Brotherly Love Story Told At GCT
September 18, 2008
By FELICIA KITZMILLER
Index-Journal Staff Writer
Greenwood, SC - A familiar story unfolded Wednesday night on the Greenwood Community Theatre stage as three middle aged men who find themselves faced with the brevity of life rediscovered the simple joys of being alive and the value of friendship.
- “Catfish Moon” by Laddy Sartin, which will be playing at GCT through Sunday, is the story of Curley, Frog and Gordon, three lifelong friends who suddenly their relationship strained by the stress of getting older -- and Gordon’s love affair with Betty, who is Frog’s ex-wife and Curley’s little sister.
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- The play takes place on a lake pier the men spent their summers at when they were growing up. Circumstances bring them back to the same place many years later.
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Playwright Laddy Sartin, left, talks with Grainger Hines on Wednesday before the debut performance of “Catfish Moon.” (Staff photo by T.M. James) | “It’s about brotherly love,” said Sartin, who attended Wednesday night’s opening performance.
Sartin, who has spent years in the theater, said he has written dozens of plays but “Catfish Moon” is one of two of what he referred to as “strong American plays.” He said dialogue and the characterization make it a universal play.
Win Ott, who plays Gordon, said the play is special because it could have taken place right on Lake Greenwood.
“When people watch it they are going to say, 'I know that guy’,” Ott said. “Everyone knows these people.”
Ott said he particularly enjoyed the silliness of his character, who tends to bring a lot of the comic relief to the plot.
Frog, played by Kirk Husser, has an entirely different role in the play, frequently launching into angry tirades. Husser said despite the challenges of playing a character who is so contrary to his own personality he really enjoyed performing this play.
“It’s about middle-aged people getting back together. ... that’s a very important theme to me at this point in my life,” said Husser, who recently turned 50.
Film and TV actor Grainger Hines returned to his hometown from California to play Curley, the symbolic leader of the group who always seems to be the one holding things together.
“I thought the script was touching in the sense that I thought everyone here could relate to it,” Hines said. “We have a lot of lifelong friends here in Greenwood.”
Many of the actors said they were intimidated by Sartin’s presence in the audience Wednesday night.
“It puts it up a notch for us,” said Monique Sacay-Bagwell, who played Betty -- a character she said she “fell in love with” after reading the script.
They needn’t have worried.
“As soon as I saw the set, I knew it was in good hands,” Sartin said.
At intermission the author said he was very impressed by the performance.
“This is one of the best shows I’ve ever seen,” Sartin said, adding he had seen his play done dozens of time all over the country.
“They bring a magic to it I’ve never seen,” he said.
Sartin said the cast’s attention to detail brought the show to life with a new spin.
“These guys have got it going on,” he said. “I would be so proud if I saw this in New York.”
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