Come Back Little Sheba

When we're alone and in need, anytime of the year can be difficult. And often, that which we think is missing from our lives and could fill our need is something that is right in front of us all the time. Such is the message of William Inge's Come Back Little Sheba, now in production by the Shadow Theatre Company.

The play's blunt themes of loneliness, alcoholism, and desire, while not shocking by today's standards, ring just as true as when they unsettled audiences at the first production in 1950.

Lola Delaney, is a woman of "quiet desperation" (captured by Ruthay's subtle facial expressions and voice modulation), who has let her life slip away and seeks escape through anyone nearby—her neighbors, boarders, milkman, and mailman. She is servile to her husband, Doc, a surly chiropractor who had abandoned his dreams of medical school to marry her and preserve her honor. Kurt Soderstrom is explosive as he walks an emotional tightrope as Doc, a reformed alcoholic driven to distraction by their attractive, young female boarder.

Laura Norman, who did such an outstanding job as the homeless teenager, Kim, in Shadow Theatre's last production, once again astounds as the hardworking, mother of seven, next-door-neighbor, Mrs. Coffman.

As is Shadow Theatre's practice, director Michael R. Duran draws solid supporting ensemble performances from a mixture of new and experienced talent.

Despite their trials, Inge's character are not without hope once they learn to stop looking elsewhere for redemption. Shadow Theatre Company's production of Come Back Little Sheba runs through December 15th. 303-837-9355.