The Midnight Company will present Cindy Lou Johnson’s THE YEARS, running July 13-29 at The Chapel. Performances will be Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays at 8pm, with Sunday matinees July 16 and 23.
Tickets, $20 for Thursdays and $25 for Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, will be on sale at MetroTix.com on Monday, June 12. The show will be directed by Midnight’s Artistic Director, Joe Hanrahan.
The play opens on a tumultuous day for two sets of cousins: Andrea and Eloise, and Isabelle and Andrew. It is Andrea’s wedding day, and she and her sister Eloise, are dealing with the recent death of their father, which was soon followed by their mother’s suicide. On the day of her wedding, Andrea has gone into work to help someone, and returning home is mugged. Meanwhile Eloise has just learned of her husband’s betrayal and the end of their marriage. They make it through that turbulent day. And as the story continues, thirteen years pass, and all of the cousins are forced to deal with the vagaries of life and death that the years deliver.
Joe Hanrahan directed this script some years ago for The Orthwein Theatre Company, and Gerry Kowarsky, writing for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, called that production of THE YEARS “…an exceptional work. Many plays deal with the pain of family relationships, but few have as much insight, pathos and humor as THE YEARS.” And Phyllis Thorpe, for Intermission, a theatre publication at the time, called it “…a beautiful play. Those who saw it will cherish it for a long, long time.” In its premiere New York production, Broadway World cited an “…amazing script,” that resulted in “…a poignant play.”
Hanrahan said, “THE YEARS is a delicate, haunting, unusual play. It deals with situations everyone faces in life, and so we’re able to quickly connect and feel deeply for these characters. I’m so looking forward to working with it once more. And so lucky to have such a great cast to tell this story.”
The Midnight production features Summer Baer and Alicen Moser as sisters Eloise and Andrea. For Midnight, Summer was seen in last year’s RODNEY’S WIFE. And recently she’s appeared in PROOF for Moonstone, THE BIRTHDAY PARTY for Albion, and currently GLORIA: A LIFE at New Jewish Theatre. Alicen, Artistic Director for Poor Monsters, just directed THE ABSOLUTE BRIGHTNESS OF LEONARD PELKEY for Midnight, and previously appeared in the Company’s Beatle play at the St. Louis Fringe Festival, THE EVEREST GAME. She’s currently appearing in ERA’s THE BRECHTFAST CLUB.
Ashley Bauman and Joey File will play their cousins, Isabelle and Andrew. Ashley has appeared in AS YOU LIKE IT for SIUE, A LATE SUMMER NIGHT’S STROLL for St. Louis Shakespeare Festival and DR. FAUSTUS: THE MODERN PROMETHEUS for SATE. Joey was also in the cast of AS YOU LIKE IT, and has also been seen in MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING and RENT at SIUE.
Michael Pierce will portray Jeffrey, husband to Eloise. Michael, who will also serve as Fight Director for the play, has been seen in the Aphra Behn Festival for SATE, and LAUGHTER ON THE 23rd FLOOR for New Jewish. He also served as Fight Director for St. Louis Shakespeare Festival’s TWELFTH NIGHT and MURDER ON THE ORIENT EXPRESS for The Rep. And Joseph Garner will portray Bartholomew, a stranger who becomes involved in the cousins’ lives. Garner appeared in Midnight’s ANOMALOUS EXPERIENCE, was seen in THE CHRISTIANS at West End and currently in CLASH OF THE TITANS for Cherokee Street Theater.
Hanrahan recently appeared in Midnight’s THE ABSOLUTE BRIGHTNESS OF LEONARD PELKEY. He wrote and directed the Linda Ronstadt show, JUST ONE LOOK, currently playing in extended performances at The Blue Strawberry, and is writing and directing the upcoming Judy Garland show, YOU MADE ME LOVE YOU, coming in late July there. Hanrahan was nominated by The St. Louis Theatre Circle as Outstanding Director for last year’s RODNEY’S WIFE from Midnight.
Mason Hunt will be Stage Manager for the show, Brad Slavik is designing the set, Tony Anselmo the lights, and Elizabeth Henning costumes. Miriam Whatley will handle props.
Photos Todd Davis. Alicen Moser (black eye/wedding dress) Summer Baer (wedding veil/smile)
The Midnight Company’s 2023 season continues with:
Extended Performances of the JUST ONE LOOK July 19, August 16 & 30 at Blue Strawberry
YOU MADE ME LOVE YOU July 26, August 2 & 9 at Blue Strawberry
HUMANS OF ST. LOUIS at The St. Louis Fringe Festival August 15-21
and
THE LION IN WINTER at the .ZACK October 5-21
more at MidnightCompany.com
Lynn (Zipfel) Venhaus has had a continuous byline in St. Louis metro region publications since 1978. She writes features and news for Belleville News-Democrat and contributes to St. Louis magazine and other publications.
She is a Rotten Tomatoes-approved film critic, currently reviews films for Webster-Kirkwood Times and KTRS Radio, covers entertainment for PopLifeSTL.com and co-hosts podcast PopLifeSTL.com…Presents.
She is a member of Critics Choice Association, where she serves on the women’s and marketing committees; Alliance of Women Film Journalists; and on the board of the St. Louis Film Critics Association. She is a founding and board member of the St. Louis Theater Circle.
She is retired from teaching journalism/media as an adjunct college instructor.