By Sandy HenryAs a long-time fan of David Selby, since his days as “Richard Channing” of TV’s Falcon Crest, it was a pleasure and a special treat to meet him in person on the set of his new play, Final Assault. The production was a family affair, with David writing and his son, Jamison Selby, directing. Both Selbys are veteran actors, although neither appeared in the drama. Final Assault tells the story of the legal and moral battle raging between environmental activists and the mining companies in West Virginia who partake in the process of mountain top coal removal. This form of mining is simple, yet brutal. It basically involves dynamiting off the top of a mountain, dumping the remains into streams and plucking the coal out from the top. This, on its face, sounds almost practical. Especially given the recent collapse of the Que Creek mine near my home in Western Pennsylvania, and the subsequent rescue of the “Miracle 9” miners. The critical issues, however, are the polluting of streams and waterways, as well as the permanent destruction of West Virginia’s beautiful mountain landscape. And that, in a nutshell, is Assault’s story. But this isn’t intended so much as a theatre review; rather, I wanted to offer a fan perspective. In addition to meeting David and Jamison, I also had the pleasure to meet Chip Selby, David’s wife and Jamison’s mom. She was friendly and down-to-earth. And she was basically fascinated that anyone would drive four hours to see her husband! But meeting David (sorry, I can’t call him “Mister”) was all that I had expected and hoped for. I had heard he was “a charmer,” and that was evident at first sight. At the private reception that preceded the Friday night performance, he greeted guests warmly, introducing himself to each with, “Hello. I’m David Selby”. Like his multi-layered character of Richard Channing (’82-’90), he was charming, relaxed, confident and even a little shy. I may be projecting here, but he presents himself as an educated, articulate and talented guy who happens to have a pretty cool job. And he seems comfortable with that, and grateful, as well. As a writer, too, he knows his business, drafting a script that is timely, dramatic and filled with wry humor. His characters are real people, with real dreams and conflicts, and the warts and flaws that make characters worth watching. He and Jamison selected a wonderful cast, many of whom are regulars with the Charleston Stage Company. In addition, special recognition must go to the sound guy. For he, without planning it I’m sure, provoked a series of uncontrollable giggles from me and a few others who sat with me in the center of the third row. There were several dynamite blasts in the production, but the third explosion was literally THE LOUDEST sound I have ever heard in my life. And like a Jack-in-the-box, I popped a good 7 to 8 inches out of my seat, simultaneously emitting a shriek that was likely heard outside! Thankfully, the drama had quite a few humorous moments, as I struggled for the next 10 minutes to stifle my embarrassed laughter. Finally, another bonus to meeting David and his family was having the opportunity to enjoy the play with two friends that I met online, Janet Morris and Pam Hester. Like me, Pam traveled four hours from Kentucky to meet David and catch the performance; Janet has known David for several years and was fortunate to have the play staged in her own home town! In conclusion, the highlight of the weekend was definitely meeting David Selby. He’s a class act, and his play was terrific. In fact, if it happens to be staged here in Pittsburgh, who knows? I might even try out. I’m not right for Sally. Too old (ahem) for Jamie. But I’m thinking the part of Peggy might just be tailor-made. So come on, David. Pennsylvania would give you a warm welcome, as you did me when I visited your home state of WV! [ Return to Final Assault page. ] |
