Goodrich- The setting is a small, impoverished, midwestern town, population: 70. The characters are all flawed. The plot involves a murder.
Goodrich High School theatre director Steve Mitchell expects audience members might feel they need a shower after seeing ‘The Rimers of Eldritch,? but says it is a visually stunning, great play.
The drama has four dates– three evening performances at 7:30 p.m., Nov.17-19 and one matinee performance at 2:30 p.m., Nov. 20. All shows are at the Raymond C. Greene Center for the Performing Arts, 8029 S. Gale Road.
‘The audience will say, ‘Ew, I didn’t like the people on stage at all,?? says Mitchell. ‘But there’s a lot of great things about this play. I hope they will say they are glad they went and saw it.?
Mitchell chose the play by American playwright Lanford Wilson because he wanted to show more than the interior of a house or apartment. His set is large and represents the town of Eldritch, with scenes set in a church, courtroom, forest, diner, house and on a porch. Scene changes are often done with lighting. The story skips around as it pieces together the facts of a murder and examines the people of the town and their relationships with each other.
A main theme is that things are not always as they appear. Other themes include alienation, loneliness, crumbling illusions and broken dreams, says Mitchell.
Mitchell calls the characters unlikeable, but says they are great acting roles.
Morgan Valko, a GHS junior, plays Patsy Johnson, a young girl who she describes as ‘loose with her morals.?
‘I like that everyone’s a main character and no one is a protagonist,? says Valko. ‘We’re all pretty bad.?
Justin Wheeler, a GHS senior, plays Robert Conklin, a shy 18-year-old secluded from everyone except Eva, a crippled girl, played by GHS sophomore Ella Thorp.
‘There’s a lot of hidden meaning in the play,? Wheeler said. ‘It makes you think about a lot of stuff– stuff that you might not want to think about. You will see the imperfections of society.?
Thorp agreed, saying, ‘Behind closed doors everyone has a secret.?
The play is controversial and playgoers should be advised it has strong adult content/language and may not be suitable for all viewers. But, says Mitchell, a play is not always shining, happy subjects.
‘If I can elicit strong emotions from the audience I’m doing my job,? he said. ‘I hope they appreciate the performance aspect. It’s almost like they should feel guilty about liking it because the characters are so unlikeable.?

‘The Rimers of Eldritch,? by Lanford Wilson, will has a 7:30 p.m. performance time on Nov. 17, 18, and 19. A 2:30 p.m. matinee is Nov. 20. All shows are at the Raymond C. Greene Center for the Performing Arts, 8029 S. Gale Road, Goodrich. Tickets are $7 and can be purchased beginning Nov. 7 by calling (810) 591-2220 or purchased at the door before the performance begins.