Since the title of the play is "Welcome to Mitford," it should come as no surprise that the town is the star of the show, which opened Friday night at Twin City Stage.
In scenic designer Chip Holton's set, facades dissolve to show simple but elegant interiors that represent the homes, churches and diners in the bucolic town of Mitford, N.C., a fictional town based on Blowing Rock.
Director Norman Ussery has described the scenery as "a watercolor pop-up book of the town that moves," and that is apt.
Fortunately, the characters from Jan Karon's nine "Father Tim" novels are done justice by playwright Robert Inman. Mitford's inhabitants present well-tended exteriors that slowly fall away to reveal their true natures.
Tim Austin plays confirmed bachelor Father Tim Kavanagh, whose predictable, if harried, life is changed irrevocably when he takes in an abandoned boy, young Dooley Barlowe.
Robert Lintner plays Dooley with real kick. He is like an exclamation point, and he brings a missing and unexpected spark into Father Tim's life.
That spark gets fanned into a flame when a charming divorcee, Cynthia Coppersmith (Charlene Martin), moves in next door and quickly lays claim to Father Tim's heart.
In addition to the fabulous sets, Ussery has implemented delightful stagecraft to illustrate Mitford life. The townspeople repeatedly invade Father Tim's study accompanied by flashing clouds and dreamlike lighting by Daniel Alvarez.
The townspeople are a jolly, gently carousing lot.
The pacing in "Welcome to Mitford" is unlike customary entertainments. It's slow and easygoing, like the town and like Father Tim himself. The audience sees life unfolding peacefully instead of spinning wildly out of control, although a precipitous decline in Father Tim's health creates a little bit of drama.
Martin plays Cynthia with the perfect blend of boldness and restraint. Austin's Father Tim is believably shy and tender. And middle-aged love and life have rarely been drawn with such honesty and kindness.
She's a lovely woman. He's a lovely man. It's a lovely show.
- Because of unusual demand for all regularly scheduled performances of "Welcome to Mitford," Twin City Stage has added a 2 p.m. matinee on Saturday. There will also be an 8 p.m. performance on Saturday, as scheduled.
"This is the first time in the six years since I've been executive director of Twin City Stage that we've had to add a performance," Ussery said.
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