"We Had a Girl Before You" - by Trevor Schmidt - Greater Boston Stage Company (Stoneham, MA.) - REVIEW
(Cover Photo: Annie Barbour in a scene from Trevor Schmidt's "WE HAD A GIRL BEFORE YOU" presented by Greater Boston Stage Company in Stoneham, MA. now playing through November 5, 2023. Photo Credit Nile Scott Studios)
By Kevin T. Baldwin
METRMAG Reviewer
# 774-242-6724
“In the distance, Whisham Island appears out of the mist, like a gift. It is sharp and tall and at its peak is a large and majestic house. My new home. Excitement beats in my bosom. An adventure! How foolish I was then. How innocent and unblemished."
- ("Edwina") / Trevor Schmidt
Greater Boston Stage Company
Presents Trevor Schmidt's
"WE HAD A GIRL BEFORE YOU"
U.S. PREMIERE! A Don Fulton New Works Project
A Spine-Tingling Gothic Thriller!
Written by Trevor Schmidt
Directed by Weylin Symes
Starring: Annie Barbour*
Additional Creative Team:
Casey Blackbird - Production Manager; Emily Fitzgerald* - Production Stage Manager; Anna Fialho - Production Assistant; Katy Monthei - Scenic Designer; Misfit Toys Theatrical, LLC. - Scenic Build; Kate Bell - Scenic Charge; Corey Whittemore - Lighting Designer; Deirdre Gerrard - Costume Designer; David Remedios - Sound Designer; Sarajane Mullins - Properties Designer; Kira Troilo - Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Consultant.
*Member of Actors’ Equity Association, the union of professional actors and stage managers in the United States
Performances:
October 20, 2023 through November 5, 2023
(Contact Box Office for Exact Times)
GREATER BOSTON STAGE COMPANY, 395 Main Street Stoneham, MA 02180
TICKETS:
Reserve your tickets today!
Box Office Hours:
Mondays – Fridays, noon to 6pm Box Office # 781-279-2200 boxoffice@greaterbostonstage.org
COVID 19 PROTOCOLS
Contact Venue for Most Updated COVID-19 Safety Protocols and Information.
Greater Boston Stage Company (GBSC) presents a sinister ghost story worthy of the latest "spooky season" with Trevor Schmidt's "WE HAD A GIRL BEFORE YOU."
Through ancient diary entries, we learn of the story of Edwina Trout- aka "Weenie" (Annie Barbour) - hired to serve as a "ladies’ companion" at a decrepit cliff-top manor.
Barbour is simply astounding conveying Schmidt's meticulously composed gothic tale, portraying all the characters Weenie encounters and interacts with, from sublime to spectral.
Shrewdly directed by Weylin Symes, there are multiple twists and turns throughout what feels like a 90-minute "campfire ghost story."
(Photo: Annie Barbour in a scene from Trevor Schmidt's "WE HAD A GIRL BEFORE YOU" presented by Greater Boston Stage Company in Stoneham, MA. now playing through November 5, 2023. Photo Credit Nile Scott Studios)
As Edwina arrives at the ominous Whisham Manor located on the isolated Isle of Whisham, our heroine finds the place seemingly deserted.
Weenie soon discovers that her new employer, the unseen "E. Whisham" is there but both Whisham (aka "the Master") and Weenie's charge, his sister, have been "quarantined" and Weenie only communicates with "the Master" through a locked door.
Edwina finds her new surroundings vastly different from her previous employment at the "Wexlington-Sheffield Home for Foundlings," where Edwina, herself an orphan, grew up to teach and care for orphans and other "unfortunate unwanted children."
(Photo: Annie Barbour in a scene from Trevor Schmidt's "WE HAD A GIRL BEFORE YOU" presented by Greater Boston Stage Company in Stoneham, MA. now playing through November 5, 2023. Photo Credit Nile Scott Studios)
As the Master and his new hire "bond" (at least in Weenie's mind) we begin to slowly learn what happened to Weenie's predecessors and thus begins a slow descent into an abyss of terror.
To settle her nerves, she recites a mantra consisting of the names of her previous charges, having committed their names and faces to memory:
"George. Sad Edward and his silent twin, Sadie. Thomas John. MaryEllen. Little Mabel. Felix and Jane and Cornelia. Augustas. Eliza. Millie and Gertrude and Sullen James."
By the end of The GBSC beguiling tale, that mantra evolves into something vastly different.
