The Themes of Curse of the Starving Class, Sam
Shepard's 1977 West End and 1978 Off-Broadway Play
About an American Family in Crisis Are Still Timely
Michael Tourek stars as Weston
Tate in Curse of the Starving Class at Theatre
Raleigh
(photo by Jennifer Robertson Photography)
In Curse of the Starving Class, Theatre Raleigh and director Charlie Brady bring Sam Shepard's haunting exploration of the American Dream to vivid life, exposing the hunger and sickness lurking within. This production reveals the Tate family's fractured pursuit of a better life, highlighting the hollow promises and illusions that often accompany it.
Throughout the play, characters repeatedly open the refrigerator, searching for food and nourishment in a dark room, only to be met with a dim glow inside. This act of searching for something meaningful, despite the emptiness within, becomes a repeated visual reminder of each character's longing for fulfillment.
In one memorable scene, the refrigerator holds only artichokes. Initially amusing, this detail gains depth as the artichokes are tossed out due to their strong smell, symbolizing how easily we discard things that may nourish us in search of something sweeter. Shepard suggests that we are all seeking a "sweet savor" or even a "savior," yet we often overlook what might truly sustain us.
Theatre
Raleigh's production of Curse of the Starving Class stars Heather Shore as Ella Tate
(photo by Jennifer Robertson Photography)
Weston Tate, the alcoholic father played by Michael Tourek, embodies this emptiness as he clings to false hope. His liver, strained from his destructive habits, might benefit from the artichokes tossed aside, highlighting the tragic irony of ignoring what might heal us. Weston's struggles bring up the question: Am I hungry, starving, or sick? Much like Weston, are we clinging to illusions that harm us, overlooking what we truly need?
The timing of this play feels especially relevant as recent elections raise questions about wealth, property, and pride, issues that lie at the heart of the American experience. This timeliness is mirrored in the staging, where the carefully orchestrated sound and lighting work to draw out themes of uncertainty, sacrifice, and aspiration with an intensity that parallels post-election reflections.
Heather Shore's portrayal of Ella Tate, the mother, captures the resilience of a woman making endless sacrifices, whereas Maddie Behrens as Emma Tate, the frustrated daughter, adds a youthful voice of discontent. Her complaints echo the restless energy of a generation searching for more.
Maddie Behrens stars as Emma Tate in
Curse of the Starving Class at Theatre Raleigh
(photo by Jennifer Robertson Photography)
Tom Butler's character, Wesley Tate, embodies reason, and reveals the futility of logic in a family trapped by cycles of despair. The play's references to figures such as Trump and Harris give the story added relevance, capturing a country divided by conflicting dreams. Like America, this family aspires to escape its troubles, but remains bound to the same broken framework.
Executed with precision, the play's technical design enhances the emotional depth of each scene, immersing the audience in the family's struggles and inevitable decline. The presence of a lamb, symbolizing innocence and sacrifice, invokes biblical themes and invites the audience to reflect on what we are willing to sacrifice for our ambitions. As the characters gather around the dining table, a space meant for nourishment but filled with disillusionment, the play asks us to consider what we bring to the table in our own lives and as a society.
Curse of the Starving Class is a potent reflection on ambition, emptiness, and the costs of our choices. It urges us to confront our illusions about fulfillment and challenges us to reconsider what we discard in pursuit of the American Dream. This thought-provoking production runs through Wednesday-Sunday through Nov. 17th, with tickets available here.
Don't miss the chance to experience this powerful exploration of the sacrifices that we make and the empty spaces that are left behind in the pursuit of something better.
Theatre Raleigh's production of Curse of the Starving
Class stars Tom Butler as Wesley Tate
(photo by Jennifer Robertson Photography)
Sam Shepard's
CURSE OF THE
STARVING CLASS (In Person at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday-Friday, 2 and
7:30 p.m. Saturday, and 3 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 10 and 13-17),
directed by Charlie Brady
and starring
Michael Tourek
as Weston Tate,
Heather Shore
as Ella Tate,
Tom Butler
as Wesley Tate,
Maddie Behrens
as Emma Tate,
Jim Bray
as Taylor/Emerson,
Drew Solomon
as Ellis/Slater, and
Brian Westbrook
as Malcolm, plus understudies
Keagan
Kermode (Taylor/Emerson, Malcolm, Ellis/Slater, and Wesley),
Blaire
Thompson (Ella), and
Mollie
Reeves (Emma)
(Theatre Raleigh in the
De Ann S. Jones Theatre at the
Theatre Raleigh
Arts Center at 6638 Old Wake Forest Rd. in Raleigh).
TRAILERS AND FEATURETTES:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oTtSqcSAQo4.
PRESENTER:
https://theatreraleigh.com/,
https://www.facebook.com/TheatreRaleigh,
https://www.instagram.com/theatre_raleigh/,
https://twitter.com/theatreraleigh, and
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCBrPHqUNhtfRMWQ2Ej8Fxeg.
2024 SEASON:
https://theatreraleigh.com/2024-main-stage-season/.
VENUE:
https://theatreraleigh.com/main-stage-theatre-dedication/.
DIRECTIONS/PARKING:
https://theatreraleigh.com/location-parking/.
CURSE OF THE STARVING CLASS (1977 West End and 1978 Off-Broadway play):
https://www.dramatists.com/cgi-bin/db/single.asp?key=1352,
http://www.iobdb.com/Production/2519, and
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Curse_of_the_Starving_Class.
THE SCRIPT (excerpts): https://books.google.com/books.
SAM SHEPARD (Fort Sheridan, IL-born playwright and screenwriter, nee
Samuel Shepard Rogers III, 1943-2017):
https://samshepardarchive.com/,
http://www.iobdb.com/CreditableEntity/492,
https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001731/,
https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-cast-staff/sam-shepard-8584, and
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sam_Shepard.
TICKETS: $33 and up, plus taxes and fees. Click
here
to buy tickets.
INFORMATION: 919-832-9997, info@theatreraleigh.com, or boxoffice@theatreraleigh.com.
PLEASE DONATE TO: Theatre Raleigh.
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