Dr. Charles Smith, Central City. The melodrama The Abduction at Mountain City or Where is Millie? opened in the courtyard of the Teller House on Saturday evening. The 6 p.m. performance was written and composed by Patrice LeBlanc and Ed Schonradt.  A 10 member cast brought the story of young Rose Hadley, the beautiful young singer (the damsel in distress), Tom Evens (our hero), and the mine owner Harry Gunnel (our lecherous villain). 

Melodrama was one of the most important types of entertainment performed across America starting in the 19th century. A simple story formula involved a damsel in distress, a town hero, and the villain. 

Think of Dudley Do-Right, Nelle, and Snidley Whiplash if you will. The melodrama features larger than life personalities, audience involvement and participation, comedy, and the villain gets his in the end. 

Rose, along with her mother and two sisters come to Mountain City to perform for the miners, cowboys, and members of the community. Isabella Stockham is perfect in the part of Rose. Young, beautiful, and talented, she sings with her real life sisters Sophia and Olivia. Their musical numbers are terrific!

She meets and falls in love with Tom. Tom protects her from the mine owner Harry Gunnell.

Tom is portrayed by our hero Tom Evans, a local gambler who comes to the aid of Rose when she is accosted by Harry Gunnell. Rex Decker certainly fits the part of Tom.

The nasty villain, Harry Gunnel is portrayed by David Josslyn. David is the perfect villain. He commands the stage with his voice, his look, and his comic timing. He completely captures the role.

There is a great deal to enjoy with this production. The courtyard at the Teller house is absolutely beautiful and the space is a perfect performance venue. Eric Chin, the production coordinator had benches, tables, and chairs placed six feet apart to ensure social distancing. 

Historical fact, the entrance to the Gunnel Mine is located in the corner of the stage. This mine was the third largest gold producer in Central City history. 

To add to the magic of the evening, JKQ offered an evening meal package.  An $11.00 picnic box meal. My friends Terri Miller and Ann Martin-Myers choose the Italian caprese ciabatta hoagie, fresh fruit, and chocolate chunk brownie. They found the meal to be delicious. Of course, they enjoyed the meal with a glass of wine.

There is so much more that this cast brings to the evening’s performance. Lots of sight gags, the audience participation of cheering “Yay” for the hero, “Ah” for the young damsel, and certainly the “Boo’s” were audible for the villain, and were part of the enjoyment of the approximately two dozen members of the audience. 

Bring your family and meet Rose, Tom, Harry, Deputy Cozens, Madame Wakely, Pat, Louise, Flora, Chicken Creek Charlie, and Texas Jack.

The performance runs around 45-50 minutes. Performances will continue with a 6 p.m. curtain time on Saturday, July 18 and 25, 2020. 

To order your special picnic box meal, call Joe or Kara at JKQ at 303-582-0600. Seating is limited for proper social distancing. 

(Originally published in the July 16, 2020, print edition of The Mountain-Ear.)