The director’s take on “Quilters”

Tom Titus

When Marla Gam-Hudson was asked to direct “Quilters” for the

Huntington Beach Playhouse, she viewed it at first as a breather of

sorts from her ambitious assignment of the previous season -- putting

the heavily populated musical “Fiddler on the Roof” on the playhouse

stage.

“I thought it would be a rather easy undertaking -- only seven

women, one costume each and a nondescript setting so we get to create

anything we want with this beautiful music to underscore some

touching and some funny scenes,” she said.

She soon learned it was anything but easy. The cast may be small,

but the emotional impact is mighty. And Hudson increased her own

workload by adding a half-dozen girls as a “young daughters

ensemble,” serving as unscripted backup associates in various human

and animal forms.

“The play is written from real tales of real women in very real --

although extraordinary -- situations,” Hudson said. “The history and

the power involved in each woman’s story is nothing short of heroic.

“Each thread we pull, we also pull on our hearts,” she added. “The

play asks you to journey through the different pieces of our lives,

and experience with these women all the history which makes us -- not

just as woman, but as human beings -- so strong and engaging.”

The musical drama follows a handful of pioneer women along their

journey beyond the frontier, clearing the path for future settlers to

follow, and depicts the hardships they endured along the way. The

focus shifts among the seven actresses to spotlight individual

experiences, often musically.

“Each tale fits together in an orderly fashion to create a whole,”

Hudson said. “I have taken a slightly different approach with this

piece that I hope will reflect how all of us -- men, women and

children -- have bits and pieces of our ancestry which helped us

become the people we are.”

That slightly different approach certainly includes the extra six

utilitarian characters, but it also incorporates the additional

measure of depth that’s evident in the overall production. “Quilters”

certainly isn’t a stranger to local audiences, but playgoers will, in

all probability, find that this one strikes a little closer to the

heart.

“All of our experiences change us a little,” Hudson said. “And how

lucky we are for those changes.”

“Quilters” is playing for one more weekend than the usual

playhouse production schedule, with performances Thursdays through

Sundays until Aug. 17 at the Central Library Theater, 7111 Talbert

Ave., Huntington Beach.

Call (714) 375-0696 for information.

* TOM TITUS reviews local theater for the Independent.