A play of beginnings and endings
By Glenda Robinson August 15, 2008 San Miguel de Allende

Theater
The Last Ride
Tue–Sat, Aug 19–23, 7:30pm
Sun, Aug 24, 5pm
Teatro Santa Ana
Biblioteca Pública
Reloj 50A
150 pesos

The title of the new play by local playwright Michael Hager, The Last Ride, may conjure up images of someone’s final days, or maybe the end of a long relationship, but the musical drama is more about beginnings than endings.

Through its unusual dramatic structure, the audience enters the play directly through the main character, Dusty Evans, who has just died and returned to his local hangout as a spirit to tell his friends’ stories and reflect on the meaning of his life. Dusty also sings to the audience to enrich his narrative. 

A two-act drama set in a southwest New Mexico truck stop bar, The Last Ride brings together an array of curious characters, including a gruff but soft-hearted long-haul trucker, a young soldier leaving his pregnant girlfriend to go off to war in Iraq and a 50-something strip club owner who sees her last chance at love disappear when Dusty is killed in a freak accident. 

Having gathered to celebrate his birthday, his friends soon learn that their local hero has passed on to the “big rodeo in the sky.” Initially shocked, they ultimately collect themselves and go on to give Dusty a proper sendoff. Unbeknownst to them, their disembodied friend has returned to the bar to reveal their secrets to the audience. Through seven original songs, Dusty confirms that everyone has a story to tell, some teetering on the edge of darkness, others warming the heart. 

Although it is a drama, The Last Ride has many lighter, humorous moments. In the end, this poignant story is about relationships, redemption and the bumpy “ride” that life can sometimes take us on. Directed by Michael Gottlieb, this is a full production with an inventive set designed by Gerry Holmes and an ensemble cast of some of San Miguel’s finest actors, including Chris Davis (Owen), Jill McClave (Cookie), John Wharton (Red), Seth Sharp (Eddie), Anna Bensaud (Annie), Frank Simons (Frank), Jill Gottlieb (Mustang), Dennis McCarter (Buster), Claudia Joubert (Rita) and Michael Gottlieb (Dusty). 

The Last Ride promises to give audiences a lot for their money, which, by way, goes entirely to support the fine work Casita Linda does in building houses for underprivileged families in nearby ranchos.

“The dedication of everyone involved in this play—from the actors to the producers to the stage managers—demonstrates how community involvement in the arts can change people’s lives,” says Irma Rosado, newly elected president of Casita Linda. “When Michael offered to do this project as a benefit for our organization, we were thrilled. We are very proud to be involved with The Last Ride.” 

Tickets may be purchased at the Teatro Santa Ana box office and La Conexión, Aldama 3. 

Gwenneth Holmes to say farewell
By Bobbie Bell

Playreaders Theater
Agnes of God
Wed–Thu, Aug 20–21, 7pm
St. Paul’s Church
Cardo 6
Donation 20 pesos

The San Miguel audience will see Gwenneth Holmes one last time on the stage before she and her family move to Exeter, England, where Gwen will become part of the Cygnet Training Company and participate in the Shakespeare Traveling Theater, performing in Ireland, Scotland and in that most blessed of theater cities—London!

In the Playreaders production of Agnes of God, Gwen plays the title role, a young nun who gives birth to a child she is accused of murdering; Lola Smith (recently seen at Teatro Santa Ana in No Regrets) plays Mother Superior Miriam Ruth, who defends the innocence of Agnes; and Clara Dunham (recently seen at Playreaders in Amadeus) plays Dr. Livingstone, the psychiatrist appointed by the court to discover the truth about what happened.

The New York Times describes the play as “a psychological war between Dr. Livingstone and Mother Miriam Ruth over Agnes’s mental and spiritual health…the play becomes a collection of contrasts between science and religion, between the temporal and the spiritual, and between facts and faith.”

Agnes of God, written in 1979, opened on Broadway in 1982. The 1984 movie starred Meg Tilley, Ann Bancroft and Jane Fonda.

Gwen, 17, has had quite a time of it in San Miguel since coming here in 2004 with her parents, Christine Foster and Gerald Holmes. She has performed in Playreaders productions of Girl Talk, On Golden Pond, Night of the Iguana, Oleanna, Good as New, Uncle Vanya, Dedicaton or The Stuff of Dreams, Moon over the Brewery, Harold and Maude and Underpants. She also has been in Teatro Santa Ana full productions of Eleemonsynary, Diary of Anne Frank and Stop the World—I Want to Get Off. Audiences have enjoyed her performances as very young girls, teenage girls, college girls, nice girls, troubled girls, young wives and as a boy. Most recently, Gwen performed in the film Love Is….

Gwen leaves San Miguel on August 25, a young woman who has a wonderful career ahead of her. Doors open at 7pm and the play will begin at 7:30pm or earlier if all the seats are filled. Bobbie Bell is the director; Dic Simandl and José Luis Zamora handle sound and lights.