By JULES SHINKLE
BG Independent News
The Black Swamp Players’ latest production is the 1998 play “Book of Days” by Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Lanford Wilson. Jeffrey J. Albright is the show’s director, supported by Trevor Kaz, assistant director, and Gloria Wang, stage manager.
There will be six performances across the next two weekends – Feb. 20-22 and Feb. 27 – March 1. Showtimes are 7:30 p.m. for Friday and Saturday with a 1:30 p.m. matinee on Sunday. Click here to buy tickets: https://onthestage.tickets/show/black-swamp-players/68580b60cfbdf90fbfce8313/tickets#/productions-view
Dublin, Missouri, bubbles to the surface as characters take turns painting the setting. Our cast of seasoned locals all know the rehearsed sound bites: A cute downtown, beautiful dogwood trees, a high graduation rate, more churches than bars, bustling community theater, everyone knows everyone.
Slipped in, spoken with the same sense of pride, is an eerie warning: tornado valley.
Ruth and Len Hoch (Marissa Rex and Garrett Monasmith) are a couple employed at a cheese factory. Ruth runs the books, Len manages production. The couple enjoys the comforts of their hometown, but both are a bit cramped.
Because everyone has history with each other, the bonds holding them together are tightly wound. Friendships are decades old, and resentments have had just as long to ferment. Ruth, for instance, makes no effort to hide her long-held disgust of James Bates’s (Kyle Walsh) belittling flirtations.
The fact that his father is rich, powerful, and Lem’s boss has no impact on their toxic rapport.
Ruth refuses to compromise her truth – a trait shared by her play-within-a-play counterpart, Joan of Arc.
Dublin’s community theater has brought in Boyd Middleton (Steve Bishop) to direct George Bernard Shaw’s “Saint Joan.” Boyd recognizes Ruth’s affinity to Joan and gives her the title role despite her lack of dramatic acting experience.
Shaw’s play is a recounting of Joan of Arc’s life, the 15th century French heroine whose claims of divine inspiration led her to be executed by the Catholic Church. Ruth is daunted by trying to play the part, but Len’s encouragement bolsters her to dive headfirst into the role.
Reverend Bobby Groves (Justin Michael Newcomb) is quick to scrutinize the play and its out-of-towner director. He sees himself as a protector of Dublin’s Christian values who moves savvily in order to maintain hierarchy within the city.
As Ruth digs deeper into her role and the odd circumstances surrounding a recent tragedy, she peels back the cheery veneer of a town with ugly secrets.
“Book of Days” is an ambitious story of mystery and drama. Dublin at first seems contently unified, but closer examination reveals fault lines. Institutions that hold their community together, namely church and industry, maintain their strength through strict policing. Dublin’s ordinary misogyny, where men hold authority and routinely cast women as unreliable narrators, is just one mechanism that keeps everyone in their place.
An excellent cast helps express these themes. Rex and Monasmith are a strong pairing, having played co-leads in at least a few other area productions (2023’s “A Streetcar Named Desire” and 2025’s “The Sound Inside.”) They do a great job at playing ordinary people who find themselves in high-stakes scenarios.
The supporting cast follows suit – Chris LaPorta’s character, Martha, is a retired hippie that adds levity at much needed moments. Mark Owen plays the dairy millionaire Walt Bates in a way that perfectly captures an arrogant and sometimes cruel patriarch.
“Book of Days” is a suspenseful journey that has a lot to say. It’s a piercing look at who benefits and who loses in the status quo.
