In the Presence of Genius

I have just come from an encounter with brilliance.

My Mom, Marguerite (Honey to her friends), my girlfriend, Marie and I drove out Route 301 tonight to historic Hanover Tavern across from Hanover Court House, VA. We had a delightful meal at Michelle’s, the restaurant at the tavern, and then witnessed a virtuoso performance at Barksdale Theatre, conveniently located in the tavern.

Tonight was opening night for the play, Fully Committed and the actor responsible for all of the effusive praise you’re about to read is Scott Wichmann, a young man whose talent is only exceeded by his humility and nobility. Yeah, in case you can’t tell, I’m a fan.

Before I regale you with how taken we were with the play let me encourage you to have dinner at Michelle’s when you go to see the play. And I do highly recommend seeing the play.

Between the three of us we inhaled fried oysters, Caesar salad, she crab soup, crab dip, and salmon over a bed of bulgur “risotto” with pearl onions. Not to mention a couple of baskets of focaccia. We washed it down with glasses of wine and sat there with a dull look of satiated beasts when we were done. Thank you to our waitress, Diane from Gary, Indiana; she made us feel welcome and cared for.

So, there we were full and contented and it was time to go into the theater. After a long, hard day at work, the perfect ingredients for a nap, right? Not a chance, within moments of the lights coming up we were chuckling and it never stopped for the next 84 minutes we smiled, laughed, screamed, hollered, and slapped our knees.

Scott created dozens of different and distinct characters, switching from one to another and back again in the blink of an eye. Suffice it to say I will remember Mrs. Seabag, Stanley and “Herbert” until the day I die.

It’s also appropriate to commend the crew for the seamless support they gave Scott and to Steve Perigard for his directing. I know how hard people have to work to make things look as effortless as Scott’s performance looked this evening. I know Bruce Miller and the Boards of Theatre IV and Barksdale are beaming.

Anybody who reads the newspaper here in Richmond knows that Scotty has enlisted in the Navy Reserve and leaves for boot camp right after the show closes on August 30th. So, we’re going to be deprived of the joy of watching him this Fall.

One of our core beliefs at Catch Your Limit Consulting is that any and everyone can be creative. The joy of this evening was in watching someone who’s not only creative, but talented and skilled and willing to put in the work necessary to take what God gave him and polish it until the reflected light is brilliant.

So go, bring your friends and eat, drink, smile, and laugh. Catch Fully Committed before Scotty weighs anchor and casts off for Great Lakes. I assure you, your life will be the poorer for missing it.

Gayle Turner ><((“>