Heisenberg. Parish Players. Norwich Bookstore on GMA

Big stage, smaller stage, small screen

Big Stage: As luck and some other forces would have it, I was unable to see Heisenberg at Northern Stage until the end of its run, which means a full-scale review likely won’t be able to propel you into the audience for a future performance. (If you are reading this on this sunny/rainy Sunday afternoon, March 6, the closing performance is today at 5:00 p.m. If you hurry . . . ) Maybe you saw it? Here are some thoughts:

It is a welcome fairy tale for grownups, for those sufficiently hardened to traditional and weary notions of romance, but who might still make room for possibilities.

Jamie Horton as Alex Priest is a marvel. Self-possessed. A character you could get comfortable with. Soothing Irish brogue. Monica Orozco as Georgie Burns is convincing and unnerving, has mastered the art of the genuine laugh, and is a character you could never get comfortable with. Maybe Alex would disagree. We can’t know.

For reasons of my own age, I know how this play looks and feels from the perspective of an older person. I wish I had had a younger companion with me to sift through the experience from the point of view of someone closer in age to the character of Georgie.

In the vein of Company, wouldn’t it be intriguing to see this play performed with a gender-reversal? All of the reasons for naysaying (older woman/younger man, would an Alexa character remain a butcher?) are what would make it interesting.

Smaller Stage: Parish Players at the Eclipse Grange Theater is celebrating its 55th (!) anniversary, and is bringing theater back indoors after a 2-year pandemic-created absence, paving the way with “The Ten-Minute Play Festival.” Tickets are going on sale soon for performances that will begin in mid-April. Among the offerings? Dr. Tatiana’s Sex Advice to All Creation, Just Desserts (it’s about time for an artistic response to the ubiquitous problem of the work lunchroom thief) and Nuts (pick a side—the squirrels or The Dog?). Click here for a full list.

Small Screen: Emma Nichols (above), an owner along with Sam Kaas of Norwich Bookstore, was just featured for a hot New York minute on ABC’s Good Morning America, as part of its series on independent bookstores. It’s short and sweet and can be found here.

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And in case you are wondering . . . Susan B. Apel shuttered a lifelong career as a law professor to continue an interest (since kindergarten) in writing. Her freelance business, The Next Word, includes literary and feature writing; her work has appeared in a variety of lit mags and other publications including Art New England, The Woven Tale Press, The Arts Fuse, and Persimmon Tree. She connects with her neighbors through Artful, her blog about arts and culture in the Upper Valley. She’s in love with the written word.