Written by orange• October 16, 2025• 4:48 pm• Golden West College, Huntington Beach, Review, Theater, Uncategorized

The Diviners @ Golden West College – Review

photo credit: Greg Parks

Written by Alina Mae Wilson

Golden West College’s The Diviners is a thoughtful, well-acted production of a play that shows both its age and its heart. While the story doesn’t always hold up to modern sensibilities, the performances and technical craftsmanship bring a lot to the table.

Set during the Great Depression, it follows C.C. Showers, a former preacher who wanders into a small Indiana town and befriends the Layman family—fourteen-year-old Buddy (Justin Calisch), sixteen-year-old Jennie Mae (Hannah Belle Owens), and their father Ferris Layman (Scott Keister). After Ferris offers him a job, Showers stays on, forming bonds with the family—especially Buddy, who has a nonspecific cognitive disability and a serious fear of water. Out of concern for the boy’s health, Showers decides to help him overcome that fear.

The tone balances drama and comedy, though not always seamlessly. The townspeople provide moments of humor clearly meant to lighten the mood, but their scenes feel disconnected from the main story and slow the pacing. Meanwhile, the Layman family’s scenes—especially those involving Buddy’s repeated references to his late mother—lean heavily into sentimentality. The result is touching at first, but it becomes forced with repetition. Perhaps I’m simply made of stone, but after a while, I found myself wishing the play would trust the audience to feel without so many reminders.

Set Design/Lighting:

Technically, the production is a triumph. The set—simple wooden slats in warm tan tones—beautifully evokes the rural 1930s Midwest and suits every scene, whether in town, forest, or homestead. The lighting design is exceptional, with dynamic shifts that enhance both mood and meaning. The water sequences, especially one with actors surfacing and submerging beneath rippling light, are breathtaking in their precision and beauty.

Acting:

Justin Calisch gives a tender, expressive portrayal of Buddy Layman, capturing both innocence and depth. Scott Keister grounds the family with warmth and credibility as Ferris Layman. At the same time, Luke Brodowski, as C.C. Showers, brings charisma and compassion to his role, forming believable chemistry with the rest of the cast. Hannah Belle Owens’ Jennie Mae radiates sincerity, making her moments with both Buddy and Showers feel authentic—even when the script’s implications make modern audiences squirm.

And that’s where the play’s age shows most. The growing connection between the thirty-year-old Showers and the sixteen-year-old Jennie Mae is presented as sweet and harmless, but it’s hard to watch without discomfort. While the production handles the material with tact, the text itself carries a casual disregard for boundaries that hasn’t aged gracefully.

Then there’s the irony—very literal irony. A preacher named Showers is helping a boy overcome his fear of water. Do you get it? If anyone’s teaching a fifth-grade lesson on onomastic irony, this is the script for you. Still, subtlety can be overrated. What is not overrated is a good story, and this did not capture my heart the way it tried to.

In the end, The Diviners succeeds more through craftsmanship than content. The lighting, staging, and cast elevate a script that doesn’t always deserve them.