The Evergreen Playhouse’s last play of the season, “The Curious Savage,” is marketed as a comedy, but audiences for the show’s April 18 to May 4 run can expect many tender moments and a heartfelt lesson in finding contentment wherever you are.
“Contentment often gets mistaken for complacency … but real contentment isn’t about giving up or settling. It’s about having a deep sense of peace and purpose where you are, which actually gives you the strength to take meaningful risks without needing to escape or prove something,” said director Danielle Kays. “You’re not chasing something to fill a void. You’re investing deeply, showing up fully and choosing to love and hope.”
The play tells the story of the recently widowed Mrs. Ethel P. Savage (Yvonne MacNeely), who was committed to a sanatorium by her stepchildren (Matthew Michael, Becki Perez and Tanner Huntting) after she began doing the unconventional things she always wanted to do, like acting and dying her hair blue, and began using her late husband’s fortune to help average people pursue their own impractical dreams.
In the sanatorium, Mrs. Savage meets the residents of “The Cloisters” (Olivia Chaney, Makaelynn Manning, Kolten Tomlin, Kody Paterson and Alene Stewart) and their caretakers (Michelle Lucero and Kelsi Mack), who “show Mrs. Savage life in a different way. How kindness can be a simple button. How art can be appreciated in different ways. And how ruthless and conniving people can be,” Kays said in her director's note.
“The Curious Savage” is the first show Kays has directed at the Evergreen Playhouse since she directed “A Diary of Anne Frank” in February 2023.
“This journey with the residents of The Cloisters and the Savage family has brought me to laughter, tears, and a new appreciation to live in the moment. To ‘stop and smell the roses.’ To look at the world around me with childlike imagination. To be silly — even if someone is watching,” Kays said in her director’s note.
Regular performance times are 7:30 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays and 2 p.m. on Sundays. A pay-what-you-can actor’s benefit performance is also scheduled for 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, April 24.
Tickets are available for purchase online at https://evergreenplayhouse.com/season65.
Tickets are $17 for adults and $14 for students and seniors.
Audiences will get a sneak preview of the lineup for the Evergreen Playhouse’s upcoming 66th season and will have the opportunity to buy season tickets before general sales begin May 5.
The Evergreen Playhouse is located at 226 W. Center St. in Centralia.
For more information and updates on available tickets for upcoming shows, visit https://www.facebook.com/EvergreenPlayhouse.
Cast list
Florence Williams: Olivia Chaney
Fairy May: Makaelynn Manning
Jeffrey: Kolten Tomlin
Hannibal: Kody Paterson
Mrs. Paddy: Alene Stewart
Titus Savage: Matthew Michael
Lily Belle Savage: Becki Perez
Samuel Savage: Tanner Huntting
Mrs. Ethel P. Savage: Yvonne MacNeely
Dr. Emmett: Michelle Lucero
Miss “Willie” Wilhelmina: Kelsi Mack
Boy: Oliver Stanton
Crew list
Director: Danielle Kays
Stage manager: Matthew Hawkins
Set design: Jeff Eisel
Properties/scenic dressing: Jennifer Wallace, Carolyn Skye
Costumes: Matthew Michael
Set construction: Jeff Eisel, Mark Pendleton, Brian Hollander, Kody Paterson, Cora Dailey, Alene Stewart
Set painting: Carolyn Skye, Danielle Kays, Jennifer Wallace
Light design: Michelle Koenen
Board operator: Cora Dailey
Posters: Designs by Danielle
House manager: Janelle Lunzman
