The Stone Witch at Westside Theatre

The Stone Witch is currently playing at the Westside theatre. It is a good show, but it is overshadowed by the production values. Upon entering the theatre, you are immediately taken in by the gorgeous set which is covered with magical creatures and has a child like whimsy to it. In various parts of the show, you are treated to gorgeous projections depicting the illustrations found in the children's book the characters are working on.

Simon Grundberg (Dan Lauria) is a world renown children book author and illustrator. However not having written a book in twelve years, his editor Claire Forloni (Carolyn McCormick) is desperate for a book she can put out by Christmas. Peter Chandler (Rupak Ginn) is a young hopeful who is sent by Claire to inspire Simon into writing his new novel with the promise of $10,000 and his own chance of being published after the fact.

Peter reluctantly agrees and meets Simon in the latter's woodland cabin. Simon is fighting some demons who are preventing him from writing. Peter soothes these demons, but Peter is also bursting to get his ideas seen. He is unsure how to help Simon, but is willing to try anything once things begin to go awry.

The majority of the play takes place in Simon's scenic cabin. Only two scenes are not set there and one of them is unnecessary. I honestly forgot it existed up until this point! Anyway, it is fun to see the world surrounding the cabin come to life while also seeing Simon's demons projected behind him.

The Stone Witch is a wonderful show, but I did feel there was something missing in the overall story. I am not sure what exactly, but it definitely dealt with the overall storyline. There were some aspects of Simon's that were brought up, but not fully explained. There were also weak explanations for other things brought up about Simon. Simon is an interesting character, but there was too much background in his story and not enough ways to tie them in together.

The actors were great as well. Carolyn McCormick was the perfect blend of professional editor who can intimidate others to get her way while also caring for them. Rupak Ginn was good as well, but there were moments that did not feel authentic. Dan Lauria was fantastic as Simon Grundberg. He had a commanding presence and was able to portray all the aspects of the character in a manner in which the audience was able to sympathize with him.