Of Good Stock
Synopsis
The three Stockton sisters (Jess, Amy and Celia) are witty, brilliant, beautiful, and dysfunctional. When their father, legendary novelist Mick Stockton died, he left his three daughters a house in Cape Cod, control over his books, and a whole lot of issues. He was a Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist who had many affairs, and their mother died young, and it's left them all pretty messed up. It's Jess's 41st birthday and she and her husband Fred have invited her younger sisters to their house on Cape Cod to celebrate. It's an important milestone for Jess: she's surpassing the age of her mother, who died from cancer years ago. Amy is joined by her fiancé, Josh. Celia, the youngest, brings Hunter, her boyfriend. Their reunion ignites passions, humour, and wildly unanticipated upheavals. The men struggle to be a part of this elusive family's legacy. Of Good Stock is a raw, poignant, and hilarious look at the fun and dysfunction of that thing we call family.
Reviews
"Smoothly paced, occasionally touching, and ... as comforting as a quart of mint chocolate chip ice cream, eaten straight from the container."-The New York Times
"The reunion, oiled with scotch, leads to upsetting revelations, the airing of grievances, clumsy tendernesses, profane screams and forgiving ruminations that volley across the stage in a zany, often very funny cacophony ... Ross's characters are drawn with assurance, wit and gentle mockery - we definitely have met these people ..."-Los Angeles Times
"Laugh-out-loud funny...relatable and thoroughly entertaining."-Entertainment Weekly
"Ross displays a flair for writing sharp, funny dialogue." -Hollywood Reporter
"An engrossing mix of humour and heart. Ross's three sisters strike a fine balance between the comfortingly recognizable and enchantingly fresh." -TheaterMania.com.
Written by : Melissa Ross
Directed by : Kym Clayton
Performance Dates - at the Domain Theatre
Fri 3 May 2024 @ 7.30pm
Sat 4 May 2024 @ 7.30pm
Sun 5 May 2024 @ 2:00pm
Thurs 9 May 2024 @ 7.30pm
Fri 10 May 2024 @ 7.30pm
Sat 11 May 2024 @ 2:00pm
Sat 11 May 2024 @ 7:30pm
Domain Theatre, Marion Cultural Centre
287 Diagonal Road, OAKLANDS PARK SA 5046
Cast
Jess | Dora Stamos |
Amy | Melissa Moon | |
Celia | Amanda Grifsas |
Fred | Christian Dewar |
Josh | Josh van't Padje |
Hunter | Nathan Brown |
The Crew
Director | Kym Clayton |
Assistant Director | Andrew Clark |
Producer | Kym Clayton |
Stage Manager | Joy Whellum |
Properties Coordinator and Continuity | Elaine Latcham |
Set Design | Kym Clayton, Trisha Graham |
Business Management | Andrew Clark |
Costume Coordinator | Sam Tutty |
Front of House Management | Allan Whellum |
Hairdressing Design | Kathryn Stevens |
Lighting Design & Operations | James Allenby |
Master of Ceremonies | Ken Calliss |
Photography | James Allenby |
Poster Artwork | Zoe Battersby |
Program | Jacqueline Jeremy |
Properties Assistance | Mary Cummins |
Backstage Team | Mary Cummins, Elaine Latcham, Caroline Russo |
Publicity | Andrew Clark, Kaitlyn McKenzie |
Set Construction | James Allenby, Max Bowden, Ken Callis, Andrew Clark,
Kym Clayton, David Cuppleditch, Sam Tutty, Malcolm Wilkinson
|
Sound Design | Timothy Hall, Warren McKenzie |
Sound Operation | Timothy Hall |
Ticketing Coordinator | Joy Whellum |
Front of House | Members and Friends of Galleon Theatre Group |
Reviews
GLAM Adelaide Review
Every now and again a play happens that takes you completely by surprise. Of Good Stock is one of them. Melissa Ross's gem of a play about the sibling rivalry of three sisters surrounding the events leading up to, and during, an annual family get together, are poignant, funny, challenging and a beautifully sketched example of the barbarism of families. It is such a beautifully drawn sketch of the behaviour of siblings, and the subsequent behaviour of their partners, that when the lights came up for interval the woman in front of me blurted out to her companions - "That's just like my family"!
