By Deanna Walz
Hollywood, Nebraska, Lofte Community Theatre, Friday March 21, 2025
Hollywood, Nebraska, the play could have been sponsored by Dorothy Lynch. The name-dropping product placement peppered throughout the Nebraska debut of this play made the experience as sweet as the well-known Nebraska made salad dressing.
Playwright Kenneth Jones served up ample helpings of country cuisine in references throughout the new play that debuted last night at the Lofte Theatre in Manley, NE. Director Kevin Colbert mentioned in his opening speech that the play was also being produced in New Jersey, and it made me wonder if the audience there would eat up the cozy, home-spun Nebraska references as much as the home state audience.
The entire production was a charming tale of homecoming. With just enough folksiness to make it endearing and lifting a thin, lace curtain to reveal the realities of life in Nebraska that aren’t as “aw shucks” as sometimes residents make you believe. The complexities of the characters were the highlights of this story, and the relationship between mother and daughter were the most interesting in my opinion.
Television actress Jane is a very complex character played with nuance by Brandy Hall. She comes home to the small, almost abandoned town she grew up in and “kind of” hates it. Or at least thinks she does. Her antagonistic relationship with her plucky mother played by Melinda Schneider will hit home with so many women in the audience. That combination of frustration and love wrapped up in wrestling for control will resonate with a lot of women who have wanted “more.” The desire to protect each other and knowing what’s best for the other person leaves the audience chuckling and wanting to call their own mother after the show.
Jane goes on a journey throughout this play, and it’s not just the miles traveled from California to Nebraska. It’s interesting to watch her Hollywood cynicism infect her perceptions of the other residents of Hatcher, Nebraska and almost destroy her chance at happiness. Hall’s nuanced take on this character had me rooting for her, hating her and rooting for her again throughout her story arc. I wanted her to be happy but I wanted her to change, and it was exciting to watch Hall’s honest portrayal of her character experience that shift.
The relationship between mother and daughter was the strongest I thought of this production, but it was supported by the relationships of the other characters as well. The recently widowed Robert and his daughter Katie (played by James Skinner and Milli Potmesil) were a wonderful foil showing what parental trust and maturity could look like. New York actress and Jane’s childhood frenemy, Andrea (Madison Garey) showed how a different life path and pursuit of happiness could impact one’s perception of “home.” When she entertains the idea of a relationship with young handyman Lance (Hunter Sieckmeyer), you wonder how difficult it is for her to weigh the cost of her heart to the cost of her east coast lifestyle.
The only real hiccups of the evening were the length of some of the set changes, but these will tighten up with repeated performances. Colbert mentioned during the curtain speech that there were pauses in production due to some of the crazy spring blizzards that we’ve been hit with. If that’s not Nebraska, then I don’t know what is.
All in all this is a very solid and enjoyable ensemble production. Laughs and charm abounds. This production would be a great date night, girls night or mother/daughter evening out.
If you go: Hollywood, Nebraska runs March 22 at 7:00 p.m. and March 23 at 2:00 p.m. As well as March 27, 28, 29 at 7:00 p.m. and March 30 at 2:00 p.m. Ticket information at https://www.lofte.org.
Deanna Walz is a nonprofit consultant and theatre enthusiast who enjoys live performances and storytelling. She’s proud to live in Nebraska and always chooses Dorothy Lynch for her salads.
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