• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to secondary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Home
  • Event Calendar
    • Submit Event
  • About Us
    • Our Contributors
    • Subscribe
  • Advertise
  • Contact Us
  • Arts & Entertainment
    • Comedy
    • On Screen Dayton
    • On Screen Dayton Reviews
    • Road Trippin’
      • Cincinnati
      • Columbus
      • Indianapolis
    • Spectator Sports
    • Street-Level Art
    • Visual Arts
  • Dayton Dining
    • DMM’s Brunch Guide
    • Restaurants with Private Dining Rooms
    • Dayton Food Trucks
    • Quest
    • Ten Questions
  • Dayton Music
    • Music Calendar
  • On Stage Dayton
    • On Stage Dayton Reviews
  • Active Living
    • Canoeing/Kayaking
    • Cycling
    • Hiking/Backpacking
    • Runners
  • How to Support Dayton Businesses, Nonprofits During COVID-19

Dayton Most Metro

Things to do in Dayton | Restaurants, Theatre, Music and More

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest

Geriatric Love for Sale

September 1, 2011 By Russell Florence, Jr. Leave a Comment

(l to r) Marcia Nowik, Ellen Finch, Jackie Engle, Marcella Balin and Patty Bell in The Oldest Profession

Five elderly prostitutes come to terms with their flings, finances and fate in Paula Vogel’s funny, racy, surprisingly touching 2004 comedy “The Oldest Profession,” excellently staged by the Dayton Theatre Guild under Greg Smith’s delicately smooth direction.

Vogel, who won the 1998 Pulitzer Prize for her masterfully dark family drama “How I Learned to Drive,” vividly creates a world of tough love and hard knocks for her seasoned ladies of the night, transplanted from the seedy glamour of New Orleans’ red-light district to the competitive hustle and bustle of New York City’s Upper West Side. The action – transpiring on a park bench in the early 1980s – certainly appeals during moments of risqué chitchat, particularly when the women reminisce about the good old days in Storyville with a candor that would make Blanche DuBois blush, but the journey is unquestionably rooted in survival. After all, the ladies have finally realized their reliable clientele are “a dying breed.” Prostitution, no matter your personal feelings, is a business, and Vogel effectively advances the motivations of her colorful characters by molding the play into an eye-opening reflection on aging and security. The economic-driven tale also contains a topical relevance that’s hard to ignore, especially talk of cost-effective strategies in the midst of a debt crisis. As a result of addressing the stakes involved rather than suffocating the audience with a barrage of raunchy jokes, “The Oldest Profession” rises above mere entertainment to a deeper, poignant plateau.

Marcella Balin, Patty Bell, Jackie Engle, Ellen Finch and Marcia Nowik, humorously and provocatively clothed with assistance from Barbara Jorgensen, establish an absolutely endearing sisterhood that speaks volumes. This marvelously naughty, witty troupe also produces huge laughs based on sheer attitude and comedic timing alone. Engle, in a welcomed return to the Guild, oozes Southern gentility as Mae, the stern, no-nonsense madam trying to keep her bickering gals in line even as her health deteriorates. Bell and Finch are respectively delightful as Lillian and Edna, a very amiable duo. Nowik, outstanding in the Guild’s production of “Independence” two seasons ago, is terrifically sharp as the outspoken Ursula, whose forward-thinking suggestions perturb Mae. Balin, in a pleasant theatrical debut, exudes a natural earnestness as the meek yet chatty Vera, a heartbreaking sight in the final minutes.

Musical numbers, playfully choreographed by John Ueber, are also present offering a glimpse of the women in pure seduction mode. Nowik, attacking the spotlight like an older and wiser Sally Bowles, particularly sells Ursula’s contribution with fierce authoritative flair.

The Oldest Profession continues through September 11 at the Dayton Theatre Guild, 430 Wayne Ave. Performances are Friday at 8 p.m., Saturday at 5 p.m. and Sunday at 3 p.m. Act One: 50 minutes; Act Two: 60 minutes. Tickets are $11-$18. The play contains strong language and adult themes. For tickets or more information, call (937) 278-5993 or visit www.daytontheatreguild.org

Filed Under: On Stage Dayton Reviews

About Russell Florence, Jr.

