Eve Plumb on comedy and Dayton
Growing up in the 80s gave me the chance to see a lot of sitcoms first hand that most millennials enjoy on YouTube on their phones.
One of those shows was Family Ties which starred Meredith Baxter-Birney, Michael Gross, Tina Yothers, Brian Bonsall, Michael J. Fox and Jason Bateman’s sister, Justine. We watched it because it was set in Ohio, and because it mentioned Ronald Reagan a lot. King Ronald Reagan.
While I was really young when the show was on, I remember being in love with the dumb boyfriend who Justine Bateman dated. He was dumb but cute. His face also graced many horror movie boxes at the local Huber Heights Diamond Video.
The show ended in 1989, but a play based on the show debuted this month in Dayton at The Human Race Theatre. The play is 20 years in the future and stars Eve Plumb. You will know her best as Jan from the original Brady Bunch, but she has done numerous movies and TV shows throughout her 50-year career.
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Plumb plays mom Elyse Keaton in the play, who was a flower child. There wasn’t anything specific that drew Plumb to the part.
“I auditioned and I got it. I’m an actor and I audition. If you’re lucky, you get a part,” she said.
This is Plumb’s first visit to Dayton, and one thing she has been doing is shopping. Besides that she has toured some historic neighborhoods and recently toured the Arcade.
“The tour was amazing. It’s so sad the owners didn’t take care of it. Redevelopment can take a long time, and it’s just about the right timeline for it to be revived,” Plumb said.
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Beyond acting, Plumb enjoys painting. She recently showed off some of her artwork at the Dayton Visual Arts Center. Her show focused on scenes from old westerns.
“I just like depicting what I want to show to the world. I’m not trying to change anyone’s mind. It’s just a restaurant scene or it’s fruit,” she said.
When she’s not working on a painting, auditioning or taking singing lessons, she enjoys watching comedy shows. She mentioned not having her DVR here, which made it difficult to watch.
“I like Mike & Molly and The Middle. It’s difficult to follow shows these days. I’m not crazy about reality shows. I like TV that teaches something. It’s a great disseminator of education,” she said.
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When it comes to comedians, Plumb mentioned liking some newer comics including Iliza Shlesinger and Amy Schumer.
“Sometimes comedy just doesn’t hold up. We just don’t get the references sometimes,” she said.
Plumb says that the audience has been incredibly receptive to the show. There is still time to see it so get to the Loft Theatre to check it out.
Family Ties runs through Sunday, June 25 at The Human Race Theatre’s Loft Theatre. Check out their website to get tickets.
