By Beulah F. Vega
The 222 in Healdsburg has launched an ambitious season of theater, with three one-person plays and six other shows for a total of nine. The season opened with James McLure’s 1981 slice-of-life one-act, Laundry and Bourbon. The show, directed by Emilie Talbot, runs at The 222 through Sept. 14.
Elizabeth (Sylvia Burboek) spends her day trying to get laundry done and worrying about her husband, Vietnam veteran Roy. Her best friend Hattie (Tanya Marie) shows up after escaping from her children. The two start drinking bourbon and reminiscing about high school. Finally, Amy Lee (Sheila Devitt) arrives full of Baptist superiority and some gossip about Roy.
All three actors are professionals. Burboeck and Devitt are good as the melancholy-but-idealistic Elizabeth and the waspish-but-frustrated Amy Lee, making reliable and sensible choices. However, it is Marie who carries this show. Her Hattie waltzes onto stage like all six steel magnolias got drunk together and created one person. Her choices are grounded and engaging, but always on the very edge between committed and clowning. It’s a hard line for any actor to walk, and Marie does it beautifully. All three actors lay on a THICK Texan drawl, and they do it well. There’s good chemistry between the three as well.
There are also some great production elements here. Talbot’s staging is clean and very effective for The 222’s unorthodox space. The costumes by Naomi Arnst are excellent. The choice of the yellow dress is especially perfect for clueing the audience into the setting of the show and the time period. The lighting design by Robin DeLuca is also excellent. One of the hardest things to do onstage is a sunrise or a sunset. DeLuca gives us a gorgeous, believable sunset that displays some serious technical skill.
However, the script quickly dissolves into a series of monologues about memories. The memory-heavy structure of the play shows its age, if nothing else. This was slice-of-life theater in 1981, but it feels unrealistic and irrelevant to most theatergoers in 2025.
Lastly, there’s the running time. This show is usually presented in tandem with Lone Star, another one-act by McLure. When presented together, they make up a traditional two-hour show. On its own, the show barely hits the hour mark.
That’s good for those who like their theater short and sweet, but perhaps a little on the light side for those looking for a full evening of theater.
‘Laundry and Bourbon’ runs through Sept. 14 at The 222, 222 Healdsburg Ave., Healdsburg. Fri-Sat, 7pm; Sun, 2pm. $45-$105. Students free with ID. 707.473.9152. the222.org
