Barbara Grant

Review: PERFECT ARRANGEMENT at Walking Shadow Theatre
by Jared Fessler - Jun 8, 2026

Running now through June 21, 2026, at the Crane Theater, Walking Shadow Theatre Company’s production of Perfect Arrangement finds an effective balance between comedy and drama, using laughter to draw audiences into a story with surprisingly high stakes.

Review: PERFECT ARRANGEMENT Is Perfectly Enjoyable at Elmwood Playhouse
by Bruce Apar - Jan 20, 2026

Both author Topher Payne and director Paul Russo offset the seemingly dark and heavy-handed state of affairs at the state department with effective, tongue-in-cheek deftness. The seriousness of the subject matter is no less impactful when filtered through light moments laced with wit that is delivered expertly by Dylan Coonrad as Jim, a teacher, and by Elinor Greenway as Millie, a prototypical 1950s sitcom housewife. There’s more than a little “Lucy” in her portrayal, yet her serious moments carry the requisite credibility.

Review: PERFECT ARRANGEMENT at The Bent
by Kay Kudukis - Feb 7, 2025

Sometimes I get to see a very good production of a very good play, and I go home feeling satisfied. As a reviewer, I sometimes have to see that same play again at another theatre with an entirely different cast and an entirely different directorial approach. It’s a bit like the remake of a classic. At first you wonder why it needs to be remade, and then having already seen what you consider the gold star, the outcome is less satisfactory. 

Cast and Creative Team Set For MISERY at Algonquin
by Stephi Wild - Jan 12, 2024

Algonquin Arts Theatre has announced the cast and creative team for its winter play, MISERY, by William Goldman based on the novel by Stephen King. The show will run at Algonquin Arts Theatre from February 24 through March 3.

BWW Interview: Director George Seylaz of PERFECT ARRANGEMENT at Nutley Little Theatre
by Gina Sarno - Apr 6, 2022

As an actress, I have the pleasure of performing in 'Perfect Arrangement' at Nutley Little Theatre directed by George Seylaz who sat down with me for an interview.

Nutley Little Theatre Presents PERFECT ARRANGEMENT by Topher Payne
by A.A. Cristi - Mar 23, 2022

Nutley Little Theatre presents PERFECT ARRANGEMENT by Topher Payne, directed by George Seylaz.

Nutley Little Theatre to Stage PERFECT ARRANGEMENT
by Marissa Tomeo - Feb 27, 2022

The Nutley Little Theatre will present PERFECT ARRANGEMENT by Topher Payne. The production is directed by George Seylaz and runs from April 8th through the 23rd. Performances are April 8, 9,15, 16, 21, 22, 23 at 8:00 PM and April 10, 17, 23 at 2:30 PM.

The Ensemble Company Presents Central Florida Premiere of Topher Payne's PERFECT ARRANGEMENT
by A.A. Cristi - Feb 4, 2021

Topher Payne's Perfect Arrangement will continue The Ensemble Company's 2021 season (its third) at its home at Penguin Point Productions. Perfect Arrangement, which premiered at the Source Festival in Washington, D.C. in 2013, was described by the New York Times for its Off-Broadway premiere as a 'clever canapé of a comedy,' declaring Payne 'a deft and witty writer.'

BWW Review: KIM, il musical ispirato agli anime giapponesi degli anni '80 al Teatro Pime di Milano
by Andrea Domanico - Apr 10, 2019

Ha debuttato al Teatro Pime di Milano il nuovo spettacolo del controverso regista Thomas Centaro (gia conosciuto per spettacoli come Kitch me Licia, Reset,  Odissea..un vera Troyata): KIM IL MUSICAL. Un musical inedito che si ispira al genere giapponese Majokko (per intenderci il genere di cui fanno parte gli anime giapponesi come Sailor Moon, Magica Emi, etc…) e prometteva di coinvolgere grandi e piccini.

BWW Interview: Kim Il Musical, intervista al regista Thomas Centaro
by Andrea Domanico - Feb 25, 2019

L'8 marzo debuttera al Teatro Pime di Milano KIM - IL MUSICAL. Abbiamo intervistato Thomas Centaro, il regista e sceneggiatore dello spettacolo, per conoscere meglio questo nuovo inedito.

BWW Review: Topher Payne's PERFECT ARRANGEMENT is freeFall Theatre's Finest Show in Years
by Peter Nason - Feb 11, 2019

It starts off like a very funny 1950's sit-com with a gay twist and ends as a devastating plea for respect and self-acceptance.

Photo Flash: Get a First Look at freeFall's PERFECT ARRANGEMENT
by A.A. Cristi - Feb 8, 2019

Due to popular demand, freeFall Theatre Company is extending Perfect Arrangement through March 3. This new play by Atlanta playwright and screenwriter Topher Payne is the story of two couples that come up with a clever plan to stay one step ahead of the Lavender Scare in 1950's Washington, DC. 

