‘Leaving Iowa’ is trip down memory lane for Richmond Hill
Richmond Hill Players continue their 2022 season with “Leaving Iowa,” a comedy by Tim Clue and Spike Manton. The show will be presented Thursdays through Sundays, Aug. 18-28 at the Barn Theatre in Geneseo.
In the story, Don Browning, a middle-aged writer, returns home and decides to finally take his father’s ashes to his childhood home, as requested. But when Don discovers Grandma’s house is now a grocery store, he begins traveling across Iowa, searching for a proper resting place for his father, according to an RHP release.
This father-and-son road trip shifts smoothly from the present to Don’s memories of the annual, torturous vacations of his childhood. The family-friendly comedy is a toast to the character and idealism of parents from “The Greatest Generation,” as well as a little roast of their dedication to the family road trip, a postcard to anyone who has ever found themselves driving alone on a road, revisiting fond memories of their youth.
The cast features Kevin Babbitt, Pam Kobre, Don Faust, Kevin Keck and Julien Totten (Davenport); Leslie Day, Janet VanderSchaaf, Matt McConville (Geneseo); Patrick Kelley (Kewanee) and Vicky Jones (Port Byron).
Justin Raver (Kewanee) directs the show. The staff includes stage manager Jim Strauss and crew member Rich Kobre (both Davenport); assistant director Jonathan Grafft, set builder Mike Skiles, light designer Jennifer Kingry, sound designer Larry Lord, set painter/crew Dana Skiles and crew member Matt McConville (all Geneseo), and set builder Jim Skiles (Colona).
Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays, the doors open at 6:30 p.m. with the show beginning at 7:30. Sundays are 3 p.m. matinees with the doors opening at 2. Reservations are recommended and can be made by calling the Richmond Hill box office at 309-944-2244 or by visiting the website at rhplayers.com.
Late seating is not permitted; no one will be admitted to the theater after the show has started. Admission to all performances is $12. An Audio Description performance will be held Friday, Aug. 19. Richmond Hill offers Assistive Listening Devices (ALDs), which can be requested at the time that reservations are made.
