After almost 24 months of not being able to take the stage, the Ensemble Theatre of Chattanooga will kickoff its 2022 season with a double bill of plays based on inspirational books that have been adapted for the stage. Tuesdays With Morrie by Jeffrey Hatcher and Mitch Albom, based on the book of the same name, will run Jan. 14, 15 and 16. And Tiny Beautiful Things adapted by Nia Vardalos (My Big Fat Greek Wedding) from the book of the same name by Cheryl Strayed, will run Jan. 21, 22 and 23.
“We wanted to ease back into the live theatre world with shows that had small casts,” said Garry Posey, ETC founder and artistic director. “But we also wanted to find shows that regardless of the stories presented would be uplifting and inspiring.”
Review for Tuesdays With Morrie:
Tuesdays With Morrie is the autobiographical story of Mitch Albom, an accomplished journalist driven solely by his career, and Morrie Schwartz, his former college professor. Sixteen years after graduation, Mitch happens to catch Morrie’s appearance on a television news program and learns that his old professor is battling Lou Gehrig’s Disease. Mitch is reunited with Morrie, and what starts as a simple visit turns into a weekly pilgrimage and a last class in the meaning of life.
Review for Tiny Beautiful Things:
Based on the best-selling book by Cheryl Strayed and adapted for the stage by Nia Vardalos, Tiny Beautiful Things personifies the questions and answers that “Sugar” was publishing online from 2010-2012. When the struggling writer was asked to take over the unpaid, anonymous position of advice columnist, Strayed used empathy and her personal experiences to help those seeking guidance for obstacles both large and small. Tiny Beautiful Things is a play about reaching when you’re stuck, healing when you’re broken, and finding the courage to take on the questions which have no answers.
“Both plays personify the cathartic experience we like to impose on our audiences,” said Mr. Posey. “Our goal as theatre artists, in my opinion, is to harness the audience’s empathy and gently manipulate it so that when they exit the performance, their experience has impacted their life. It’s a bold goal, but it really does drive our selection of material.”
Mr. Posey will direct Tuesdays With Morrie, which will feature Dennis Parker and Ray Laliberte, Jr. Joel Sanchez-Avantes will direct Tiny Beautiful Things which features Kashun Parks as Sugar and will be joined by S.J. Lester, Avery Moore and Ashley Burkhart playing a host of email writers looking for advice.
Each play will feature only four performances across the two weekends. Fridays at 7:30 p.m., Saturdays at 2:30 and 7:30 p.m. On Sunday Jan. 16, Tuesdays With Morrie will have a 2:30 p.m. matinee and on Sunday, Jan. 23, Tiny Beautiful Things will end its run with a 7 p.m. performance.
Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30, Saturdays also at 2:30 p.m., Sunday, Jan. 16, at 2:30 p.m. and Sunday Jan. 23, at 7 p.m.
Barking Legs Theatre, 1307 Dodds Ave.
987-5141 for ticket information
www.ensembletheatreofchattanooga.com