The Curious Savage

City Theatre brings John Patrick's The Curious Savage to the Genesis Creative Collective in East Austin, running from November 6 through November 22, with performances on Thursdays through Sundays. It's directed by Payton Trahan, and the cast is a full house: Kristin Fern Johnson, Darren Scharf, Shanaya Dixon, Heath Thompson, Marc Carlson, Emily-Ann Patterson, Leland Miles, Sara Barber, Chris Cook, Savannah Martinez, and Regina Grimes.

The story centers on Ethel Savage, whose late husband leaves her a small fortune. Instead of keeping it, she turns the money into a fund for dreamers with whimsical ambitions. Her three greedy stepchildren—a socialite, a senator, and a judge—don't take kindly to that. They commit her to The Cloisters, a mental institution, hoping to bring her to her senses while they search for the money. Once there, Ethel befriends a colorful group of kind, generous, and delusional fellow guests. City Theatre describes the play as a comedy of warmth, humor, and dignity that celebrates the overlooked and the power of kindness, affection, and empathy in a world that too often rewards greed and ambition.

This production is part of City Theatre's 21st Anniversary Fall Season, and it's the fourth season they've spent at Genesis Creative Collective, 1507 Wilshire Blvd. The company calls the venue "the little church with a big heart," open and affirming and welcoming to all, and only blocks from where it all started twenty years ago. The show runs November 6 through 22, with performances on Thursdays through Sundays, so you've got a few weeks to catch it.