If you like The Golden Girls, the classic TV sitcom about four women of a certain age who are still roaring with life, you will appreciate The Lost Virginity Tour. The comedy, written by Cricket Daniel and directed by John Morogiello, is now being staged by Best Medicine Rep and playing at the Writ er’s Center in Bethesda, Maryland.  The Lost Virginity Tour is the story of four friends from the Happy Trails Senior Resort who decide to take a road trip together to the places where each of them lost their virginity.  The cast is fabulous — in an over-the-top, sharp-witted, playing-it-to-the-hilt way. Liz Weber as the Oprah-homily-slinging Rita; Crystal Henry Arful-Addoh as the sensitive Elaine; Tracy Dibon Coffey as the four-times married Italian-American Jersey girl, Viola; and Jill Vanderweit as the prim and proper, never married, Southern belle Kitty. They hit every comic line, no matter how trite, with verve.  Crystal Henry Arful-Addoh, Tracy DiiBon Coffey, Jill Vanderweit, and Liz Weber in Best Medicine Rep’s production of ‘The Lost Virginity Tour.’ Photo by Elizabeth Kemmerer. These stellar actresses give spirit to a play that seems trapped in time, a time when it was rule-breaking to present older women joking about sex and aging. One small moment, when they first appeared in their matching road-trip T-shirts, demonstrated how dated this work felt. There is some discussion about the places they are visiting: “We’re not the Rolling Stones,” quipped Rita, before Viola retorts, “Yeah, we’re younger.” This gets laughs because of the sharp-edged delivery, but it landed on me like one of the many retreads in this play. On her website, the playwright states that one of her dreams is to be in a sitcom writer’s room. She certainly seems to be aiming at that here in The Lost Virginity Tour. This comedy does have its more serious turns. Monologues from our Jersey girl (Dibon Coffey) and our Southern belle (Vanderweit) are beautifully played in deep, dramatic moments. Heartfelt pathos reveals their hidden secrets. But these tragedies are quickly spun through, all is good again, and they are off to the next stop on their tour, another quick cut, a scene break that felt as much like the beat for a television commercial break as it did like a play’s thoughtful transition to the next scene. One wishes the depth of the writing matched the depth of the talented cast’s acting. Unfortunately, the play culminates in a series of well-worn lines, “there are no accidents… there are no regrets…this road trip isn’t about our past but about discovering our futures…”  Crystal Henry Arful-Addoh, Jill Vanderweit, Liz Weber, and Tracy DiiBon Coffey in Best Medicine Rep’s production of ‘The Lost Virginity Tour.’ Photo by Elizabeth Kemmerer. The directing, by John Morogiello, is often frenetic. These ladies are rarely still, and they punch through their punch lines. One wishes for the pacing to slow down, to break the sitcom mode, to break the fourth wall even, and let the remembrance of tragedy deepen the present. Best Medicine Rep specializes in comedy, and I would be eager to see more productions from this Maryland-based theater group, which has brought together this talented cast. This particular script choice, however, didn’t work for me.  On the other hand, the sound design, also by Morogiello, hits all the right notes with upbeat on-the-road pop tunes working hard to connect the scenes as the friends travel from North Carolina to New Jersey to Indiana to Colorado. The set and projection design by Douglas Becker works seamlessly. The costume design by Elizabeth Kemmerer, particularly details like the oversized silver pocketbook for Viola and the group T-shirts emblazoned with “The Lost Virginity Tour,” works well and adds to the fun.  I am not against old-fashioned comedy and fun, and this production of The Lost Virginity Tour has its moments – but most of all, it has its cast spinning gold out of straw.  Running Time:  One hour and 45 minutes with a 15-minute intermission. The Lost Virginity Tour plays through March 29, 2026 (performances on Friday and Saturday at 7:30 PM; matinees on Saturday and Sunday at 3:00 PM), presented by Best Medicine Rep Theater Company, performing at The Writer’s Center, 4508 Walsh St, Bethesda, MD. Purchase tickets ($31.95 general, $21.95 senior/student) online, at the door, or by contacting the Box Office at [email protected]. The Lost Virginity Tour A comedy by Cricket DanielDirected by John Morogiello The post Old-fashioned fun in ‘The Lost Virginity Tour’ from Best Medicine Rep appeared first on DC Theater Arts. ...read more read less