COLUMN: Theatre Macon returns with live performances, new season

In a week’s time, Theatre Macon presents “Enchanted April.”

One of the interesting things about the British play’s March 18 opening is that it was supposed to have opened Theatre Macon’s 2020 season — the season that “didn’t happen” because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Of course, Theatre Macon wasn’t alone dimming its footlights. It and other community theaters, movie theaters and entertainment venues suffered their longest shutdowns ever and that includes New York’s Broadway theaters and London’s West End.

“So it’s nice to be able to revisit ‘Enchanted April’ now,” said Richard Frazier, artistic director at the theater. “It’s taken on a whole new meaning with where we are as a country.”

Frazier said “Enchanted April” starts in “dreary England” and ends in “sunny Italy.”

Hopefully, a good metaphor of sorts for past versus coming years and the pandemic and non-pandemic challenges the world faces.

“The play presents four women all in different phases of life with each missing different pieces of their lives and having their own troubles,” Frazier said. “They across an advertisement and decide to take a holiday in an Italian villa. With all they go through, they come to a place of reawakening and rebirth just like springtime just like many are having or hope to have now.”

In terms of the theater, Frazier said actors are glad to be back on stage in a more normal, consistent way and patrons are glad to be filling their seats again and enjoying fine theater.

“We’re definitely a live theater again and hope everyone realizes that,” he said. “We’re doing what we were meant to do and offering services and opportunities we couldn’t during COVID. We have a great cast for this play who are excited and have patrons happy to return and who’ve typically been filling the theater up to two-thirds capacity or so during recent performances.

Frazier said he was also glad to be announcing the coming season’s lineup at the March 18 performance and the return to subscription memberships and ticketing.

Masks are still required during performances since Theatre Macon follows strict guidelines adopted by the Actors’ Equity Association to best assure actor and audience health.

“We’re going to continue looking to their guidance,” Frazier said.

Macon Little Theatre is also using Actors’ Equity guidelines with masks required for their March 25 opening of “Little Shop of Horrors,” the hit ‘80s off-Broadway musical comedy and classic cult movie.

“Little Shop of Horrors” is a simple, garden-variety love story until complicated by a sadistic dentist and a flesh-eating plant.

“This is definitely a ‘theater person’s” classic musical comedy and, for anyone who hasn’t seen it, it is well worth a look,” said J.P. Haynie, the Little Theatre’s artistic director. “It definitely has that ‘80s rock style and we have a cast of wonderful performers from all over the area. We’re really happy Charles Davis of 100.9-FM The Creek is doing the voice of the plant. It’s awesome. We’re well into rehearsals and think our audiences are truly going to enjoy it.”

Haynie said the recent production of “Matilda” was their first sell-out performance since COVID. He said selections are being made now for the coming season with an eye toward tradition plus for innovation to reach new and younger audiences.

“We want to continue to help people love or find their love for live, local theater,” he said. “That’s true for the shows we bring to stage as well as the improvements we’ve made in the theater through new technology in sound, lighting and other support.”

As for this weekend, there’s a great chance to see the French film, “The Rose Maker” on Sunday at the Douglass Theatre.

A comedy directed by Pierre Pinaud starring Catherine Frot, it’s the story of a formerly successful rose grower on the verge of bankruptcy who must train three clueless employees in the skills of gardening in order to save her business. The more deeply rooted question is: what does it take for people or an endangered culture to thrive and grow?

Admission is $5 and shows are at 2 p.m., 5 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. A discussion follows the 2 p.m. showing and the film is in French with English subtitles. The Douglass is at 355 MLK Jr. Blvd. and the Film Guild’s website at www.maconfilmguild.org.

“Enchanted April” runs March 18-27 at Theatre Macon’s 438 Cherry St. playhouse. Exact show days and times and ticketing is on their website at www.theatremacon.com.

“Little Shop of Horrors” runs March 25-April 3 at Macon Little Theatre’s 4220 Forsyth Rd. Exact dates, times and ticketing are on their website at www.maconlittletheatre.org.

Contact writer Michael W. Pannell at mwpannell@gmail.com.