Acting:
Good People
as Margie Walsh
Sarah J. Wiggin, the grieving mother in SCT's 2011 production of Lindsay-Abaire's Pulitzer Prize-winning "Rabbit Hole," embodies a much different character with equal passion and precision.
Margie Walsh, unemployed at 50 and struggling to support a disabled daughter, is a canny mix of passive acceptance and go-for-the-jugular aggression. When the South Boston native learns that high school beau Mike has returned to town after becoming a successful doctor, she looks him up in hopes of snagging a routine job. That hope is soon squashed, but the past that's dredged up from their reunion forms the basis for riveting drama and laugh-out-loud comedy.
Wiggin limns Margie skillfully, making us accept her willfulness and tendency to self-sabotage as part of a very human package. David Schmittou, last seen locally in SCT's "Alfred Hitchcock's The 39 Steps," does excellent work here as a proud man with hidden chinks in his emotional armor. The duo's beautifully-etched office tango shows both actors at their best, with our loyalties bobbing back and forth between two flawed but sympathetic figures.
That's just a prelude to an even more dynamic encounter in Act Two.
as Margie Walsh
Sarah J. Wiggin, the grieving mother in SCT's 2011 production of Lindsay-Abaire's Pulitzer Prize-winning "Rabbit Hole," embodies a much different character with equal passion and precision.
Margie Walsh, unemployed at 50 and struggling to support a disabled daughter, is a canny mix of passive acceptance and go-for-the-jugular aggression. When the South Boston native learns that high school beau Mike has returned to town after becoming a successful doctor, she looks him up in hopes of snagging a routine job. That hope is soon squashed, but the past that's dredged up from their reunion forms the basis for riveting drama and laugh-out-loud comedy.
Wiggin limns Margie skillfully, making us accept her willfulness and tendency to self-sabotage as part of a very human package. David Schmittou, last seen locally in SCT's "Alfred Hitchcock's The 39 Steps," does excellent work here as a proud man with hidden chinks in his emotional armor. The duo's beautifully-etched office tango shows both actors at their best, with our loyalties bobbing back and forth between two flawed but sympathetic figures.
That's just a prelude to an even more dynamic encounter in Act Two.
God of Carnage
as Veronica
All four actors make strong impressions as up-to-date, civilized folk who are pleasant enough on the surface, but vicious when their vulnerable social veneers are scratched...Sarah J. Wiggin, Marlin’s co-star in last summer’s “The Female Odd Couple,” is part of another mismatch here. Her Veronica is rather snooty and self-possessed, while down-to-earth hubby Michael is more casual and conciliatory. Eventually, though, he reveals “Neanderthal” tendencies that align him with Alan and drive Veronica over the edge. –The News-Leader
The Odd Couple Female Version
as Florence Unger
Sarah Wiggin has fun with Florence Unger’s honking hypochondria . . . –The News-Leader
Rabbit Hole
as Becca
. . the top-flight cast of five illuminates both the sad and serio-comic dimensions of a tragic situation to create two hours of compelling theatre you won't soon forget . . . Sarah Wiggin and Kurt Gerard are both excellent as the grieving parents...Wiggin doesn’t play to our sympathies, but lets the character’s steely contradictions play out in realistic fashion. – The News-Leader
This pair (Wiggin and Gerard) is great together, and they interact so well that there were moments when my willing suspension was so willed I just wanted to yell out . . . She fights through sadness, hatred, love and forgiveness in each and every scene. – TAGsgf.com
The Musical Comedy Murders of 1940
as Elsa Von Grossenknueten
. . . the show does have several things going for it . . . a clever off the cuff game of charades played by two secret conspirators (Wiggin and Campbell). – The News-Leader
The Merry Wives of Windsor
as Mistress Page