The subject matter is confronting. Every family has to deal with the effects of a loved one dying and the hole it leaves in their lives. Healing is at the forefront of the way this play evolves and it will leave you with a little bit of a heartache and a whole lot of love. Also, there are questions about love, morality, relationships, commitment, you know all the things we all have to deal with every day. But the good-natured truth of the writing makes us laugh, wince, cry and admit that we are all just a little bit bitchy at heart but no matter what we love our family.
Dora Stamos' Jess is conflicted, defiant and just a little bit controlling as the older sister, Amanda Grifsas' Celia is the perfect epitome of the youngest spoilt brat, and Melissa Moon as Amy was so convincing as the hard-done-by middle sister it left me wondering just how much was real and how much was acting! These three women worked very well together and were compelling and convincing in their portrayal of a needs-driven sibling rivalry. They have a scene together on the dock that is one of those moments in theatre that leave a lasting impression.
Christian Dewar's Fred was all heart. The audience warmed to him instantly, and he was both funny, incisive and emotionally forthright from his first entrance - and the trousers are worth the price of a ticket. Josh van't Padje's character Josh was at once henpecked and petulant and one almost felt sorry for him; I did say almost. He had to deal with Amy (Melissa Moon) and her almost tireless commitment to spoiling everything for everyone - you really should go see it! Nathan Brown as Hunter was a joy of a performance. His free-spirited character challenges everything and everyone and is the catalyst for change the sisters need to break a cycle of repeated compliance to the life they have been forced to lead to survive.
Kym Clayton's direction is sensitive and, at times, comfortingly direct. His observation of family is honest, transparent and everyone has experienced, at least once, the way the family dynamic effects the family get-together. Also Clayton's set design, in collaboration with Trisha Graham, is the perfect playground for this family drama to play out. The attention to detail is excellent. James Allenby' lighting design is sensitive to the requirements of the work but if there's a dark spot you can trust any actor worth their salt to find it! Costumes and hair and make-up were excellent; a testament to the work of Sam Tutty and Kathryn Stephens.
Incidentally, there was no accent coach listed on the programme... and the American accents were excellent.
It is always a real joy to be surprised by a piece of work you had no previous knowledge of. I shall be looking out for more plays by Melissa Ross and looking forward to more work from Galleon Theatre Group.
Congratulations, Kym Clayton and the cast and crew of Galleon Theatre - Of Good Stock is a great night out at the theatre.
Reviewed by Adrian Barnes
Stage Whispers Review
Community theatre is a strong force in SA, providing high quality entertainment outside the city precinct. Galleon Theatre Group is one of the shining gems of community theatre who have been entertaining patrons in the south-western suburbs of Adelaide since 1967, drawing their talent and audiences from all over the metropolitan area and beyond.
Their latest production, Of Good Stock, a SA premiere written by New York playwright Melissa Ross, is a bit of departure for this company as it deals with a number of sensitive topics. Judging by the reaction from the opening night audience, they are on a winner. The laughs are there aplenty, but there are also moments where you can 'hear a pin drop' as the characters delve deeply into their lives and those of their loved ones.
"Families are so weird" is the quote of the play and summarises the plight of the Stockton sisters, trying to celebrate Jess's 41st birthday, another year of survival following breast cancer surgery.
While all three Stocktons are New Yorkers, they don't see each other all that often, a signal that their relationships are not without problems. These problems deepen when their get-togethers are at the Cape Cod house that their father left to Jess instead of all three daughters. It's the sort of idyllic retreat anyone would treasure. Naturally, it makes for a likely cause for resentment on the part of the left-out sisters, especially Amy.
The Stockton girls also grew up in the shadow of dad's fame as a best-selling, Pulitzer Prize winning novelist. No wonder each daughter is in her own way needy and messed up and that this affects their relationships with each other and with men (3 of whom we meet).
Tempers flare and apologies abound and the weekend ends with each of the girls having to face their own reality and that of the men involved in their lives.
Director Kym Clayton, well known to Galleon audiences as a director and actor, pulls no punches and delivers a stellar production that is sure to touch the heart of any audience member. His composite set (designed with Trisha Graham) is a delight, split between the kitchen and garden of the Stockton family home. The kitchen is wonderfully detailed (I loved the 1980's curtains) and the fairy lights in the garden add to the ambience of the space.
With effective scene change music, costumes by Sam Tutty and lighting by James Allenby, Of Good Stock is a visual and aural delight.
Clayton makes use of every centimetre of the Galleon stage, particularly the Mama Mia like dock which is the setting for some of the more intimate scenes of the play, particularly the act 2 scenes between Fred and Josh (doing 'manly' things), and the pivotal scene between the three sisters.