Nothing is as what it appears - including, possibly, our wistful heroine - and the final moment of the play, like any good campfire ghost story, startles as it comes out of nowhere.
(Photo: Annie Barbour in a scene from Trevor Schmidt's "WE HAD A GIRL BEFORE YOU" presented by Greater Boston Stage Company in Stoneham, MA. now playing through November 5, 2023. Photo Credit Nile Scott Studios)
There are many moments of levity and dry wit to help keep us engaged and involved, countered by moments haunting and completely unnerving - and Barbour as "Weenie" excels at conveying each and every one of these moments.
The intricate GBSC single set design is perfectly married to the specialized lighting used throughout the production.
Fully functional, with suspended lanterns precisely positioned to help illuminate as needed, there is not one part of the set that seems as if it is there simply to serve as atmosphere or decoration, although it excels at both. It is simply a gorgeous set.
Costuming for Barbour also appears perfectly in line with a Victorian time period, almost recalling some of the classic "Hammer" horror films.
So, with all the technical elements clearly aligned, why does it feel like some folks still might exit the theatre feeling as though something in the show was missing?
While all the pieces are clearly in place and executed exactly as they should happen, the show seemingly does not build enough heightened tension. It actually does, although it is done more subtly than some might enjoy.
Therefore, to some, it may seem as though the story does not feel as compelling as it should to sustain suspense for the full 90 minutes but if they watch intently, there's a lot more going on in Schmidt's subtext.
It does not mean Schmidt's "WE HAD A GIRL BEFORE YOU" is lacking. In fact, it is actually a well constructed story, intelligently staged by Symes and, again, Barbour gives a simply amazing performance.
For some, however, the story perhaps lacks in the level of sustained intensity they might have come to expect thanks to the instant gratification provided by today's gory, "quick-cut" horror movies.
(Photo: Annie Barbour in a scene from Trevor Schmidt's "WE HAD A GIRL BEFORE YOU" presented by Greater Boston Stage Company in Stoneham, MA. now playing through November 5, 2023. Photo Credit Nile Scott Studios)
The great filmmaker, Alfred Hitchcock, once noted how it isn't the moment a bomb explodes in a movie but rather the visual of the lit fuse, slowly building up the anticipation to that ultimate explosion, thus heightening the level of suspense leading up to that moment.
In many ways, that is exactly the approach Schmidt has taken on stage with "WE HAD A GIRL BEFORE YOU."
In a world where movies like "The Ring" and the reboot of "IT" have taken hold with frighteningly loud, abrupt cuts happening every other minute, it is actually refreshing to witness a stage show that takes its time to build up the level of suspense similar to what Hitchcock described.
This show is that lit fuse.
While there aren't any abrupt cuts or gore - hell, there won't even be a campfire or S'mores to go along with this haunting story - thanks to Barbour, Schmidt and the entire GBSC team there is still much suspense and spookiness to enjoy.
Schmidt's "WE HAD A GIRL BEFORE YOU" continues in Stoneham at Greater Boston Stage Company until November 5th.
Beginning December 8th, GBSC will see the return of Peter Rothstein's award-winning "ALL IS CALM" . More details below:
"All Is Calm: The Christmas Truce of 1914" by Peter Rothstein - Greater Boston Stage Company (Stoneham, MA.)
Approximately 90 minutes with no intermission.
Kevin T. Baldwin is a member of the American Theatre Critics Association (ATCA)
@MetrmagReviews
@Theatre_Critics
ABOUT THE SHOW
In Trevor Schmidt's "WE HAD A GIRL BEFORE YOU" a mysterious woman tells the story of a desolate and decaying manor where nothing is as it seems and terror threatens at every corner.
But is it a memory? Or a dream? Or the fractured workings of an unraveling mind?
ABOUT GREATER BOSTON STAGE COMPANY
We bring vibrant professional theatre and dramatic education beyond the boundaries of Boston, featuring world and regional premieres alongside fresh interpretations of familiar work. Within this setting, we uniquely foster the artists of tomorrow by providing ongoing performance and employment opportunities to our company of current and former students. Located in Stoneham, MA. GREATER BOSTON STAGE COMPANY produces five Mainstage shows, presents a series of Special Events, and runs year-round classes, lessons, and fully staged productions through The Young Company for students in grades 1–12.
395 Main Street
Stoneham, MA 02180
Box Office # 781-279-2200
boxoffice@greaterbostonstage.org
greaterbostonstage.org