. . . the production does boast several other performances that hit comic pay dirt . . . As Mistress Ford's sidekick, Mistress Page, lean, jittery, blond-ringleted Sarah J. Wiggin makes an enthusiastic partner in crime. – The Baltimore Sun
The Dresser
as Irene
In small roles, Sarah J. Wiggin (an aspiring starlet) and Magee's Madge bring further depth to the ensemble. – Talkin’Broadway
Sarah Wiggin makes a cunning ingénue – The Washington Post
. . . Sarah J. Wiggin’s starlet and Magee's Madge pointedly contrast ambition and devotion. – The Washington Post
as Veronica
All four actors make strong impressions as up-to-date, civilized folk who are pleasant enough on the surface, but vicious when their vulnerable social veneers are scratched...Sarah J. Wiggin, Marlin’s co-star in last summer’s “The Female Odd Couple,” is part of another mismatch here. Her Veronica is rather snooty and self-possessed, while down-to-earth hubby Michael is more casual and conciliatory. Eventually, though, he reveals “Neanderthal” tendencies that align him with Alan and drive Veronica over the edge. –The News-Leader
The Odd Couple Female Version
as Florence Unger
Sarah Wiggin has fun with Florence Unger’s honking hypochondria . . . –The News-Leader
Rabbit Hole
as Becca
. . the top-flight cast of five illuminates both the sad and serio-comic dimensions of a tragic situation to create two hours of compelling theatre you won't soon forget . . . Sarah Wiggin and Kurt Gerard are both excellent as the grieving parents...Wiggin doesn’t play to our sympathies, but lets the character’s steely contradictions play out in realistic fashion. – The News-Leader
This pair (Wiggin and Gerard) is great together, and they interact so well that there were moments when my willing suspension was so willed I just wanted to yell out . . . She fights through sadness, hatred, love and forgiveness in each and every scene. – TAGsgf.com
The Musical Comedy Murders of 1940
as Elsa Von Grossenknueten
. . . the show does have several things going for it . . . a clever off the cuff game of charades played by two secret conspirators (Wiggin and Campbell). – The News-Leader
The Merry Wives of Windsor
as Mistress Page
. . . the production does boast several other performances that hit comic pay dirt . . . As Mistress Ford's sidekick, Mistress Page, lean, jittery, blond-ringleted Sarah J. Wiggin makes an enthusiastic partner in crime. – The Baltimore Sun
The Dresser
as Irene
In small roles, Sarah J. Wiggin (an aspiring starlet) and Magee's Madge bring further depth to the ensemble. – Talkin’Broadway
Sarah Wiggin makes a cunning ingénue – The Washington Post
. . . Sarah J. Wiggin’s starlet and Magee's Madge pointedly contrast ambition and devotion. – The Washington Post
Directing:
You Can't Take It With You
Director Sarah J. Wiggin's amiable new Tent Theatre staging takes you back to the '30s screwball mindset for two hours of cheeky fun. - The News-Leader
Steel Magnolias
The entire production was nuanced and detailed. It contained the necessary comedy elements without sacrificing honesty at its pursuit. -- Rick Dines, Managing Director, Springfield Contemporary Theatre
Director Sarah J. Wiggin's amiable new Tent Theatre staging takes you back to the '30s screwball mindset for two hours of cheeky fun. - The News-Leader
Steel Magnolias
The entire production was nuanced and detailed. It contained the necessary comedy elements without sacrificing honesty at its pursuit. -- Rick Dines, Managing Director, Springfield Contemporary Theatre
Picasso at the Lapin Agile
Tight direction by Sarah Wiggin keeps the show moving briskly. – The Baltimore Sun
. . . this stage version shines. – The Baltimore City Paper (The Best of Baltimore)
Macbeth
. . . Wiggin and Co. put a convincing new face on the Bard’s ageless portrait of evil. – The News-Leader
Tight direction by Sarah Wiggin keeps the show moving briskly. – The Baltimore Sun
. . . this stage version shines. – The Baltimore City Paper (The Best of Baltimore)
Macbeth
. . . Wiggin and Co. put a convincing new face on the Bard’s ageless portrait of evil. – The News-Leader