As Arlene Hutton’s Last Train to NIBROC opens, it is December 28, 1940 and you hear the sound of train whistles and May (Lena Winter) is sitting on one of two chairs stage right. The train is bound from California to Chicago. Raleigh (Justin McLachlan) soon enters dressed in a military uniform and asks if he might sit next to her in the empty seat since he has been standing all night a couple of cars back since the train is packed. She graciously allows him to share the seat next to her. This is only the beginning of a courtship between the two strangers, especially compelling when they find out they only live a couple of miles from each other in Kentucky.
Both Winter and McLachlan give passionate, humorous, and believable performances They keep sharing their secrets as their relationship continues on and off for the next three years, finally culminating in a visit to May’s house. Do they make the decisions to live together? Does true romance blossom? What choices have they made?
This is a journey well-worth traveling – a beautifully written and acted production.
Running Time: 80 minutes.
Last Train to Nibroc, plays through July 28, 2013 at the Bedroom, 612 L Street in Washington, DC. For performance times and to purchase tickets, visit the show’s Capital Fringe page.
