An idiosyncratic labor of love, for Lorne is an homage to veteran character actress Marion Lorne, best known as the flighty and flummoxed Aunt Clara on TV’s Bewitched. Written and directed by Ed Hawkins, it follows the long and surprisingly distinguished career of the “Queen of Quirk.”
This was my first show at Annex Theatre, propelling my social and professional career for the following 15 years and counting – and to think I almost blew off the audition.
“We just can’t help but adore this production.” -Sam Bennett, Sidewalk Seattle
“Full marks to Hawkins and company for ambition and eccentricity, as the cast of 14 Annex regulars take us on a trip through the art and artlessness of a woman who went from stardom on London’s West End to ruin, then unexpected fame at an advanced age via the magic box.” -John Longenbaugh, Seattle Weekly
“The supporting cast, especially Scott Plusquellec’s sharp character acting and Laura McCabe’s dead-on Carol Burnett, grants the production a kind of cartoonish sincerity, but Beth Andrisevic’s Aunt Clara is downright, well, bewitching. Negotiating the tender balance between dignified and dottering old woman, she brings Lorne into the laps of even non-Bewitched aficionados.” -Brendan Kiley, The Stranger
“Ben Laurance and Stacey Plum are nearly perfect in their obliviousness as the young married couple from Bewitched.” -Matthew McQuilken, Seattle Gay News
There was a dance sequence in the second act, an homage to Gloria DeHaven’s song “An Occasional Man” in the 1955 movie “The Girl Rush.” It wasn’t until 2013 when I realized that the choreography we did was lifted directly from the movie. Below is a side-by-side comparison of the two sequences I’ve put together.