Overslept this chilly morning and was surprised to see that I’d gained an hour. Yippee. Benicia has had its first real rain and it feels “mahvelous.” Crispy air, crunchy leaves, dark, billowing clouds and bundled up shoppers pushing baby strollers and buggies. Do they still call them buggies? Babies galore bundled in knitted blankets and matching caps roll by.
Dashed over to One House Bakery for a country loaf and chocolate chip cookie and was surprised to see that its doors are open, just in time for winter. I stood in line inside the newly refurbished space —copper covered counters under a dazzling array of vintage gold-framed mirrors, an antique marble-topped chest of drawers with hand-carved pulls held sugar, a variety of substitutes, cream and wooden stirring sticks. The upstairs loft is open again, and two tables have been added for inside dining. As you enter, on the left is a new glass-enclosed laboratory for brewing coffee in all of its variations. The new little outside window in front is for picking up on-line orders only. The bread and cookies are still delicious.
It was with great anticipation after almost three years of waiting that my sister and I attended opening night of Benicia Theater Group’s production of “Laura,” best known as the 1940s movie starring Gene Tierney and Dana Andrews. Back pre-Covid, we were shopping at Labels in Berkeley when I spotted a vivacious and charismatic young woman who was a dead ringer for an old high school friend. Although not related to my friend, she turned out to be the daughter of another friend and former colleague —Bruce Bronzan —a retired State Legislator from the Central Valley. I’d met her 37 years ago at a Capitol event when she was in grade school. She said she’d be directing a play in Benicia in a few months. “I’ll look forward to seeing you there,” said I.
Fast forward a few years, we met for dinner and an informal interview prior to the show. “Aren’t you nervous?” I asked. “No, my job is over. Now it’s up to the cast.” Chloe started directing plays when she was six, putting on shows with her friends. An actor, director, and producer of 20 years, she co-founded the Symmetry Theater Company in 2010. The mission — to “set the standard for gender parity in professional theatre.” Her father had been a tremendous influence on her throughout her life as he juggled public policy with a passion for theater. For years, he produced and directed then Speaker Willie’s Brown’s “Bash,” a yearly extravaganza starring Assembly members, Senators, and a few lobbyists, me included. Last year Chloe invited her father to hang out with her in the Mexican colonial town of San Miguel Allende where she cast him in a play she was directing. No audition was needed. Months later, Bruce tragically passed away. “I feel so grateful that we were able to spend that time together,” she said.
Brian Austin Hough, president of BTG, Clinton Vidal and scene painter Beate Bruhl transformed the stage into an elegant pre-WWII apartment. French doors beneath a towering ceiling, glowing embers in the fireplace, hand stenciled wallpaper, and a representation of an Art Deco wrought iron balcony overlooking a stunning view of the Manhattan skyline set the mood. Chloe contributed a painting given to her by her grandmother that hung above one of her own wing chairs on stage and a still-life of roses given to her by another grandmother along with a stack of old family record albums.
The entire cast was superb. Emma Ashley-Roth, an understudy for the Laura role, stood in for Lyra Dominguez, who was still in isolation. She was a marvel, having quickly memorized the enormous amount of dialogue and rarely looking at the script which she carried at her side. Chuck Shilling, veteran actor of 49 years, played the arrogant and over-bearing newspaper columnist Waldo Lydecker. In his debut theatrical performance, Joshua Robert portrayed the fast-talking, wise-cracking detective Mark McPherson. I loved his suit – Carmel colored with boxy shoulders and wide legged pants that broke just right at the ankles. Some of the funniest lines were enthusiastically voiced by Melaney Baker who played the nosy housekeeper Bessie and also the downstairs neighbor, switching parts and costumes, and firing up the audience. Went to the library the next day and ordered the Tierney movie which I’ve seen a half-dozen times. Ending November 19.
Next year’s play is “Boing Boing” — a 1960s French farce about a Parisian bachelor who is engaged to three different airline stewardesses. Can’t wait to see the vintage uniforms — Pucci prints? Go Go boots? les pantalons hot? — stay tuned!
Sarah Beserra is a writer, collector, Dharma practitioner and former lobbyist.
Letters From Benicia 