GEORGE and the DRAGON – Revisited

Review of a Jason Woods Creation & Production

Dick Kerekes & Leisla Sansom dualcritics@comcast.net

The Dual Critics did something we have rarely done by viewing the same theatrical production twice during the same year. If you read our original review of the show, which was staged at Christ Episcopal Church in Ponte Vedra, Florida, in October 2015, you know we were delighted by St. George and the Dragon and company. We have reviewed a number of plays by North Florida playwrights over the years, but almost never had the opportunity to see them more than once  as they are rarely produced locally a second time. Exceptions do exist: “Christmas Carole,” written by Bruce Allen Scudder, is a perennial favorite, and Ian Mair’s plays, although written some years ago, still pop up on local stages

Another reason we saw this recent revision was our interest in Jacksonville’s WJCT studio as a theatre venue. We recall seeing “Next Fall”, a production by the 5 & Dime Theatre at WJCT in 2012, but St. George was much bigger in scale, requiring more props and a much larger cast. We are pleased to report this production gets a resounding ‘A’ grade. The cast was once again miked and Director/Playwright Woods has essentially the same excellent technical crew in place, although we noticed that Brian Johnson moved up to the role of a very busy Assistant Stage Manager.

All of the lightweight set pieces used to define the medieval village were back, making swift changes by the cast and crew possible. Thanks go to a local firm, Brock Foam and Stone, Inc., for constructing such an evocative locale. The twenty-foot-long dragon, constructed by Mr. Woods and staff, once again gave a mesmerizing performance thanks to dragon team members Cameron Pfaller, Hannah Woods, Boston Woods, and Kristin Alexander.

Director Woods had to recast some roles, as the actors who appeared in the debut version had other theatre commitments. Rhodie Jackson is appearing in a play in St. Augustine and Joseph Stearman has been on stage in ABET’s Christmas production. Olivia Gowan, who played the pivotal role of Olivia Chandler, is busy launching her original play “Cotton Alley,” which will debut in January, 2016 at Players by the Sea.

Douglas Anderson School of the Arts junior Anna Deyo stepped into the leading role of Olivia, and gave a remarkable performance as the maiden who discovers the true poetic and peaceful nature of the dragon. Other cast changes we noticed included Kelby Siddons as a Cookbook and a Fairy, Teresa Perry as a Fairy, Hannah Woods as a History Book, David Gile as a Villager, and Myles Edward Hughes as The Map and a Villager. One totally new character in a cameo role was six-year-old Sheana Fergus who appears as Olivia during childhood, and in a rather dramatic moment lifts a sword toward the sky.

We once again enjoyed the superb acting and humor of Alec Hadden (St. George), Rob Banks (Moonwig Grumblemuff), Jason Collins (The Town Crier), Joshua Tayor (Checkley), and Matt Thompkins (Tumble). A note on Mr. Thompkins: he seems to appear constantly on our local stages and we certainly hope his next role will allow him to keep that wonderful red beard cultivated for this show.

We hope that Jason Woods’ journey with “St. George and the Dragon” continues. We have been to many new play festivals around the country, and “St. George and the Dragon” is one of the best and most original plays we have ever seen, and one which is appealing to audiences of all ages. As we exited WJCT, we followed the instructions given by one of the characters: we dried our eyes. And we left with smiling faces.