"Bakersfield Mist" Rolls into the Arsenal Center for the Arts

While strolling through a thrift store, Maude Gutman buys an ugly painting as a gag gift. But soon, she learns it may be much more than junk – it might be an original Jackson Pollock. Enter Lionel Percy, a renowned art expert, who visits Maude’s trailer to assess the painting. It’s here where the two characters in "Bakersfield Mist" begin a heated debate over class, truth, and what is truly valuable.

The New Repertory Theatre's production stars actors Ken Cheeseman and Paula Langton. The two performed the show last summer at the Wellfleet Harbor Actors Theatre. Jeff Zinn, the artistic director at the Wellfleet theater from 1988 through last year, is also directing the Watertown production. While Zinn has directed dozens of plays, this is his third time taking the reins at the New Rep.

"What interested me in 'Bakersfield Mist' is the collision between two very different worlds," Zinn says. "Yes, he's a ‘left coast’ effete snob and she's trailer trash. They present themselves to the world one way, but there's always so much more going on."

Award-winning playwright Stephen Sachs directed the premiere of "Bakersfield Mist" at the Fountain Theatre in Los Angeles last June. The show has continued a rolling production nationwide, with stops in Wellfleet, New Jersey, and now here in Watertown.

According to Harriet Sheets, New Repertory Theatre’s managing director, "We are proud to be a member of the National New Play Network, and happy to have collaborated with Wellfleet Harbor Actors Theatre on this production."

"Bakersfield Mist" opens Sunday, Feb. 26 with performances at 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.  The play runs through March 18 in the Black Box Theatre at the . For show times and tickets prices, visit the New Rep’s website.