Be a Witness to 'Witness'

Last night I was fortunate enough to go see the final dress rehearsal of the Flay Rock Playhouse production of Agatha Christie's Witness for the Prosecution.  Angie's directing it and a number of familiar faces from NC Stage were gracing the stage, so I went in expecting a good show.  This was only the second Flat Rock show I've seen, but they've both been outstanding, and also in non-traditional spaces.  

 

My first FRP experience was last summer seeing 12 Angry Men in the Historic Courthouse and Witness is in their new downtown Hendersonville space on S. Main Street, or Playhouse Downtown, as it's called.  Its setup is that of theatre in the round, so there's seating on every side of the set, and really, no matter where you're seated, you have a good view of the action.  And action there's plenty.  I hadn't read or seen any Agatha Christie prior to seeing the play, I'm sorry to say, but, wow, she was a talented writer.  And speaking of talent, the ten (or was it nine? There's some double-casting) actors really made the play pop.  

Angie asked us not to reveal the ending, so I won't, but, boy, are there a LOT of plot twists.  Kind of unbelievable how intricate and detailed Christie gets... it reminded me of a story I heard on NPR about her writing and the writing of some nuns that was analyzed to study the progression of Alzheimer's.  

But I'm getting off track... go see Witness for the Prosecution at Playhouse Downtown. You won't regret it. Trust me. 

Oooo... trust is a kind of creepy word after seeing that play.

Live from... the Historic Henderson County Courthouse?

Photo courtesy of the Baker-Barber Collection

YES! Today is the day! We have our first performance of our co-production of Live from WVL Radio Theatre: It's a Wonderful Life tonight, and we're excited. That's right, in case you haven't yet heard, we've partnered with Flat Rock Playhouse to mount our annual seasonal production of It's a Wonderful Life in the Historic Henderson County Courthouse in downtown Hendersonville. As a result of the change of location, there are now more opportunities to see the play! Opening today, Friday, November 19, and running through Thursday, December 23, there are 40 performances in total. A couple of other great things about this partnership are: 1) There is more parking (and it's FREE!) and, 2) The variety and opportunity to check out the many excellent restaurants in downtown Hendersonville -- including Flight Wood Grill & Wine Bar, Thai Spice, West First Wood-Fired Pizza, and others -- is fantastic.

NC Stage regularly collaborates with our Partner Company-in-Residence, immediate theatre project, to put this play on in the holiday season. In fact, the script is an adaptation by Willie Repoley, who is also performing in it. As is frequently said, theatre is a collaborative art, and when there are great artistic minds around, like there are down at Flat Rock Playhouse, it just seems natural to work together. Flat Rock had great results after mounting two productions in the courthouse earlier this year, 12 Angry Men and A Few Good Men, and we commend them for using a non-traditional performance space. If you got to see 12 Angry Men at the courthouse, then you got to see some of our favorite guys up on stage: Charlie, Willie, Michael MacCauley, and Scott Treadway, among others. (And you can see them on stage again soon!)

So, are you coming? We hope so. Tickets are available through Flat Rock Playhouse's website or by calling 828-693-0731.

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Do you have any recommendations (restaurants, shops, etc.) for folks heading to Hendersonville to see the show? If so, please share!