The annual Lavender Melodrama returns to Olympic Theatre Arts for another round of Sequim-centric jokes and pokes at the nuances of life in the Pacific Northwest.
As before, attendees are encouraged to cheer, boo and sigh for the characters in a new script called “Lavender Legacies” by OTA’s Executive Director David Herbelin.
Shows begin at 7 p.m. Thursdays (July 17, 24), Fridays and Saturdays, and 2 p.m. Sundays, July 11-27. Find tickets online at olympictheatrearts.org.
This is the fourth year of the show, and Herbelin’s third script for the melodrama.
“The original plan was just to write the first one, and it was going to be like a ‘Rocky Horror Picture Show,’” he said.
But with jokes that didn’t feel as timely or universal, Herbelin rewrote the show last year and again this year.
“Then people were like, ‘we like having a new one every year,’ and I kind of put myself into a trap that I have to create a new melodrama every year,” he said.
In “Lavender Legacies,” the lavender industry led by hero Loddon Blue (Mario Arruda) and damsel Rebecca Kay (Nikki Forrest) must manage Sequim’s new Comprehensive Plan and outsmart villain Douglas Graves (Kyle Bartholick), the local realtor/undertaker who wants to destroy Sequim and take over the world.
The cast have all performed in the melodrama in some capacity in recent years, including newlyweds Matt and Nikki Forrest who return for the fourth time.
“It’s incredibly fun and we love the cast and familiarity of it, which makes it more fun,” Nikki said.
“There’s also a lot of appeal to a script that (Herbelin) wrote versus one that you got a license for, and you can’t change anything,” Matt said.
“You have so much freedom to play around with his language, and you can ask him anything (and he’s open to changes), so it’s nice having that flexibility there within the show.
“It feels more like our creation than just someone else’s script we’re performing.”
Cast members say the show is riddled with jokes about Sequim and the Pacific Northwest with some homages to previous shows. While there are those nuances of small town life, Herbelin said shows are consistently a mix of locals and visitors so jokes should be funny to anyone.
Music
This year also features three original songs by Herbelin and the show’s long-time pianist Ken Young. Herbelin said he came up with some lyrics and hummed a tune, and Young came back with fully orchestrated pieces.
The new songs include “Stalling My Life,” “Heaven Help the Working Girl,” and “Lovely Little Town That We Call Sequim.”
“Normally we just take public domain songs and kind of change the words, and we do have a couple of those, but we actually have three original compositions in the show,” Herbelin said.
“There’s still booing and cheering and sighing and all that, but there’s a little bit more heart in this one.”
Nikki Forrest said the damsel and the show in general are more complex, and richer in characterization.
“There’s more lines, there’s more music, there’s more dancing,” she said.
“We’re just getting a little more advanced. Year one was like a beginner’s level, and now we’re getting into the advanced stages of this show.”
“Heaven Help the Working Girl” is a duet between Nikki’s damsel character and Little Lottie (Joodie Klinke) focused on female empowerment, Herbelin said.
He said the theme of the show is that people can get in the way of their own progress and become their own worst enemy.
As “Lavender Legacies” has come together, Herbelin said the most rewarding part has been watching the new songs come to life.
“It almost brings me to tears each time I hear them sing it because it’s just like, ‘Wow!’” he said.
“There’s something about writing a play and seeing that to life as one thing, but seeing a song come to life staged is a whole different, deeper emotion thing.”
“Lavender Legacies” also features Rebecca Maberry as Citizen 2, choreography by Jen Saul, and music direction by Morgan Bartholick.
“Lavender Legacies: A Melodrama”
Olympic Theatre Arts, 414 N. Sequim Ave.
Shows: July 11-27
7 p.m. Thursday (July 17, 24), and Fridays-Saturdays; 2 p.m. Sundays
Tickets $20 online at olympictheatrearts.org or by calling the box office at (360) 683-7326 from 1-4 p.m. Tuesday-Friday
Sequim Gazette photo by Matthew Nash Nikki Forrest and Mario Arruda star in “Lavender Legacies” at OTA as the “damsel” Rebecca Kay and hero Loddon Blue. Director/writer David Herbelin said the show “isn’t your typical play where you just sit and watch; you have to be a part of it. The more energy the crowd brings, the more energy the show has.”
Sequim Gazette photo by Matthew Nash/ As Douglas Graves, the villain, actor Kyle Bartholick looks to take over Sequim and the world from townsfolk like Little Lottie (Joodie Klinke) in OTA’s “Lavender Legacies.”
Sequim Gazette photo by Matthew Nash/ Mister Mayor (Matt Forrest) leads a city meeting in “Lavender Legacies” that pokes fun at nuances about Sequim and the Pacific Northwest. This year includes three new songs by David Herbelin and composer Ken Young.
