Sticks of Fire: a Tampa blog

I don’t write much about my personal life here, mainly because I don’t really have a personal life, and most of my time I end up reviewing children’s movies or something… But last Friday, I took out a lovely young woman whose name I’ll keep out of this post for the sake of her reputation. I met her downtown for dinner at Spain Restaurant before the Jobsite Theater production of Woman In Mind at the Performing Arts Center, and both aspects are worthy of public discussion, but I’ll start with Woman in Mind because I can’t stop thinking about it, even hours or days after I left the Shimberg Playhouse.

Certainly there are a number of excellent reviews in the press of Jobsite’s latest show, so it would be redundant for me to discuss more than the bare details of Alan Ayckbourn’s plot; it takes place in England, it’s about a woman with a very complicated life, et cetera, et cetera. What’s more important to me is that Ami Sallee Corley, in the lead role of Susan, performs what I really believe is the most powerful theatrical role I’ve witnessed since moving to Florida.

That isn’t a slight on any of the other fine acting performances I’ve seen in the last three years, it is a true compliment. She takes the complex, revolving role to the edge, but not over it, and makes you absolutely adore her character to the point that you move as she moves; you break as she breaks. It’s unreal. She was delightful in Frankie and Johnny in the Clair de Lune (as either Frankie or Johnny, I can never remember which is which) but her performance in Woman in Mind is truly superlative.

Jobsite regular Jason Evans is excellent — and nearly unrecognizable — in his role as Susan’s aloof vicar husband, as is Kari Goetz (whom, yes, I still have a crush on) as Muriel, the widowed sister-in-law who still seeks signs from beyond the grave.

Woman in Mind is a comedy, but its punch lines wouldn’t pack half the impact without the tension incorporated by David Jenkins’ direction. Shawn Paeonessa is his usual brilliant self as the helpful neighbor-doctor and USF theatre major Caitlin McDonald absolutely needs to take one of my classes, because she is very talented, and hot.

Woman in Mind plays at the Performing Arts Center the next two weekends. Friday’s performance is sold out. Go! Now! Feed your head with some good stuff!

Stay tuned for part two, where I review Spain Restaurant and the rainbow that happened after we ate there.