Seeing the premier of a new play can be a rare experience; seeing a new play that feels destined to become a classic is almost unique. ‘Weigh Station’ by Donnie Jarman reaches into that slender space and expands it into possibility.
A stereotypical bar turns out to be different from any other tavern. The bowler-wearing bartender offers that no money is accepted as payment; drinks are exchanged for stories. Not just random tales – they must be true, they must be your own stories, and they must be stories you have never told before.
When a new customer walks in and people begin to ask each other if they think he’s “just passing through” or might become a regular, it doesn’t sound like anything all that unusual. But as the hints begin to drop that people have been here a long time – no one can recall quite how long – the mix of time and storytelling begins to come together into a potent cocktail.
While there are faint echoes of O’Neill’s ‘The Iceman Cometh’ and just a touch of Beckett’s ‘Waiting for Godot’ this play isn’t about domination or judgement. No one is selling a savior or hanging society out on a line to dry. What we offer of ourselves and what we hold secret are the only currency that can be spent here.
Jarman’s characters and dialogue ring true, even the enigmatic bartender who keeps offering more temptation for more stories. “Tell the one you’ve never told before. The story that you have never, ever told anyone.”
A stereotypical bar turns out to be different from any other tavern. The bowler-wearing bartender offers that no money is accepted as payment; drinks are exchanged for stories. Not just random tales – they must be true, they must be your own stories, and they must be stories you have never told before.
When a new customer walks in and people begin to ask each other if they think he’s “just passing through” or might become a regular, it doesn’t sound like anything all that unusual. But as the hints begin to drop that people have been here a long time – no one can recall quite how long – the mix of time and storytelling begins to come together into a potent cocktail.
While there are faint echoes of O’Neill’s ‘The Iceman Cometh’ and just a touch of Beckett’s ‘Waiting for Godot’ this play isn’t about domination or judgement. No one is selling a savior or hanging society out on a line to dry. What we offer of ourselves and what we hold secret are the only currency that can be spent here.
Jarman’s characters and dialogue ring true, even the enigmatic bartender who keeps offering more temptation for more stories. “Tell the one you’ve never told before. The story that you have never, ever told anyone.”
Directed by Marcus Nobreus, the cast includes Sofia Gregory, Bryan Caldwell, Nina Rancel, Grace Bahler, Lyn Alicia Henderson, Anthony Lorenzo Garcia, Miguel Berlingeri, and Jonaton Wyne.
Weigh Station on Fri/Sat at 8pm, Sunday at 3pm at The Blue Door Theater, 9617 Venice Blvd. in Culver City, CA 90232 (on the North side of Venice Blvd. between Cardiff and Watseka Ave.), made possible in part by the City of Culver City and its Cultural Affairs Commission, with support from Sony Pictures Entertainment.
General admission tickets are $25, available online at https://www.artsupla.org (with a small processing fee) or at the box office starting a half hour prior to each performance.
Weigh Station on Fri/Sat at 8pm, Sunday at 3pm at The Blue Door Theater, 9617 Venice Blvd. in Culver City, CA 90232 (on the North side of Venice Blvd. between Cardiff and Watseka Ave.), made possible in part by the City of Culver City and its Cultural Affairs Commission, with support from Sony Pictures Entertainment.
General admission tickets are $25, available online at https://www.artsupla.org (with a small processing fee) or at the box office starting a half hour prior to each performance.
Update – Weigh Station is extending its run into August, with performances scheduled for August 2 and 3.
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