Merrimack Repertory Theatre presents THE PORCH ON WINDY HILL. Written by Sherry Stregack Lutken, Lisa Helmi Johanson, Morgan Morse, and David M. Lutken. Conceived and directed by Sherry Stregack Lutken. Scenic Design by Mara Ishihara Zinky. Costume Design by Gregory Graham. Lighting Design by Dawn Chiang. Sound Design by Sun Hee Kil. Music Direction by David M. Lutke. At Merrimack Repertory Theatre, Lowell, Massachusetts, through April 21, 2024.
By Linda Chin
Merrimack Rep’s production of The Porch on Windy Hill features a diverse and tremendously talented trio of professional actors who have appeared on Broadway, off-Broadway, and regional stages – David M. Lutken, Rob Morrison, and EJ Zimmerman. In this ‘new play with old music,’ the actors sing and actually play a diverse mix of instruments, including the banjo, dulcimer, guitar, harmonica, mandolin, violin, and erhu (Chinese fiddle), with a remarkably high level of proficiency. In their poignant performances, they demonstrate that music is indeed ‘the food of love’ – and has the power to heal hearts and nourish souls, connect cultures and cultivate relationships, and to even inspire families in longstanding feuds to communicate with each other and ‘play on.’
Set in post-lock down 2021, Zimmerman and Morrison portray a young interracial couple – Mira, a biracial, white and Asian (Korean) American woman who is a classically-trained violinist, and her white boyfriend Beckett, also in his late 20s, who is a graduate student in music history. Hailing from different parts of the country (Mira from North Carolina, Beck from Connecticut) and having vastly different cultural, socioeconomic and family backgrounds, the pair met while attending Williams College, discovered a common love of music, and have been playing and living together since. The play takes place while the couple is taking a road trip from Brooklyn to the Appalachian region to attend fiddlers’ conventions and festivals and to do primary source research for Beck’s dissertation on the origins and inspirations of Traditional, Old-Time, Bluegrass American music.
Their expedition takes a different turn when they visit the town – and house – where Mira grew up, and perchance or by fate, stumble into an older white man, 75ish, named Edgar (David Lutken) sitting on the porch and playing the banjo. A widower who lives alone and has been relatively isolated during the pandemic, Edgar is cantankerous and opinionated, wary of highly educated, pretentious folks, Yankees, technology, and electric/non-acoustic music. Wearing a Vietnam veteran’s cap and living in fairly homogeneous, mostly white rural Appalachia for most of his whole life, he may have political perspectives and harbor racist attitudes different from the Brooklyn hipsters. Somewhat taciturn, Edgar’s eyes sparkle, and he grows animated with music. It turns out that he is a “footnote-famous” banjo player who has played with many folk music greats, much to Beck’s delight. It also turns out that Mira knew Edgar when she was a child and they have been estranged for almost 20 years. Overenthusiastic but often oblivious, Beck is tone-deaf to the tension in the air, and the expedition is at risk of either going south or turning into a journey of self-discovery, listening to one another, and reconciliation.
Directed by Sherry Stregack Lutken and music directed by her husband David M. Lutken (who plays Edgar) make this play with music a labor of love and a family affair. Conceived while the couple was isolating during COVID, this is also the first play I’ve seen that confronts the cultural climate in different parts of the country, including acts of Asian Hate in NYC and the murder of six Asian women in Atlanta. A diverse and talented team of theater artists, Mara Ishihara Zinky, Gregory Graham, Dawn Chiang, and Sun Hee Kil, contribute their scenic, costume, lighting, and sound design talents to this pitch-perfect production.
With over a dozen songs, including ‘Down in the Valley,’ ‘Green Corn,’ ‘Blackberry Blossom,’ ‘Sail Away Ladies,’ and tunes that feature the trio’s fancy fingerpicking and footwork, audiences can’t help but clap their hands and stomp/tap their feet too. The Porch on Windy Hill is both entertaining and educational, an experience to savor and remember. Expect to have a hooting good time. For tickets and information, go to: https://mrt.org/show/porch-windy-hill
