The cast of The Porch on Windy Hill – a new play with old music consists of three extremely talented musicians.
Tora Nogami Alexander plays the violin and the haegeum (a Korean instrument). David M. Lutkin and Morgan Morse alternate between a banjo, mandolin, and guitar. Lutkin also plays the harmonica. All three alternate using a dulcimer. The instruments and voices are combined flawlessly in folk songs and a sea chanty. As is pointed out during the play, American folk music is the product of all the folk of the nation. Even the instruments reflect the varied people who make up the “folk.” The mandolin originated in Italy. The banjo was developed by enslaved Africans in America. Spain is the point of origin of the guitar. Yet, all these different instruments are part of American folk music. The reach of folk music goes beyond traditional forms. As Alexander shows in a violin solo of Hayden’s “London Symphony” #104, classical composers are influenced by folk music. Alexander, Lutkin, and Morse unite in what could be a thoroughly enjoyable hootenanny.
However, the authors of The Porch on Windy Hill – a new play with old music go beyond the songs in creating the play. Sherry Stegack Lutkin, Lisa Helmi Johanson, Morgan Morse, and David M. Lutkin have written a significant story. Beckett, played by Morgan Morse, is seeking songs to use in his doctoral thesis. He is not originally from Appalachia. Tora Nogami Alexander portrays Mira, the child of a Korean and his Appalachian wife. Edgar is a Vietnam veteran who has stayed in the mountains of North Carolina.
Mira and Beckett are fleeing Brooklyn after the COVID lockdown. Mira had lost her position as a classical violinist because of the shutdown. Beckett sees the Appalachian Mountains as the source for his thesis. Edgar is a famous folk singer whose knowledge of folk music comes from the soil of North Carolina. Mira is estranged from her Appalachian family because of violence and racial taunts. When she was eight, Mira’s cousin pushed her down and shouted anti-Asian epithets. The insults were the stereotypes that came out of the Vietnam War. Her grandfather, Edgar, stood by silently and allowed this violence. Her mother and father moved to New York to escape acts like this. Mira and her mother turned their backs on the family and Appalachia. Now, Mira fears the anti-Asian feeling triggered by COVID.
Tora Nogami Alexander comes to us with extensive off-Broadway experience. She clearly portrays the pain of anti-Asian prejudice. She rides the roller coaster of emotions without moving into melodrama. Morgan Morse is a co-writer. He has played in venues from the Public Theater to Austria. Morse portrays Beckett. His nerdy obliviousness of the tensions between Mira and Edgar moves the action along without being blatant. David M. Lutkin is a co-writer and music director. Among others, his credits range from Broadway, Carnegie Hall, NPR, and the BBC. Lutkin is responsible for the acclaimed life of Woody Guthrie, Woody Sez: The Life & Music of Woody Guhrie. As Edgar, he slowly moves from hurt and denial to realize that his racism is born out of cowardice. Lutkin makes the growing awareness of the damage he caused by remaining silent very real.
Throughout the play, these talented musicians shift from acting to singing and playing songs. Beckett is not aware of the growing tensions between Mira and her grandfather. He constantly returns to the music. He initiates the musical interludes. The interludes are not part of the narrative of the plot. However, one can see the camaraderie grow as they all play and sing together. The songs allow the characters to move beyond the effects of prejudice to an awareness of their commonality.
Andrew Robinson designed the scenery. The set consists of a small wooden home. Although the actors enter and leave the building and the house, the cluttered porch is where the action takes place. The house is typical of houses one will see in the mountains of North Carolina. Sun Hee Kil serves as the sound designer. Among other effects, she provides the chirps and sounds of nature. This makes the scenery and play even more realistic.
One could simply sit back and enjoy the songs presented by these talented musicians. However, The Porch on Windy Hill: a new play with old music has a deeper message. It depicts the damages associated with prejudice. The talented actors illustrate these injuries. Edgar’s silence illustrates how even silence feeds prejudice. A lesson to be taken away from this powerful play is that we all must be willing to stop the growth of any type of prejudice. As many people as possible should see this play.
