Skip to main content

A Review of the Play, Men on Boats, at Baltimore Center Stage


I recently saw Men on Boats, the third play of the 2019/2020 season at Baltimore Center Stage. This play is written by Jaclyn Backhaus and directed by Jenny Koons.  It is a satire based on the one-armed explorer, John Wesley Powell’s expedition and “discovery” of the Grand Canyon and his relationship with his fellow boat mates.  

What I enjoyed about this play was the fresh take of having an all-female cast – ten of them portraying an explorer.  Although the story takes place in 1869, I loved how the playwright sought to give it a more hip and twentieth century flavor. It was all in the attitude and quips mostly given by some of my favorite characters: John Wesley Powell played by Ceci Fernandez, Old Shady played by Haruna Lee, John Colton Sumner played by Patrena Murray, and William Dunn played by Jessica Ranville.

Watching the interaction of the explorers going through rough seas showed the closeness of them as a team supporting and helping and at times saving each other. It was also fun watching them interact when they “banked” or came on shore. I enjoyed the scenes with Old Shady who was in charge of the food supplies and took this role seriously even getting mad when food rotted or got lost when a boat overturned. But somehow managed to create meals out of what remained.  Nevertheless, nothing beats the camaraderie when they shared wine and sang around a campfire. 

The actors’ chemistry on stage was fantastic. They delivered their lines well and took what could have been a very boring topic of exploration and made it an interesting and hilarious yet thought-provoking one. This was captured in the scenes portraying the power struggle between Dunn and Powell. Dunn not trusting Powell thinking he was leading them to their deaths and Powell adamant in forging ahead although I could sense some doubt in his decision. 

At the end of the day, it’s all about the narrative and the re-telling or the re-imagining of how history is portrayed. And this play accomplished that quite well in letting the audience know that it wasn’t a bed of roses on this discovery expedition. Great job! 

So, get your tickets today! You still have time to see this show playing now through December 22, 2019.

A ROLLICKING COMEDY

This rollicking comedy is history as you’ve never seen it before — without a single man in sight. Join a team of explorers as they tell the true(ish) story of the “discovery” of the Grand Canyon and upend everything...including their boats.




Check out the video:



Comments

Popular posts from this blog

National Poetry Month’s Feature: Poet Claire Dorsey

Poet’s Bio: Claire Dorsey studied acting at NYU's Tisch School of the Arts. She has worked as an actress for almost 20 years Off-Broadway and Off-Off Broadway, originating roles in Pearl Cleage's  Late Bus to Mecca  at the Judith Anderson Theater and Diana Son's  Stealing Fire  at SoHo Rep. She appeared in an episode of the TV show  The Wire . She worked as an artist-in-residence in NYC public schools and performed her poetry at venues throughout the city.  She collaborated with NYC photographer Kwasi Noire to self-publish a volume of poetry entitled  Rhythms of a Life . Her work appears in volumes 1 and 2 of The Fire Inside: Collected Stories and Poems from Zora’s Den . Claire works as a proofreader and copy editor and is the mother of one amazing daughter.  Readers can learn more about Claire and her work at: Facebook: Claire Dorsey Instagram: kleyrmoon  Deliah Lawrence: What inspired you to be a poet? Claire Dorsey: I am one of nine children. I was nicknamed Idy (

It’s A Book Thing Presents: An Interview with Debbie Stokes, author of The Stranger He Knew

Author’s Bio: Debbie Stokes was born and raised in Baltimore, Maryland. She has always had a desire to be a published author of a fiction novel, but fear stopped her. She often shares how her story ideas come to her in her dreams, and how she jumps up to write them down. Finally, one day, she pushed past her fear and allowed her vision to come to past. She is now a published author, and The Stranger He Knew is her first book.  Debbie is a former CEO, blogger, and interviewer for her previous women's empowerment blog called, 3 Women Voices, where she shared empowering stories of how people overcame odds to live their best lives. She is also a former contributing writer for FEMI Magazine, a cultural lifestyle magazine, where she interviewed and shared people’s stories.  When not writing, she enjoys singing, dancing, inspiring others, and spending time with family.  Deliah Lawrence: What inspired you to write your book? Debbie Stokes: That is a funny story. One day, I went

Interview with Jacqueline Seewald, Author of THE INHERITANCE

Author’s Bio: Multiple award-winning author, Jacqueline Seewald, has taught creative, expository and technical writing at Rutgers University as well as high school English. She also worked as both an academic librarian and an educational media specialist. Sixteen of her books of fiction have previously been published to critical praise including books for adults, teens and children. Her short stories, poems, essays, reviews and articles have appeared in hundreds of diverse publications and numerous anthologies. What inspired you to write your book? I enjoy writing romantic mystery fiction. The idea for this particular novel just seemed to evolve organically from my imagination. Is there any particular author or book that influenced you in any way either growing up or as an adult? I would have to say reading the Bible was influential. As far as regular books go, I’m a big fan of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice. Is this your first book? How long did it take to start and