Getting To Yes - "Annabelle", At Thistledew Dessert Theater

On Friday, several of the DMTC folks went to Thistledew Dessert Theater to see "Annabelle," starring recent DMTC standouts, Brennan Cull and Buffee Gillihan. Thistledew is a marvellous little place, in the basement of the Victorian at 19th and P Street. Several other theater folks were there too - Chelsea Beatty and Jerry Lee, for example.

"Annabelle" was the third show of this summer's Local Playwright's Festival, and it was written by James Moran. After this preliminary outing, and after changes in set and lighting, among other things, the show will be presented to the larger theater community, either at Thistledew, or maybe at a place like the Delta King, later in the year.

The show is basically a reminiscence of a romance, and each of the two characters tells their own view of the romance. It's full of wry observations and love songs, but because of it's backward-looking nature, it requires attention: it's not for those with ADD, or Game Boy addictions. It's more for the love-struck!

To keep the play moving forward, the playwright uses the device of an inexperienced, comic theatrical player (Brennan) to Buffee's experienced straight-man, exploring the various meanings of the word 'yes.' It's all quite fun.

Both Brennan and Buffee are wonderful singers, and they sing their songs well. On several songs, Buffee sings in a pop style that reminded me a bit of Mariah Carey. Brennan has a wonderful song just before intermission (if my memory wasn't a sieve, I could remember the title). In comments afterwards, several people mentioned that many of the love ballads were quite similar in nature - 'silly love songs,' of the sort that Paul McCartney rose so quickly in defense of. This is true, but somehow, I couldn't help but think how out-of-place something like a march would be.

Make a point to see "Annabelle" when it is staged again!