Ogden-Coach, Coach a play by Bailey Williams, has opened at Good Company Theatre in Ogden Utah. Directed by Alicia Washington, this show is a delightful yet dark comedy featuring 6 women who are life coaches with different specialties, who have all come to learn from the best coach of them all, Dr. Meredith Martin, played in stunning fashion by Tracie Merrill Wilson.
In the Utah premiere of this show that has only been around since 2023, the small cast and creative team not only provides a nice respite from our current societal turmoil, it does so in a way that still gives us room to think. Wilson’s character runs almost a cult like life coaching retreat that reminded me of an MLM scheme that gets people to believe in the marketing and product without ever understanding what that product really is. Carol Madsen plays Cornelia, a health and wellness newcomer coach who is used as a scapegoat by the others. Laura Elise Chapman plays Velma, a life and death coach who does a fabulous job of embodying her character and the desire and ambition to move forward. Nicole Finney plays Patti, a business and wealth coach who has not figured out her own wealth. Kelsie Jepsen plays Ann, a love and dating coach with a complicated relationship to love, and rounding out the cast is Margo, played by McKalle Dahl, Dr. Martin’s assistant, who is never given the chance she deserves.
The set design, by Alina Cannon, may be one of my favorites seen at Good Company. Because it is a small black box stage, the space was perfect for the setting of Coach, Coach, which is a small retreat in a rented house. I sat on the front row and felt like I was a participant in the training. Being a therapist, I have had my fair share of role play and one on one type training, so this felt right at home. The way the furniture, pictures, even the wallpaper felt exactly like retreats I have been on in the past. However, the interactions with the cast felt like some of the MLM meetings I got swept into in my younger days as a victim of growing up in Utah. I really appreciated Washington’s direction, from the signature movement of everyone patting their hand to their chest whenever a catch phrase was uttered, to the fun lighting design by Austin Stephenson and sound design by Kyle Lawrence that gave the show it’s ambience. All of these elements combined in perfect fashion for Wilson’s entrance as Dr. Martin, showing her as a larger than life persona. This is also where Citlali Urquiza’s costume design was in full force, because everything from Wilon’s jacket to her shoes to her ring fit her persona perfectly. The best part about this was the breaking down of the image of her persona throughout the show to the stark reality behind it.
A mix between a farce, a dark comedy, and a mystery, the production is a bit hard to pinpoint in genre. It is interesting and telling to see how each of the characters both admire and fear Dr. Martin. Madsen as Cornelia is the first to show some self-confidence, and Chapman as Velma steps in to show off her own skills and subsequently tears Madsen down to build herself up. This helps us all understand that the night will be one of backbiting, tricking, and impressive fighting guided by fight choreographer Kristi Curtis. While I was smiling most of the evening and even laughing out loud on numerous occasions, I was also reminded at many points about how often my own choices are made not about my own happiness or skills but about my need to impress someone else.
As I walked out of the performance that night, I heard a different play-goer ask Washington why she chose to do a comedy during this time in our current landscape. Her response has kept me thinking over the last twenty-four hours “They cannot take away our joy.” There is so much joy in story telling and enjoying an evening in the theatre. Even when there is some dark humor that is meant for mature audiences, such as this production. Or when it is a more thought provoking show that makes us think and cry. The arts bring us joy, and Washington is right. They cannot take away our joy.
Coach Coach plays April 6-20 on Fridays-Saturdays at 7:30 and Sundays at 4pm at Good Company Theatre, 2404 Wall Avenue, Ogden, Utah 84401. Tickets are $15-25. For more information see https://goodcotheatre.com/
