Hick: A Love Story is riveting theater!

Hick: A love Story, currently playing at the Berkeley City Club is a posthumous “coming out” for Eleanor Roosevelt in a poignantly intimate theatrical setting. Terry Baum, in a riveting solo performance, stars as AP Reporter, Lorena Hickok (aka “Hick”) who sifts through stacks of correspondence, fleshing out her decades long romance with the well-revered First Lady. The narrative is sparkling and its reach into a double row audience is a perfect match for those expecting an evening of compelling drama interspersed with comic relief. (Kudos to Director, Carolyn Myers)

Gifted actress, Terry Baum, known to many through her Lilith Theater Productions and Crackpot Crones, successfully dances through a single set staging that’s artfully divided into a reporter driven workspace with manual typewriter, and the apartment where “ER’s” piled-high letters abound. Shifts in venue, such as a scenic transition to Yosemite where Hick and Eleanor take their “honeymoon” draw on the audience’s imagination nurtured along by a well-conceived script and brilliant acting. (Incidentally, the period era musical framing is a lovely nuance). Tucked into the mosaic is the voice of Eleanor reciting her own letters to Hick, which puts the finishing touch on a memorable production.

On a personal note, I heard Eleanor Roosevelt speak at Walton High School in the Bronx, circa 1960 or so, and though I was too young to appreciate the First Lady’s eloquent words, I nonetheless experienced her abounding humanity and caring.

Hick: A Love Story is definitely a don’t miss! Its timely out of the closet reflections can perhaps fuel the play’s journey to New York City (I hope) where it should receive accolades and more. For now let’s keep it running in the Bay area.

TICKET Information :

http://www.crackpotcrones.com