(photo credit: GCTC/Andrew Alexander)
A Howling Good Time
by Jim Murchison
Walking into the GCTC you see a spacious apartment, with a second level balcony tucked upstage left. Jessica Poirier-Chang has designed a set that has an almost antiseptic look that instantly puts the question in your head; home or institution? That is a central theme to the play that is set around the lives and potential deaths of an elderly couple named Vera and Sam. Do you make sure your remaining years are comfortable and look for something safe or do you chase your bucket list and bravely go forward doing all the things you meant to do but never could because of family, job, procrastination, fear or financial circumstance?
Sam and Vera have been married for 50 years and are now returning to the scene of the crime; the very spot where they spent their honeymoon. It’s not as romantic as it sounds. The rural setting has changed and where once there was a sleepy little inn, now there is a retirement high rise. When Sam is struck with a mild heart attack, the family races to his side.
