Bravo! My hat is off to Seth Panitch for his outstanding production of Fifth of July. After attending all of UA’s productions for the academic year, I can formally announce Fifth of July to be the best thus far. The audience is transported back in time to the turbulent lifestyles of the 1970s. From the pot-smoking escapades to the Vietnam aftershocks, each character has a story to tell. The plot surrounds the couple Gwen (Stacy Searle) and John Landis (Willoughby Smith) going to visit old college buds Kenny (Chris Hardin) and June Talley (Maegan McNerney) at their farm in Missouri. Ultimately, the visit was initiated in hopes of Gwen and John buying the Talley farm house. With time, the Talley family soon realize their desperation to leave their past behind them by selling their home is not the answer to their unhappiness. The reunion’s reminiscing forced the lost souls to realize their hardships of the past have made them who they are today. The play was humanizing; unlike other romanticized UA productions, Fifth of July told a genuine story of normal, everyday people trying to find their place in this zany world.   
        Beyond a doubt this is the best ensemble cast to ever grace the Marion Gallaway Theatre. Can you say “chemistry?” Even with a skeptical eye, I am lost for criticism. Every actor was perfectly cast for their individual flairs. Stacy Searle, once again, stole the show. Running frantically around the stage draped in a sheet after a supposed rendezvous, her beauty and striking facial expressions epitomize the perfect leading lady. Her flawless articulation of dialogue lures the audience’s attention. Crista Bergmann also deserves recognition for her uncanny portrayal of Aunt Sally, the senile old matriarch of the Talley family. Carrying around a Whitman’s Sampler chocolate box of her deceased husband’s ashes, Bergmann’s quirky giddiness showed her range and audience likeability, which proved her worthy of other leading roles in the department.
        Along with Searle and Bergmann, Hunter Cain and Anastasia Munoz demanded laughs with their depictions of an eccentric guitar-player Weston and silly, immature youngster Shirley. As the opening for both acts, Cain played his guitar as background music, setting the tone with his unique harmonies mirroring that of legendary Jim Morrison. With his tale of the stinky caribou meat and sporadic “far out’s,” he had the audience bent over in laughter. Thirteen going on twenty-three, Munoz paraded around the stage in extravagant dresses. As she fell on the floor imitating her future fans after encountering her impending famous self, she proved goofiness to be her niché.
        Combined with a well constructed set, I felt as if I was sitting on the porch with the characters. Bill Teague did an amazing job of creating a dainty country living atmosphere with his textbook screen door and miniature potted-plant collection. Jeff Davis’ simulated fireworks and perfectly lit porch further accentuated what it is genuinely like away from the city-lights. Fifth of July is truly theater at its best.