Here is what to expect if you go:
ABOUT THE SHOW
Set in 2003 and described as “an irreverent look at religious fundamentalism,” “Hail Mary!” concerns a battle of wills between spunky novice Mary and the conservative Mother Superior over controversial comments Mary made to her third-graders.
Situations escalate when Mary’s former flame Joe, the father of one of her students, declares his love for her, placing her goal of becoming a nun in great jeopardy.
“Hail Mary!” notably marks the third Dudzick play the Race has produced following “Over the Tavern” in 2008 and “Miracle on South Division Street” in 2014.
“Change doesn’t happen overnight, and for many, change is extremely difficult especially when you’re older,” said director Margarett Perry, who staged “One Slight Hitch” for the Race last season. “Mother Regina represents the ways of the church in the old tradition, how she was raised. But Mary believes if you teach students from a place of love, and to trust their basic goodness first and to simply use their brain, they will be educated in a way that allows them to think and question rather than just blindly follow the way things have always been. This is a really difficult concept in the Catholic Church because part of the doctrine has been not to question although there have been adjustments over time… But every single character is faced with change. All the characters are dealing with this reality. When I first read the play I thought it was really cute but also really profound. I love a play that can make me giggle but also cry. During the first read-through with the cast, I was stunned by how moved I was. It’s easy to be judgmental but we may see ourselves in these characters.”
A self-described “recovering Catholic” who graduated from Holy Cross College in Wooster, Mass., Perry acknowledges the fact that Mary’s journey may ruffle feathers, but she feels Dudzick wrote the role from a loving perspective.
“Mary challenges the status quo and that is never an easy path,” she said. “But Tom doesn’t judge his characters. There is no evil villain in the play. Everyone is fully rendered so we get to know why they are how they are.”
MEET MARY
Cincinnati native and Wright State University graduate Claire Kennedy leads the cast of five as the titular novice. She returns to the Human Race having appeared last season as a heartbreakingly luminous Laura Wingfield in the organization’s outstanding production of “The Glass Menagerie.” Her additional Race credits include “Lend Me a Tenor,” “Twelfth Night” and “Romeo and Juliet.”
“Even though there are many laugh out loud moments in ‘Hail Mary!,’ the play particularly tells me that we need to become more conscious of what we’re putting out into the world,” she said. “Especially in terms of our current political climate and the way we say things to people, particularly children.”
The cast includes Andréa Morales (the Race’s “The Full Monty”) as Mary’s friend and fellow teacher Sister Felicia as well as Race resident artist Scott Stoney (in his 70th Race production) as Father Stanley. Making their Race debuts are Joshua Levine (off-Broadway’s “Channeling Kevin Spacey”) as Joe, and Jennifer Dorr White (off-Broadway’s “Call Me Waldo,” “Sealed for Freshness” and “The Flashing Stream”) as Mother Regina.
“Dudzick has not written a preachy play,” Kennedy added. “He’s very smart. He wants the audience to have a good time, but to also walk away from the play thinking about yourself and your thoughts on the world.”
WANT TO GO?
What: "Hail Mary!
Where: Loft Theatre of the Metropolitan Arts Center, 126 N. Main St., Dayton
When: Nov. 3-20; 8 p.m. Nov. 3-5, 10-12, and 17-19; 7 p.m. Nov. 6, 8, 15, and 16; 2 p.m. Nov. 6, 13 and 20; There is a Pay-What-You-Can open rehearsal Nov. 2 at 8 p.m.
Cost: $35-$50 for adults; $32-$46 for seniors; $17.50-$25 for students; prices vary depending on performance date.
Discounts: Select side-area seats available for $12 and $25 for all performances; "Sawbuck Sunday" Nov. 6 at 7 p.m. – $10 seats available for walk-up sales only.
Group sales: Contact Betty Gould at (937) 461-8295 or e-mail betty.gould@victoriatheatre.com
Tickets: Call (937) 228-3630 or visit www.humanracetheatre.org or ticketcenterstage.com
About the Author