, feel-good stories, and attract mainly older audiences. Now that I’m in my 60-plus era (having recently paid my first senior-discount admission at the movies), I definitely see the appeal. And the latest production at Richmond Hill – directed by RHP veteran Mike Skiles, featuring his daughter Dana – is in this relatable, inspiring and uplifting vein, with an unspoken connection to a tremendously popular musical series that’s often played at Circa.
Several shows in the “Church Basement Ladies” musicals have brought in big audiences to Circa, and RHP presents their own church basement and giving, devoted Christian women in the very good, decent and compassionate comedy “The Charitable Sisterhood of the Second Victory Trinity Church,” by Bo Wilson.
Jalayne Riewerts (left), Dana Skiles, Tifany Simosky, and Melanie Gillespie.
When we arrive at our seats, we see the wooden stage floor groaning under the weight of a huge pile of clothes, a simple table and chair, with other assorted donations cluttering each of the set’s corners. Mike Skiles wrote in the program that he wasn’t sure if he’d get “enough donations to make the stage look like a yard sale exploded,” but he had little faith, unlike the show’s protagonists. He received more than enough to give lots for the five ladies in the play to sort (“burn or not burn”), fold and organize.
“Some of the topics in tonight’s play will make you laugh, cry, and sympathize with the sisters,” Skiles wrote. “But have faith that everything turns out good in the end.”
In a world where there is so much unnecessary death, evil, violence, hatred, and bitter intolerance, we take for granted how valuable, important and refreshing simple goodness and kindness can be. Selflessness and generosity don’t just automatically appear – people have to actively live it and give it, and if you are truly religious, you put your faith into practice every day. You live by the Golden Rule (treat others the way you’d want to be treated); if we only had more of that gold coming from the White House.
Dana Skiles (left) and Elissa Dynes.
In “The Charitable Sisterhood,” there’s a major storm; the roads are flooded, bridges are washed out, and less-generous souls are staying safely indoors, but it takes more than a little rain to keep the ladies of the Charitable Sisterhood from fulfilling their sworn mission. When four ladies meet to organize a relief effort for homeless Guatemalans, they are greeted with a small mountain of community donations—but one woman’s junk is another woman’s treasure, and that pile of stuff in this small church basement is hiding a thing or two, literally.
Set in 1977, the initial angels of mercy – domineering Bea (Jalayne Riewerts), the pastor’s wife, who’s superior, snooty and likes to give orders; humble former nurse Tina (Melanie Gillespie); harried mom Lorraine (Tifany Simosky), who has nine kids but somehow escapes her house; and ditsy Southern belle Janet (Dana Skiles), who doesn’t have children – work as a team, as they do their best to help victims of global disaster, spiritual deprivation and, most of all, one another.
Melanie Gillespie (left), Elissa Dynes, and Tifany Simosky.
At first, I didn’t have high hopes for the play, since it’s really not exciting or interesting to watch women gab as they sort clothes. There are also many other miscellaneous items, like sneakers tied together, a water ski, a rooster lamp, Christmas lights, and egg beater.
Intrigue quickly comes as a pile in a corner moves and the women scream. We see a hand and an arm that Janet pulls out, belonging to a young homeless woman, Riley Reynolds – excellently played by Elissa Dynes, who is quietly mysterious and affecting, becoming the story’s focal point for the rest of the action. Riley hasn’t eaten for two days and has spent the past 15 weeks going from church to church, helping in their mission drives, and finding a place to stay among the endless goodwill. Bea thinks there’s more to her story, and there certainly is!
Melanie Gillespie and Tifany Simosky (in bandana).
Bea at first angrily accuses her of trespassing and Tina tells her to not be hasty. The storm disabled the town bridge and phones are out, so they’re stuck. Skiles as Janet drops her accent, becomes snarky and cynical, and we learn a bombshell at the close of the first act. I won’t give away what happens in the second half, but safe to say, these are all strong-willed, good-hearted women, and it’s a treat to follow the twists and turns in this story, which is both amusing, heartwarming and hopeful.
The cast also features Larry Lord as the radio announcer, and a brief scene as a sheriff’s deputy, when Bea hooks up a CB radio.
Performances will continue Thursday, April 23 through Sunday, April 26, most starting at 7:30 p.m., with a matinee Sunday at 3 p.m. Reservations are recommended and can be made by calling the Richmond Hill box office at 309-944-2244 or by visiting the website at rhplayers.com. Late seating is not permitted; no one will be admitted to the theater after the show has started. Admission to all performances is $12.
The current Richmond Hill show features (L-R) Dana Skiles, Tifany Simosky, Jalayne Riewerts, and Melanie Gillespie.
Elissa Dynes, left, and Dana Skiles.
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