05/02/2016
Congratulations to director Bobbie Jorgensen, actors Merilee Imamoto and Hal Jorgensen and stage manager, Valerie Brown-Yates for a very poignant portrayal of "The Guys" written by Anne Nelson. Merilee's performance, as Joan, transcended me from the MRR to her living room in her New York hi rise where she listened to the musings of a dejected, sad, fire Captain, Nick, played by Hal Jorgensen, as he described his men and the way they lived their lives before him, taking the ordinary and making them extraordinary. We, the audience, felt the depth of Joan's loss, realizing, though she never would have the chance to meet the men, through Nick's eye, she knew them so well. Nick, on the other hand, felt he knew so little about his men that he would have nothing to say for their eulogies, but through Joan's gift of rearranging his thoughts and words, she was able to gave him the confidence,words, and strength he needed to meet the needs of "his men's" families at their memorials. A truly heart-warming glimpse at what happens when you look beneath the superficial knowledge of friends and acquaintances and discover the wonderful character strengths that make them extraordinary. Kudos to the cast and crew of The Guys.
