Footlighters bring romance to Fairfield stage in ‘The Last Train to Nibroc’

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By James Sprague, Contributing Writer 2:45 PM Tuesday, November 1, 2011

FAIRFIELD — A critically acclaimed play is coming to Fairfield, bringing romance along with it.

The Fairfield Footlighters are presenting “The Last Train to Nibroc” Nov. 11-13 and Nov. 18-20 at the Fairfield Community Arts Center as part of its 2011-12 tenth anniversary season.

The play centers around the story of two young people in 1940 who, in search of happiness, meet on a train in California and discover they are from neighboring Appalachian towns. It has been featured at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in Scotland, Off-Broadway and recently at Cincinnati’s Playhouse in the Park.

The Playhouse in the Park production of “The Last Train to Nibroc” spurred director Patricia Davis — the director of previous Footlighters productions such as “Godspell” and Agatha Christie’s “The Mousetrap” — to bring it to Fairfield, she said.

“I became interested in the play after seeing it at Playhouse in the Park, and when it became available to use I suggested it to the Footlighters,” Davis said.

The play’s authenticity regarding the character’s relationship is what attracted her to directing it, Davis said.

“What drew me to the play was its honest look at a relationship — love for want of a better word — that seemed very real,” Davis said. “We see it develop over the course of the play. So often theater casts a jaded eye toward relationships; after all, there is more drama in the conflict of a failed relationship.”

Such is not the case with “The Last Train to Nibroc,” Davis said.

“This is a funny, touching play which shows us two people searching for happiness,” Davis said. “‘The New York Times’ said of the play, ‘You could easily enjoy another few hours of this.’”

One of the biggest challenges directing the show is that it is only a two-person cast — Fairfield High School student Elizabeth McDonough as May and Chris Server as Raleigh — which puts the focus squarely on the actors, Davis said.

“The whole play is focused on the people and their growing relationships, not necessarily where they are,” Davis said. “(McDonough and Server’s) lack of artifice and artificiality make them ideal. They fit their roles beautifully and are meeting the challenge.”

The Footlighters are also lending more authenticity to the play with the assistance of Ercel Eaton, former Hamilton JournalNews columnist and local Appalachian historian and author, as the production consultant, Davis said.

“She is advising us on all things (Kentucky-related),” Davis said.

It’s an aspect Davis and the Footlighters hopes transports the audience back to another time and place and gives them a good story, she said.

“The audience will spend time with two people who, despite their initial conflicts, overcome their differences with humor and good spirits,” Davis said. “They are a delightful couple to spend an evening with.”

Contact this writer at spragoo1977@yahoo.com.