From the Archives – “Angie’s Aching Heart”

Angie’s Aching Heart, October 1988. We produced this our second season, I think it was, after we moved into the firehouse. It’s about an interracial marriage 20 years later, when passion and courage have gradually ebbed into routine and there’s little left but the dull hope that there will be life after the children pass through adolescence. Jay Lowman and Sara (Zielinska) Capwell played Pop and Mom. Jenny Gilrain is their troubled daughter Angie, and Will Alexander their cool-cat son, Junior. Jimmy Lawrence played Grandpa and Mark McKenna plays Bingo, the dog.  (And there were, as usual, many other wonderful actors and artists involved.)

In this scene, Jimmy (Grandpa) has passed away and sings from heaven. We all miss Jimmy and his powerful tenor voice. Styve Homnick is leader of the fantastic funk band (with Tom Walz on guitar).

It was a huge stretch for us – not just with the interracial material, but also with the dance steps of putting a musical theatre piece together. We’d had success with Canterbury Tales, so starting the season with another musical seem to make sense.  Written by Janet Ruhe Schoen, and directed by the ever-fabulous Larry Leon Hamlin; though I wish we’d had more time to work on the piece in any number of ways, I’m really proud of it.

— Bill George