Bakersfield Mist is inspired by the true story of a retired long-haul trucker in California, Teri Horton, who went hunting for a gag present for her depressed friend. She found and bought a big painting of drips and splurges and squiggles, in a junk shop. She paid five dollars for the “masterpiece” and, after her friend rejected it, added it to a garage sale. This was where it was seen by an art teacher, who thought it might be a Jackson Pollock, the mid 20th century abstract expressionist. So began an extraordinary determination to have the painting authenticated and, perhaps sold for millions of dollars. The most famous of the experts who came to view the picture was Thomas Hoving, a one-time Director of The Metropolitan Museum of Art. It is the meeting of these two characters which forms the basis of this play, albeit with different character names.
Steven Sachs has written a taut, sometimes hilarious, sometimes fraught drama about this encounter which becomes a battle of class, education, common sense versus experience, fake versus real- with two larger than life characters who refuse to shift their perspectives; his- that the picture is a fake; hers- that the picture is genuine. It’s an excellent vehicle for two virtuoso performers and takes the audience on a roller coaster ride throughout the entire 90 minutes of its duration.
Opening Night and the first Friday are booked out. Tickets selling fast, for opening weekend Saturday at 7.30pm and Sunday at 2pm with the ‘always popular’ cast and crew Q&A, after the performance. Use code EarlyBird to get 20% discount if you book before 15/04/23 for Opening Saturday and Sunday.
CAST
Maude Gutman – Fiona Kennedy
Lionel Percy – Steven Grives
CREW
Director – Jennifer Flowers
Assistant Director/Sound Design – Greg Scurr
Stage Manager/Production Assistant – Cale Dennis
Lighting and Sound Tech – Cale Dennis/Duncan Shipley-Smith
Lighting Design – Geoff Squires
Set & Costume Design – Bill Haycock
Set Construction – Dan Kennedy
