Lost Nation Theater returns to Montpelier City Hall with original comic drama, ‘Sam & Jim in Hell’

September 28, 2023  |  By Waterbury Roundabout 

James Joyce and Samuel Beckett watch as Beckett's wife Suzanne (played by Abby Paige) and Joyce's daughter Lucia (played by Amanda MacDonald, real-life daughter of Joyce actor Jock MacDonald) dance in Lost Nation Theater's 'Sam & Jim in Hell.' Photo by Aleta Kibler

Their summer production was upended by the July floods but Lost Nation Theater is back on track with its fall schedule and a new play opening Oct. 5 at Montpelier City Hall Arts Center. 

In the comic drama “Sam & Jim in Hell,” Vermont playwright Jeanne Beckwith imagines iconic literary figures Samuel Beckett and James Joyce in the afterlife and they discover that it’s not all it's cracked up to be. 

The show opens Thursday, Oct. 5, and runs Thursdays-Sundays through Oct. 22. 

The July flood that devastated Montpelier’s downtown business district hit with bad timing for Lost Nation’s summer production, “The Addams Family – The Musical.” The theater company salvaged the show, moving to the Barre Opera House for just two performances July 22-23. 

Now the cast and crew have been rehearsing ahead of opening the new play back in Lost Nation’s home space. “It’s thrilling to be back welcoming audiences after being displaced by the flood,” writes Kathleen Keenan, the company’s producing artistic director who is directing this show. 

The story finds towering figures of literature Samuel Beckett and James Joyce unexpectedly together in what they eventually agree to be some version of the afterlife. They confound, cajole, criticize, and confront each other, trade wits and  contend with the women they have wronged: Beckett's wife Suzanne and Joyce's daughter Lucia.  

This production involves a number of Lost Nation regular performers along with newcomers with ties to the company. 

Samuel Beckett is played by Founding Artistic Director Kim Bent. Opposite him as James Joyce is Jock MacDonald. Both are University of Vermont theater graduates and they worked together at the Champlain Shakespeare Festival. MacDonald was part of Lost Nation’s early seasons at Montpelier City Hall, so this production brings together two real-life old friends playing characters who are old friends.

Beckett’s wife Suzanne is played by longtime company member Abby Paige who has performed in a number of stage productions from David Budbill’s “Judevine” to most recently her own solo work “Les Files du QUOI?” 

A familiar face on the Vermont theater scene for decades, Ruth Wallman joins the cast as “The Colleen of the Gate” who delights in fondly tormenting these two literary giants while pretending to be helpful. 

Joyce’s daughter Lucia is played by Amanda MacDonald, real-life daughter to actor Jock MacDonald. Amanda works as an actor in Los Angeles mainly in television productions such as “CSI” and “The Connors.” The ongoing actors’ strike allowed her time to join Lost Nation for the first time.

Keenan is directing her third Beckwith show. The design team includes Clay Coyle on sets, David Orlando doing lighting, and Andrew Vachon on sound. 

Costume designer Cora DS Fauser said she was introduced to the play two years ago on a Zoom reading. “I was so excited to see it performed, I made them promise I could dress this one,” she said. “This may be Jeanne B’s best yet!” 

Inspired by Beckett’s classic “Waiting for Godot,” Beckwith’s play has been in the works for the past three years. Beckwith’s research into Joyce and Beckett provides provocative details. “It's about language, it’s about legacy. It’s about love,” Or, as the playwright puts it, “Oh hell, it's about life!”

A fan of Beckett, Bent in particular was eager for Lost Nation Theater to premiere the show. “Jeanne invents a dramatic conversation between two of the most prolific and vastly different writers of the 20th century,” Bent said. “One an enigmatic minimalist, the other a volcanic fountain of verbosity. She’s created a mind-bending opportunity for us to spend some quality time with these two fiery Giants––and it’s a wild ride!”

Kim Bent as Samuel Beckett and Jock MacDonald as James Joyce in a scene from Lost Nation Theater's play, 'Sam & Jim in Hell.' Photo by Aleta Kibler

Tickets, showtimes, details 

NOTE: The play will be performed live in person and offered as a livestream on Oct. 6 as well as a recording available online on demand starting Oct. 8. Flooding has made the elevator at Montpelier City Hall inoperable, requiring climbing stairs to attend in person. The play will be available digitally to make the show accessible to those unable to physically attend. 

Showtimes: 7:30 p.m. Thursdays through Saturdays; 2 p.m. Sundays. 

Tickets: $10 – $30 based on type and showtime; guaranteed reserved seating is available for an additional fee. Audience members are strongly recommended to wear masks for in-person attendance, but masks are not required.
Purchase tickets online at lostnationtheater.org; by phone Tuesday-Friday 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at 802-229-0492; or at the door (based on availability). 

More information at lostnationtheater.org or email info@lostnationtheater.org.