a full-length contemporary romantic comedy | 5 female & 3 male actors
BLUSH AT NOTHING finds The Holdens, an eccentric Midwestern family, in a tizzy. Sweet family matriarch Aunt Catherine secretly recruits a mysterious, out-of-state suitor to marry her resourceful niece, Vivvie. But, darn it all, Aunt Catherine passes away before introducing the mismatched lovers. The idiosyncrasies of her will throw the family into a hilariously wild chase for the hidden family fortune.
This farcical romance was first performed at the Yale School of Drama as a class project. In 1991 it was the inaugural production for the Purple Rose Theater in Chelsea, Michigan.
The Purple Rose Theater cast: Terry Heck (Vivvie Holden), Elizabeth Keiser (Pearl Holden), Joe Diederich (LaVern Holden), Andy Lindstrom ("Tiny" Holden), Lori Pelham (Jane Medina), Barry Delaney (Godfrey Herald), Patricia Rector (Sister Eau Claire), and Shirley Benyas (Catherine Holden, Mary Cooper and Sister Epoufette). T. Newell Kring was at the helm as director. Designers: Bartley H. Bauer, Lynn Durgom-McQuown, and Susan Chute, with Dana Gamarra as PSM.
| Ms. Reardon wrote under the name Lisa A. Wing and lived in the area at the time.
| An admittedly badly focused, but much appreciated, photo from the production at Purple Rose.
| A peek at the program.
”[’Blush at Nothing’] bequeathes us at least a laugh per minute, a ratio that would leave many a playwright purple with envy.”
“ ’Blush’ is full of charm and laughs.”
PHOTO CREDITS | Top of Page . Creative Commons | Production Photo . Courtesy of Purple Rose Theater | The Armadillo Bag! . Laura Soskin Objects