Russell Florence, Jr. is a member of The American Theatre Critics Association and The Drama League. In addition to his role as arts and culture editor of Dayton City Paper and theater critic for Dayton City Paper and Impact Weekly, he served as a Dayton Daily News freelance writer and editorial page contributor. He has also written features for such theater publications as Spotlight Ohio and The Sondheim Review. Over the past 25 years, he has seen over 1,000 shows locally, regionally, nationally, and internationally encompassing New York City, Los Angeles, San Francisco, London, Toronto, Madrid, and Rome among other destinations.

Reader Interactions


Comments

Comments

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Primary Sidebar

Featured Events

  • Wed
    20
  • Thu
    21
  • Fri
    22
  • Sat
    23
  • Sun
    24
  • Mon
    25
  • Tue
    26

2nd Annual Ice Breaker Fest

4:00 pm | Fifth Street Brewpub

Trivia w/ DagaTrivia

6:00 pm | Eudora Brewing Company

Wednesday Trivia

6:30 pm | Troll Pub at the Wheelhouse

Open Mic with Blues Breakdown Band

7:00 pm | Hank’s Local

Gem City Market Walking Warriors

7:00 pm | Gem City Market

Wednesday Night Trivia w/ Dan Profitt

7:00 pm | Oinkadoodlemoo & Brew

Marvel Cinematic Universe Trivia

7:00 pm | Toxic Brew Company

2nd Annual Ice Breaker Fest

4:00 pm | Fifth Street Brewpub

Know Your Knots 101

6:00 pm | online

January Salon, Featuring Katie Clark Gabbard

6:00 pm | ZOOM

Jenna Drees Live Music in the Loft

7:00 pm | Moeller Brew Barn

Bingo

8:00 pm | Trolley Stop

2nd Annual Ice Breaker Fest

4:00 pm | Fifth Street Brewpub

Tinned Gourmet Seafoods Tasting Event

5:00 pm | Salt Block Biscuit Company

Latin Dance Party

5:30 pm | The Salvation Army Kroc Center

Route 88

6:30 pm | Mr Boro’s Tavern

Clayton Anderson with Jacob William

7:00 pm | JD Legends Entertainment Complex

Music Bingo!

7:00 pm | Devil Wind Brewing

Derik Zoo

8:00 pm | Wiley’s Comedy Club

Cooking Class: Three Kings’ Day: A Puerto Rican Celebration

8:30 pm | DLM Culinary Center

RiverScape Virtual Winter Yoga

9:30 am |

Open Call for Models

2:00 pm | House of (DE-FI)ance: A Fashion & Design Co-working Experience

2nd Annual Ice Breaker Fest

4:00 pm | Fifth Street Brewpub

Ronald McDonald House Cooking Together

6:00 pm | your house

Dave’s & Confused

6:00 pm | The Phone Booth Lounge

DPAA presents Beethoven 8 and Florence Price

6:00 pm | Benjamin & Marian Schuster Performing Arts Center

Live Music With Generations Band

6:30 pm | Sojourners Brewstillery

Until Rust & Friends

6:30 pm | Courtyard Lounge

Derik Zoo

7:15 pm | Wiley’s Comedy Club

DPAA presents Beethoven 8 and Florence Price

8:30 pm | Benjamin & Marian Schuster Performing Arts Center

Winter Restaurant Week

| tba

Chili Fest

10:00 am | Findlay Market- Cincy

Rivers and Streams of the Miami Valley — and How Citizens can Make a Difference to Protect Them

2:30 pm | zoom

DLM Virtual Class! Sunday Supper Chicken & Dumplings

5:00 pm | ZOOM

Winter Restaurant Week

| tba

Young’s annual “Do Your Moo” Event

| Young’s Jersey Dairy

25% off Pizza Monday

11:30 am | Oregon Express

Charucterie Class

6:00 pm | AR Workshop

Open Mic Monday

6:30 pm | The Barrel

Winter Restaurant Week

| tba

Young’s annual “Do Your Moo” Event

| Young’s Jersey Dairy

Spaghetti Tuesday

5:00 pm | The Trolley Stop

Burger Night

5:00 pm | Watermark

Jazz with Gail and Larry

5:00 pm | Spirited Goat Coffee House

Tuesday Trivia

7:00 pm | The Dublin Pub

More Events…

DMM E-Newsletter


Give us your email address and we'll send you our DMM E-Newsletters
Email:  
For Email Marketing you can trust
Back to Top

Copyright © 2021 Dayton Most Metro · Terms & Conditions · Log in