Hydock Does a Double Take in Nothing Sacred
review by Mary Grace McCord, Black and White Magazine
Nothing Sacred is indeed that. The story concert features one actress telling two stories in two acts, covering much ground and a multitude of sins within a fictitious Georgia town. The first act alone addresses gambling, drinking, envy, greed, sex, gossip, and the failure to tithe. Both monologues are told by Dolores Hydock.
One-woman shows are Hydock's specialty, as previously seen in her performances of Shirley Valentine at Birmingham Festival Theatre and The Search for Signs of Intelligent Life in the Universe at Terrific New Theatre.Hydock's award-winning storycrafting career began when she was 5 years old. She ultimately earned a graduate degree in the storytelling art, and over the years has written and performed dozens of her own stories. She describes acting as "a channel through which the story and audience connect," adding that in a one-person show, the audience has a huge supporting role in how things unfold.
"I'm playing to each viewer's reactions," Hydock says, "so it's almost like working with different actors each night. Not knowing how the audience will react keeps me on my toes."
The two narrators in Nothing Sacred are complete opposites. Act 1's story is told by a buttoned-up, formally-dressed widow sitting virtually motionless in her chair. Act 2 portrays a no-nonsense, high-energy honky-tonk angel in tight jeans with big plans for the future. Hydock disappears into both roles so well that, at one recent performance, an audience member was convinced that he'd seen two different actresses.