I Don't Live There Anymore - Home
 

1992 - IDLTA saw its initial production in Dorset, England 
to an enthusiastic reception throughout its brief run.

1993 - IDLTA was produced in Charleston, SC. as part of the Piccolo
Spoleto Festival and received standing ovations nightly.

2000  - IDLTA was invited to participate in the Savannah River Site's 50th
Anniversary and toured South Carolina in September and October, again to
laughter, heart-warming response and standing-ovations.

APPLAUSE

 "A potential Broadway or West End hit."
 THE STAGE (London's equivalent of New York's Variety) Feb 6, 1992

"I Don't Live There Anymore," premiered at Bryanston Art Centre, Dorset,
last week, was poignant and engrossing, with lots of good songs..."
Blackmore Vale Magazine 10 February 1992.

Premiered during Charleston's 1993 Spoleto Festival, I Don't Live There Anymore
was, as local Channel 2 called it, "the run-a-way hit of the Festival" and played to
standing ovations night after night during its run.

"I Don't Live There Anymore, a critically-praised work that is one of the 
highlights of this year's Piccolo Spoleto,..."
Post and Courier Reviewer, Charleston, SC

 
"Keep On stirred the audience to spontaneous applause and cheering. 
Young men were memorable in Skunk Cantata."

Post and Courier Reviewer, Charleston, SC

 

Touring productions rarely elicit reviews.   Still, IDLTA got one.   Below is the entire review, omitting cast critiques, from the daily SUMTER ITEM by
Jane G. Collins.

'I DON'T LIVE THERE ANYMORE'
PUTS IMPORTANT EVENT IN SMALL-TOWN LIGHT

What if your hometown were destroyed, your house demolished, family gravesites moved, your property lost forever?  Even though the Savannah River Site is controversial even today, the play "I Don't Live There Anymore" goes beyond the actual loss of buildings and farms and moral issues of nuclear warfare. It reaches much deeper, reviewing the nature of a town and exploring the hearts of its people.  In many ways, the play is a positive acclamation of man's ability to move forward in the face of calamity.  The story examines a cross-section of the people whose lives are immediately impacted by the decision. 

Instead of heavy drama the play, much like Thornton Wilder's "Our Town,"  utilizes a minimal set and a sense of 'plain old folks' to create a direct, often humorous interpretation.   One of the play's great assets is the music. Like old-fashioned musicals where characters burst into song, the
play employs music to transition from conflict to characterization. Not contrived, the toe-tappin' tunes seem to flow naturally, combining harmonica, Guitar and banjo to fuse seemingly simple country melodies to lyrics investigating complex, universal themes.  All 18 songs quickly move the audience through the context.

Playwright, lyricist and director Lawrence Holofcener avoids pointing fingers.  If there is any blame, the themes perhaps suggest that it is man's inability to take control of negative situations.  "I Don't Live There Anymore" gives an interesting fictional
perspective to an important historical event."

Larry Hembree, Director of Performing Arts, SC Arts Commission. This show is a gift to any community wishing to celebrate itself, its citizens, musical theatre and life!

Tim Brown, Drama Department Head, Beaufort High School. This is a delightfully charming piece of theatre.  Not with savvy technician tricks but with honest moments in a character-driven story, the play touches us all at some universal places in the heart.

Dennis Knapp, Director, Circle Theater, Barnwell.  Not since "Carousel", "Oklahoma" & "State Fair" has there been a musical that melds both dialogue and song in a way that touches the soul and has you leaving the theatre with a smile.

Boo Sheppard, Television Host/Producer, Time Warner Cable.  "IDLTA" is a musical about ordinary people who show extra ordinary courage... songs hit on every musical taste and every human emotion. "IDLTA" is the "Our Town'" of musicals....certain to become a classic!

Marcia & Bob Ballentine of Sumter.  We were privileged this past Sunday Oct. 8 to see the performance of I Don't Live There Anymore.  It was magnificent! We have told everyone about this marvelous performance and thank you for making this special story such a great artistic work.

Patricia Claiborne, Beaufort.  I loved the lyrics, the melodies--this is a classic!