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'It's only a preview' I kept reminding myself as I sat in the Kimball Theatre that Tuesday evening. Surrounded by the beautiful interior of the house, I kept thinking, "How nice that it's being used for live theatre." Live theatre is important, contrary to what many politicians (and school administrators) may think, as it allows us to come together with strangers and experience something that often touches our emotions. When that happens it can be pure magic.

Dealing with a "local" urban legend of a small town in western Ohio, the show follows the tale of a brother and sister and the sister's unusual talent (hence the name of the show). We are transported back in time to a remembrance of this duo, the summer of the events that transpire, and finally the idea that the whole thing might be only an urban legend.

'It's only a preview.' The show is a one person vehicle, a single individual portraying multiple characters. Not so much "acting" as much as being a storyteller. I have had the opportunity to review two other local productions that were one person shows, the first being at Norfolk's Generic Theatre, and the second having the chance to see the incomparable Olympia Dukakis at the American Theatre in Hampton. Being able to carry a show alone requires great skill and talent, and the performances I witnessed in these shows were ably handled.

'It's only a preview.' With The K of D, the task of this huge undertaking is tackled by Mary Wadkins. Ms. Wadkins seemed to lose her place a couple of times, had the occasional line flub, and some problems with pacing and timing. But most of this should fix itself as the audience reacting to her performance with laughs, gasps, etc. will give Ms Wadkins the chance to find her comfort zone with this role. It's hard to carry a vehicle such as this alone, and the difficulty of portraying several characters (both male and female) only challenges her abilities even more. One hopes that by now she's found that "zone" actors have where they can put on and take off their characters with ease. If not, then it will make a long night for both audience and actor alike.

The direction given her by Rebecca Taylor was utilitarian at best and the set design of Lausanne Davis-Carpenter is quite simple, meaning that the actor needs to rely on her body rather than being able to incorporate set and props to play the various scenes. Because of this the show is sometimes hard to watch.

The biggest thing this production needs is an audience.