His actors delve deep into their characters resulting in totally believable performances - Dora Stamos plays Jess with a tender touch, trying to hold her family and indeed her life together. Her scene with her husband Fred in act 2 is heart-rending as she outlines her plans for her passing.
Christian Dewar as Jess's husband Fred is the glue that holds the play together with his seemingly laid-back attitude that masks genuine sorrow and loneliness. His act 2 scene with Josh on the dock is a highlight, as is his faultless American accent.
Amanda Grifsas's Celia is the 'baby' of the family, with a secret that threatens to tear the sisters apart. She gives an engaging 'hormonal' performance that any woman who has been through pregnancy will resonate with.
Melissa Moon's Amy is the sister we would all like to give a good talking to. As Celia says, she is like "Martha Stewart on speed". Seemingly totally self-focussed, she hides a secret that is divulged in act 2 that explains her actions.
Josh van't Padje's Josh is torn between his love for Amy and the realisation that it can never work. The jumper around his neck in act 1 is a nice touch mirroring his fiancé's outfit.
Nathan Brown's Hunter is the outsider of the family. He injects another point of view coming from a large family. His act 2 scene with Fred is one of the highpoints of act 2. Coincidentally, he bears a remarkable resemblance to Matthew McConaughey in looks and in accent.
Of Good Stock is a thoughtful, well-crafted production that will have you laughing and perhaps shedding the odd tear or two. Go and see it and support community theatre!
Reviewed by Barry Hill OAM
Theatre Association of SA (TASA) Review
Director Kym Clayton has come up with a winner with this Melissa Ross play. It's cleverly and carefully written and requires a deft directorial interpretation and a capable cast. This production was well served by both. Indeed the scenes of greatest emotional charge were some of the very best performed I have seem for a long time.
What could have been a ritualised portrayal of a dysfunctional American family, collected for the cancer suffering oldest sister's 41st birthday weekend in the family's Cape Cod holiday house, went well beyond the stereotype. We saw the nuanced handling of that issue and its obvious emotional charge, along with the contrasting personalities of the three sisters, as well as their three, equally contrasting, partners. To work on stage this all clearly relies on intelligence from the playwright, the Director, and all six cast.
Fortunately, in this instance, those elements aligned.
The play begins and ends with the couple, Jess and Fred, managing - and at times not - Jess's living with cancer. Dora Stamos and Christian Dewar are, quite simply, splendid in interpreting these roles. They were natural and entirely credible. Stamos effortlessly showed the character's stoicism, sense of responsibility, humour, anguish and inner conflict along with the way she related to all other characters and their own emotional needs. Dewar, as her foodie journalist husband, was equally believable. His sense of the dramatic moment, and acute sense of timing and tone were remarkable. His attempts at making peace between the sisters were often excruciatingly real, and the emotional strength of his character couldn't be faulted. The pair's final scene was both enigmatic and moving.
In many ways the complex relationship between the three sisters is the central feature of the play. To say they are very different from each other decidedly understates it. While Jess, in the main, represents a degree of control and normality, the other two are more explosive. Melissa Moon played the volatile Amy to the hilt. She was extreme, but not a caricature of the self-obsessed bride-to-be. She was believably irritating for much of the action, disrupting a number of scenes with attention-seeking outbursts, often intending hurt to others. Amanda Grifsas, as the youngest sister, Celia, was equally convincing, but in a pouting, often adolescent way when being negative, and in a raucously laughing way when finding humour in a situation or mocking one or other of her sisters.
In one of the scenes of greatest dramatic impact in the whole play, on the dock of the holiday house, Stamos, Moon and Grifsas gave a remarkable performance as the three sisters finally confronting their own truths. It was powerful theatre.
To complete the sextet, Josh van't Padje was a convincingly placid and self-doubting Josh, Amy's husband-to-be, while Nathan Brown was suitably ill-at-ease and gauche as Hunter, Celia's partner.
The action was well spaced in Kym Clayton and Trisha Graham's set, divided between a domestic interior, an outdoor patio and the seaside dock. It served the play well, as did Timothy Hall and Warren McKenzie's timely sound effects and James Allenby's discreet lighting.
This was a noteworthy production, which comfortably blended drama and comedy. It covered significant social and emotional issues, and had some fine acting. Frankly, it should be seen.
Reviewed by David Smith