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| Meeting Devin Scillian in 2021, pre-playwright. |
A Bastard came to the Purple Rose Theater and we were delighted!
This weekend, we saw the play written by a long-time (now retired) Detroit news anchor, Devin Scillian, in a theater founded by famous actor and Mitten State native, Jeff Daniels - and, yes, we've been up close and personal with both.
Play, Patrons and Pizza:
My husband, Chris, and I, have joined fellow Patron of the Arts and great friends, Tim and Joni H., to see live theater annually for a decade, four of those have been at the Purple Rose Theater in Chelsea, Michigan. Like the town it's situated in, the theater is small, unpretentious and welcoming. It's also home to some fine acting, writing and directing and this season's opener, Bastard, scored high on all three.
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| Patron of the Arts at another great Purple Rose performance. |
The plot revolves around family conflict - two brothers who could make sibling rivalry an Olympic event. But, it's not all combat. Between verbal jabs and attacking old wounds, there's still room for warmth, humor and a plot twist none of saw coming.
We give this "eight thumbs up".
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| So close to the stage at the Purple Rose, we could be considered part of the set. |
The ending, however, wasn't the only surprise: this year a new restaurant is in town, JD's. Like the theater, it too, was founded by Jeff Daniels though, per its website, it was a "vision twenty years in the making".
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| Yooper is on the menu! |
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| This play runs through Dec. 20. |
Again, we Patrons of the Arts, found much to rave about at this new dining establishment. Joni and I ordered the specialty pizzas and they were delicious. The gents, too, were pleased with their respective steak and fish entrees. Though we didn't sample any of their signature cocktails, we did get a kick out of the one listed "Yooper", most assuredly a nod to Daniel's play and movie, "Escanaba in da Moonlight".
Front row seats to die for:
We secured our tickets in August, as soon as the "new season" offering went on sale. This gave us the closest seats we've had at the Purple Rose to date, front row and just shy of being considered part of the set.
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| Broadway seats for Jeff Daniels as Atticus Finch - we could touch the stage. |
But, this wasn't our first encounter bordering the stage with Purple Rose connections. In 2019, the year our son, Matt, moved to Manhattan, while visiting him, we gambled on a last-minute ticket purchase to the Broadway production of To Kill a Mockingbird starring theater/restaurant owner and award-winning actor, Jeff Daniels.
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| Celia Keenan-Bolger (now on Gilded Age) won a Tony as Scount |
Again, we had seats in the first row - so close we felt we were sitting at the kitchen table with Daniel's Atticus and Tony-winner (now starring in The Gilded Age) and Michigan native, Celia Keenan-Bolger.
No surprises here, the production was as magnificent as our seats.
Devin rocks , news at 11:00:
While we were once in striking distance of Jeff Daniels, we actually had an even closer encounter with the playwright, Devin Scillian - and not just from our family room television. Back in 2021, during a local tour of Scillian's band, we met him when he played in Huntington Woods.
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| Devin: early evening rocking to late night news anchor. |
Every bit as engaging as his anchor persona, he put on a fantastic concert and met with guests after performing. Friendly and fun, he was a treat to talk to. And, in an impressive Clark Kent maneuver, he turned from early evening rock star to late night on-air journalist within just a few hours.
A Great Day in our Lives:
As we wrapped up our day in Chelsea, we Patron of the Arts were pleased to once again enjoy great theater, a scrumptious repast and terrific company.
And, yes, for the none who were wondering, there is Days of Our Lives connection! Mark Colson, who plays one of the warring brothers, has occasionally played archangel Gabriel on the long-running soap opera.
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