A COMEDY THAT GOES BUST

A clever premise about Southern traditions
and family prejudices gets stonewalled by
performances that try too hard for laughs

Rebecca A. Herron (Bathsheba), Tracy Diibon Coffey (Liddy), and Justin Meyer (Earl) in Best Medicine Rep’s production of Stonewall’s Bust

Stonewall’s Bust at The Writer’s Center in Bethesda has all the ingredients for an entertaining farce: a broken historical artifact, a desperate cover-up, eccentric characters, ghosts, and a family whose peculiar beliefs threaten to turn a simple accident into a catastrophe.

Written by John Morogiello, Artistic Director of Best Medicine Rep—a theater company devoted exclusively to comedies—the play is set in the South, where Paul (Mark Mumm), a “Yankee,” accidentally breaks a priceless bust of Confederate General Stonewall Jackson. Unfortunately for him, it belongs to Liddy (Tracy DiiBon Coffey), the fiercely traditional mother of his fiancée, Nancy (Rachel Arling Samson), whose family home doubles as a Confederate heritage museum.

Rocky Nunzio (Slab), Tracy Diibon Coffey (Liddy), and Victoria Rose (Kim)

It is a very amusing concept, particularly because the damage threatens more than a treasured possession. For Liddy, the general represents a way of life that an outsider has literally shattered. The resulting clash of Northern and Southern sensibilities provides fertile ground for satire, while the family’s religious fervor and elaborate superstitions offer opportunities for physical humor. Among their strange rituals are kissing a banister, saluting a debutante’s photograph, and carefully avoiding a rug. Add an evangelical preacher and talk of exorcisms, and the possibilities for mischief are considerable.

Unfortunately, the production’s over-the-top acting makes the comedy feel more forced than funny. Farce depends on heightened behavior, but there is a fine line between theatrical exaggeration and excess. Here, the broad characterizations and emphatic delivery frequently distract from the material. Rather than trusting the audience to recognize the ridiculousness of these people and their predicaments, the performers seem determined to announce every punch line.

Rachel Arling Samson (Nancy)

Coffey stands out in her portrayal of the superstitious, hard-of-hearing matriarch, whose devotion to her ancestors borders on obsession. Liddy’s stubbornness and eccentric habits give the actress plenty to work with, and her characterization suggests how entertaining these personalities can be when their convictions are taken seriously.

Director Evan Morogiello might have achieved better results with greater attention to pacing and restraint. The Writer’s Center is an intimate space, where emphatic gestures and vocal flourishes can quickly become overwhelming. A lighter touch would allow the characters’ conflicting loyalties and the mounting consequences of Paul’s mistake to speak for themselves. Sometimes the funniest moments arise when people behave with complete sincerity in circumstances that are anything but reasonable.

Stonewall’s Bust has a provocative premise and a colorful assortment of characters. What this production lacks is the discipline to let the writing do more of the work.

Mark Mumm (Paul)

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photos by Evan Morogiello

Stonewall’s Bust
Best Medicine Rep Theater Company
The Writer’s Center, 4508 Walsh St. in Bethesda, MD
2 hours with one intermission
Fri at 7:30; Sat at 3 and 7:30; Sun at 3
ends on October 25, 2026
for tickets, visit Best Medicine Rep

for more shows, visit Theater in DC

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