June 7, 2008 - Jennifer Walz

Last night's Echo Reads presentation of OIL! at the Bath House Cultural Center was

indeed a treat. Directed by Pam Myers-Morgan, this play represented decades of

work by playwright Neil Tucker and subsequent drafts by Tucker's daughter, Raelle.

Mr. Tucker died in 1995 after a courageous fight with AIDs, leaving the final draft of

OIL! unfinished, although he worked on to the end. I believe he would have been

entirely proud to see the version presented in Dallas this week.

Tyne Daly was fabulous in her role as Magritte Holes, a Texan with a drinking problem,and a dream of finding oil on her property. Ms. Daly's comedic timing AND her southern accent were flawless. I have seen other actors attempt to change their accents to get into character and it not quite working, this was not the case here. Ms Daly WAS Magritte Holes as the first word came out of her mouth. The other cast members were equally impressive and kept the audience laughing out loud frequently, even though the play deals with many serious subjects; alcoholism, ancer, homophobia, the waning of our natural enery resources and more.I hope to see this show in full production soon, and judging by the audience's response, it will be wildly successful.

Photos (c) 2008 Jennifer A. Walz