"Roadsigns" at Purple Rose

Not only is Lansing a Mecca for good local theater, there are plenty of additional high-quality theater companies within an easy hour drive.

One of the best companies in Michigan is located in Chelsea, The Purple Rose Theatre Company, and it has strong roots in Lansing. The long-standing artistic director is Guy Sanville who did lots of work as an actor and director in Lansing and the Williamston Theatre was founded and is being run by a full group of Purple Rose alumni.

Of course, the founder of Purple Rose is one of the greatest actors of our generation, Jeff Daniels.  Daniels has achieved acclaim from his work in movies, Broadway (just finished a one-year-run in To Kill A Mockingbird), and TV.  The name of the Chelsea theater is taken from one of Daniels’ first movie triumphs, “The Purple Rose of Cairo”, directed by Woody Allen.  

I recently visited the theater to see the original Jeff Daniels play, “Roadsigns”.  I have not been to Purple Rose for a while and it was a pleasure to return to this beautifully appointed theater – great sight lines, comfortable, and a gracious thrust stage.

The Purple Rose is an Equity house, which means that most of the actors are professional and members of Equity Actors Union. And when you see a play at Purple Rose, professional is the word that describes the entire enterprise.

Sanville, who directed “Roadsigns”, accurately calls it a play with music. The entire show is a man with a guitar singing a song (written by Jeff Daniels and Ben Daniels taken from a poem by Lanford Wilson) in a small club in the present.  The rest of the eight-member cast are sitting on seats to suggest a bus, and the bus is making its way to Chicago several years before.

Each character has his or her story to tell and tells it either through song or through acting.  Here and there, some cute dancing is thrown in.

The play is a warm-hearted tableau of people caught at a moment of transition in their life.  They want to share their stories, they want companionship and they are apprehensive about the future.

As the play continues, we begin to care about these people.  The script does not uncover great truths, but each character’s story is genuine and real and we like them: Esther (an unbeatable Ruth Crawford) who recently lost her husband after 50+ years of marriage.  Darlene (a charming Caitlin Cavanaugh) who is romanced by a soldier (Rusty Mewha), and Tanesha (scene-stealer K Edmonds) a singer who wants to go to Detroit to be another Aretha Franklin. Other actors David Bendena, Tom Whalen, Richard McWilliams and Kristin Shields.

Each actor is committed to his/her character and makes this gentle story somehow very enjoyable.

There are not many surprises or suspense here.  We’ve seen variations of these characters before, but the deft directing of Guy Sanville and sincerity of the acting makes the play entertaining with a little bit below the surface.

You won’t see “Roadsigns” on Broadway any time soon, but the music, the songs, the creative set (Sarah Pearline) and most of all the great acting make the play well worth an evening at the theater.  

“Roadsigns” plays until March 14 and is one of an entire season of world premier plays. For tickets and information: purplerosetheatre.org, (734) 433-7673