BWW Review: PERFECT ARRANGEMENT at DezArt Performs - What's In Your Closet?
by Kay Kudukis - Jan 15, 2019

Everyone has a secret or two stashed away. We hide them for fear of being shamed or in some cases, worse. Shame is solely the product of 'agreed upon' societal 'norms'; if we don't fit into any given box then we have an Achilles heel, something others can use to hurt or destroy us. Mean girls, churches, and government have always been exceptionally good at shaming.

Press Release: PERFECT ARRANGEMENT at Dezart Performs At Pearl McManus Theater
by Kay Kudukis - Dec 26, 2018

Dezart Performs Continues 11th Season with Perfect Arrangement. Secret Lives set in the midst of the 1950s Red Scare is the focus of thhis dark but witty comic work by Topher Payne

Dezart Performs Continues 11th Season with PERFECT ARRANGEMENT
by Julie Musbach - Dec 17, 2018

Imagine I Love Lucy with Ricky and Fred sharing a bed and Lucy and Vivian as lesbian lovers with State Department credentials. In a nutshell, that's the recipe for the improbable secret high-wire act brought to life in Topher Payne's darkly comic Perfect Arrangementfrom the award winning Dezart Performs of Palm Springs. Set against the backdrop of the 1950s "Red Scare" and the burgeoning gay rights movement, the play runs January 11 - 20 at thePearl McManus Theater (at the historic Palm Springs Woman's Club / 314 S Cahuilla Road, Downtown Palm Springs) and is directed by Dezart Performs founding artistic director Michael Shaw.

New American Cancer Society Cookbook Offers More Than 130 Recipes to Help Patients Cope with Nutrition Challenges While Undergoing Treatment
by Marina Kennedy - Sep 25, 2018

The American Cancer Society will release the second edition of What to Eat During Cancer Treatment on Oct. 1. This new cookbook provides more than 130 simple, easy-to-prepare recipes along with practical advice focused on a cancer patient's specific needs, helping them cope with treatment-related side effects.

Nominees Announced For the 45th Annual Non–Equity Jeff Awards; Griffin Theatre Company Leads With 14 Nominations
by Alan Henry - Apr 23, 2018

The Jeff Awards announced today a total of 115 nominations in 19 categories for the 45th Annual Non-Equity Jeff Awards.

Top Atlanta Talent Brings Popular Local Playwright's Regional Hit PERFECT ARRANGEMENT Home
by Stephi Wild - Jan 29, 2018

Theatrical Outfit presents the Atlanta professional debut of Perfect Arrangement by local award-winning playwright Topher Payne. Inspired by true stories of McCarthy-era social survival, this bubbly cocktail party-meets-TV sitcom simmers into poignant realism as two closeted couples, one gay and one lesbian, face exposure and a future more gray than Technicolor. Directed by Adam Koplan (artistic director of Flying Carpet Theatre; director of The Outfit's The Dancing Handkerchief) and featuring an all-star Atlanta ensemble - Ann Marie Gideon, Clifton Guterman, Joe Knezevich, Stacy Melich, Courtney Patterson, Kevin Stillwell and Ann Wilson - Perfect Arrangement runs February 22 - March 18, 2018 and continues Theatrical Outfit's 2017- 2018 Season of Character.

Photo Flash: The 1950's Return in Living Color in PERFECT ARRANGEMENT
by A.A. Cristi - Sep 26, 2017

Reviewing the comedy's 2015 Off-Broadway production by Primary Stages, THE NEW YORK TIMES called it a clever canap of a comedy...Mr. Payne is a deft and witty writer.' THE NEW YORKER said of it As hiding gets harder, pitch-perfect comedy ensues: slamming doors, strange disguises, preposterous excuses Eventually, the four must decide whether face-saving domestic lies are worth it, or whether ostracism beats living in fear. In our own era of surveillance and paranoia, their mid-century problems don't feel so far away.

Cast Announced for PERFECT ARRANGEMENT
by A.A. Cristi - Aug 4, 2017

Full casting was announced today for Pride Films and Plays' Chicago premiere of PERFECT ARRANGEMENT by Associate Artistic Director Derek Van Barham, who's directing the production. In Topher Payne's comedy, it's 1950, and new colors are being added to the Red Scare. Two U.S. State Department employees, Bob and Norma, have been tasked with identifying sexual deviants within their ranks. There's just one problem: Both Bob and Norma are gay, and have married each other's partners and moved next door to each other as a carefully constructed cover. Inspired by the true story of the earliest stirrings of the American gay rights movement, madcap classic sitcom-style laughs give way to provocative drama as two "All-American" couples are forced to stare down the closet door.