BWW Reviews: Go See JOE TURNER'S COME AND GONE Before It's Gone From Open Stage

At the end of the play, when Martha Loomis (Dana Fields) - who has been known to Bertha and Seth as Martha Pentecost, arrives to see her daughter, now that Selig has found her, Herald Loomis erupts again. Fields, Martha's Bible in hand, displays a powerful moment of preaching and testifying of her own as Dozier's Loomis is afire with his own anger at religion, which did not save him from being impressed into a chain gang some years before. Once again, Dozier's performance is electrifying, and the tension about spirituality that permeates the play draws the play to its conclusion - even as Bynum has his own revelation about Loomis, who has, even if he does not realize it, found his song.

Don Alsedek's direction is tight and perfectly satisfying; there is nothing off about the pace or timing of this play, and far shorter plays have seemed far, far longer. There can be no complaints about any of the acting, all of which is commendable, but Bomar, Dozier, and, in her brief turn, Fields, must be singled out for special praise, as their performances at the crucial moments in this show are riveting.

There can be nothing else said: see this show. Clear your calendar and prepare to stay up late, but see it. You will rarely see a cast this closely knit, or be able to feel that closeness on the stage, and you will rarely see this kind of performance. At Open Stage through February 23; call 717-232-6736 or visit openstagehbg.com.

Photo Credit: Open Stage

America's most uncoordinated childhood ballet and tap student before discovering that her talents were music and writing, Marakay Rogers finally traded in her violin for law school when she realized that she might make more money in law than she did performing with the Potomac Symphony and in orchestra pits around the mid-Atlantic. She has never recovered from being chewed out by Terrence Mann in public for hanging up her bow. A graduate of Wilson College (PA), Marakay is also a writer, film reviewer and interviewer for the Wilkes-Barre (PA) Independent Gazette, science-fiction publications, and other news outlets. She's also taught college-level communications, writing, and English literature classes, has received multiple writing awards, and is listed in Marquis' "Who's Who in America". In her free time, Marakay practices law and often gets it right.

More Articles by This Author...