Review: STONEWALL'S BUST at Best Medicine Rep

An air of merriment and unabashed mayhem pervades the hilarious and totally chaotic, hilarious, satiric comedy Stonewall’s Bust (presented at The Writer’s Center by the Best Medicine Rep). The acting ensemble works comedic wonders under the direction of Evan Morogiello.

Written with a deft comedic hand by John Morogiello, this play—( –about the consequences that ensue when a  northern man inadvertently breaks a precious bust of Stonewall Jackson in the southern home and southern heritage museum of his fiancée’s mother---)--- transcends the attitudes, attributes, and tropes that it satirizes/pokes fun at .

Writer John Morogiello and director Evan Morogiello could easily have made this interesting play into a piece that attacked or focused entirely on polemics, polarization and purely political theatre,---but, instead, there is a stress on the eccentricities of human nature which are presented in a very madcap, screwball comedy style. This very style arises out of the comedic chaos of idiosyncratic characters whose connections with each other almost erupt into the theater of the absurd.

When you are dealing with exorcisms, evangelicals, superstitious fears, obsessive rituals (such as kissing a banister, waving at a debutante’s photo and walking around a rug in front of a door), it takes a lot of acting skill and comedic pacing and control to let the laughs arise from the  literal earnestness of the characters ---only  to eventually transition into an almost surreal eruption of comedic absurdities. This cast certainly delivers with expert comic timing!

There is a southern gothic feel to the material that reminded me of a novel by Fannie Flagg –but even more exaggerated. I also thought of the eccentric southern family in Beth Henley’s superb play Crimes of the Heart.

This lively play is much less tight in structure than such plays (that explore comedic chaos) as Tracy Letts’ The Minutes and the Henry Lewis, Jonathan Sayer, and Henry Shields’ The Play That Goes Wrong. The basic premise of the play is subverted at every turn by the vagaries of human nature with all their glorious inconsistencies and prejudices.

Rachel Arling Samson as Nancy gives a performance that is replete with sassy volatility and gusto in her role as the fiancée of her unassuming and boisterous northern boyfriend. Ms. Samson is highly effective in the scenes where she stands up for herself.

Mark Mumm as the northern outlier Paul delivers a natural and appealing performance as the well-meaning and often disarmingly comic character who, inadvertently, breaks a treasured bust of Stonewall Jackson. Mr. Mumm has a very spontaneous sense of presence, and he possesses an expert sense of comic timing.

Tracy Diibon Coffey as Liddy (the mother of Nancy) is hilarious as the genteel, iconoclastic, superstitious, and hard-of -hearing mother. Ms. Coffey’s comic timing is priceless and finely tuned. Ms. Coffey combines her strength of character with a bemused naïve quality to ultimate effect.

 Rebecca A. Herron is appropriately maniacal and fervor-driven in the role of the feisty Bathsheba. Ms. Herron possesses a very solid presence that exudes energy and charisma.

Victoria Rose as Kim, the daughter of Bathsheba, is a delightful actress who combines a sense of impulsiveness and confidence.

Rocky Nunzio as Slab is appealing in his role as the suitor of Kim and the earnest, steadfast symbol of law enforcement.

Justin Meyer as Earl is perfectly cast as an intense televangelist.

Costume design by Elizabeth Kemmerer is very authentic in portraying each individual character’s personas.

Lighting and projection design by H.G. Rody is beautifully handled.

Set design by Ezra Varyan Ormsby is highly functional and eye-catching.

Sound design by Rachel Borczuch is highly effective

Do not miss the comic hilarity of Stonewall’s Bust. Kudos to Best Medicine Rep for this marvelous play!

Running Time: Two Hours with one ten-minute intermission

Stonewall’s Bust continues its run on October 23 at 7:30pm, October 24 at 3pm and 7:30pm and on October 25, 2026, at 3:00pm ---presented by the Best Medicine Rep--- at the Writer’s Center located at 4508 Walsh Street, Bethesda, MD, 20815.

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