The Island Packet, Friday, November 4, 2005, by Gail Westerfield

S.C. Repertory Company show 'Try's and succeeds

The holidays are here. Time to bring out the lights, the garlands, the festive fixings. And don't forget the family feuds.

Holiday visits put families in close quarters, which results in some awkward -- and often hilarious -- situations and personality clashes.

The play "Greetings!," opening Thursday at South Carolina Repertory Company's theater on Beach City Road, explores those family dynamics with comedy and a dash of Christmas magic, South Carolina Repertory Company founders Pat and Hank Haskell say.

"Greetings!' makes you think about life, death, Christmas, and celebrating diversity," says Pat Haskell.

"Greetings!," a Tom Dudzick play, premiered in New Jersey in the 1980s. The story, set in the 1950s, centers on Andy Gorski (Chip Egan), a Catholic who brings his young fiancé, Randi Stein (Jenni Rall), home to meet his parents (Sam Smiley and Barbara Farrar) for Christmas. The fact that Randi is an atheist from a Jewish family bodes for a bumpy holiday. And if that weren't enough to shake things up for the Gorskis, Andy's mentally handicapped brother, Mickey (Henry Layton), shocks the family with some revelations of his own.

"It starts off in a conventional way," says Tucson, Ariz.-based actor Sam Smiley. Smiley, who has appeared in plays, films and television series all over the world, is making his debut with South Carolina Repertory Company.

"As things start to happen, it's not very predictable," Smiley says of how the "Greetings!" plot unfolds.

As Hank Haskell puts it, "there are a few surprises, and it results in a very pleasant ending, in spite of lots of crises."

Director Tom Evans, a regular at South Carolina Repertory Company, says "Greetings!" is an alternative to traditional holiday productions, but it still is in keeping with the Christmas spirit. Miracles and magic are not forgotten, he says.

"Mickey transmogrifies in the presence of the audience into what is something like an archangel," Evans says, while declining to reveal any more details about the story.

Actor Chip Egan, who is portraying Andy, says "Greetings!" gives a tacit nod to faith and religion.

"It's a well-honored tradition in American (holiday) entertainment to tip your hat to toward people of faith without being specific," says Egan, who also has appeared in and directed several other plays with South Carolina Repertory Company.

"'Greetings!' celebrates the spirit of every religious holiday," Egan says. "It is a play that reaffirms what all religions aspire to, which is peace, honor and goodwill toward people."

In addition to Egan and Smiley, "Greetings!" also features Jenni Rall, a newcomer to South Carolina Repertory Company, in the role of Randi. Rall, of Austin, Texas, is a member of the Hyde Park Theatre company and also is a contributing producer for the upcoming PBS series, "In Context." Another newcomer, Henry Layton, in the role of Mickey, hails from Louisiana. Layton, a stuntman with the United Stuntman's Association, also is a certified teacher of stage combat and has appeared in regional theater productions across the country. Barbara Farrar, as Emily Gorski, is making her fifth appearance with South Carolina Repertory Company. Her 50-year theater career includes a plethora of off-Broadway appearances, as well as teaching and directing.

Pat Haskell designed the costumes for South Carolina Repertory Company's production of "Greetings!," while Evans designed the set.

Evans says the production's warm message will appeal to people of all faiths and backgrounds.

"A Jew or a Catholic or an atheist can come to the show, and everyone can go home feeling good," he says.