06/25/2026
The Reviews are in for End Days!
Tickets Still Available for This Weekend's Shows!
WILMINGTON STAR NEWS - June 25, 2026
by John Staton
This is the 'End' in Brunswick, and the start of the Wilmington Weekend
One thing I love about end-of-the-world predictions is that, so far, they've all been wrong. In a comedic play, "End Days" by Deborah Zoe Laufer, about a wildly dysfunctional family running through June 28 at Brunswick Little Theatre in Southport, a fanatically religious matriarch believes the end is nigh, and a deeply depressed patriarch has narrowly survived the 9/11 terrorist attacks. Yes, it's dark, but also deep and, thanks to an able cast under the light touch of director Victor Gallo, often very funny.
Jen Ingulli and Robert Larson do fine work as the mom and dad in question, but it's the younger performers who really stand out.
Maddy Liva has an undeniable stage presence as Rachel, a teenage goth girl who's had it with her parents' issues. Rachel is being wooed, awkwardly, by a high school classmate named Nelson (Christian Hudson, easy and natural) who's sweet but socially hamstrung by his Elvis fixation. (He dresses like the Vegas-era King.)
As Jesus pays psychic visits to the mom, and physicist Stephen Hawking (both played by Mark Sutton, excellent) mentally drops in on Rachel, the play barrels toward a cosmic conclusion with sitcom-style one-liners and a message about the importance of faith, facts and family.
With its 9/11 origins and focus on the long-since-faded role of Elvis in pop culture, "End Days" can feel dated. Still, some solid laughs and good performances carry the play through. You've got three more chances to catch it.
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Facebook Review by Mirla Criste Thompson - June 22, 2026
A week ago Sunday, Penelope and I made the jaunt down to Southport, to see END DAYS, the current theatrical offering at Brunswick Little Theatre. BLT's seasons generally feature lighthearted, mostly character and relationship-driven comedies that tend to provide a respite from the stresses of the day with some low-stakes, laugh-out-loud fun. Their all-volunteer companies always seem to enjoy working with one another and hang together well, and because most of these thespians are well-known to the audiences who regularly come to see their onstage hijinx, the entire room always feels like one big family party.
This time, during the curtain speech, Director Victor Gallo alerts us that the play intends for us to laugh and to cry - but also to think. END DAYS is ostensibly about one woman's excitement and anticipation about the upcoming Rapture - already, right there, the stuff of hilarity. But I would posit that the play also hands out some subtle and not-so-subtle commentary on a handful of weightier themes - family miscommunication, bullying, mental health, blind faith, and science as metaphor, to name a few. I would not say the script beats us over the head with these topics at all, but they're hard to miss if you're paying attention. Vic Gallo's hand is clear in the show's unhurried but energetic rhythms, uncluttered action and the steady progression of the story's arc.
The ensemble cast features a fearless Maddy Liva as intense, dramatic Rachel; an endearing Christian Hudson as hapless, chatty Nelson, displaying a surprising gravitas for one so young; a thoroughly truthful Robert Larson as Arthur, who, in spite of beginning with what appears to be a crippling anxiety, turns out to be something of the hero of the day; a chameleonic Mark Sutton in the dual roles of Jesus/Stephen Hawking (there's a juxtaposition!), impressive in his ability to switch personas on a seeming dime; and finally the indomitable Jen Ingulli, who navigates that toughest of acting tasks - the dogged, unfailing fight to win in spite of the sinking feeling that her obstacles might be too many to overcome. We see her Sylvia pushing down the doubt at every moment - without ever signaling that she's doing so - to soldier on, and it's a heart-tugger. Jen's evolution as an actress has been pretty great to watch, from her spirited Hallie Jackson in LIBERTY VALANCE some years ago to her scene-stealing Micheline in last year's ORION'S CHOICE.
Don't get me wrong – you're also going to laugh out loud. But I think my overarching takeaway was that this family of misfits and their various neuroses were achingly familiar. They'll make you smile. They'll also make you think and maybe chuckle in recognition. You might love them by the end.
One weekend left to see the play! I'm told that, in spite of BLT's tendency to sell out, there are a handful of seats for each show still available. Incidentally, take a gander at the upcoming rest of the season, featuring some delightfully substantial plays. Give them your email address so you know exactly when tickets go on sale, then don't wait to grab yours (you have been warned).
