By Morgan Feddes Satre “It’s the friends you can call at 4 a.m. that matter.” In a society facing a “loneliness epidemic,” this quote, generally attributed to the famous actress Marlene Dietrich, strikes a resonant note. It also serves as the inspiration for Charlene A. Donaghy’s 4 a .m. Friends, which follows three women — Rebecca, Tammy, and Kim — from their teen years into their sixties. Each scene depicts a vignette from a decade in their lives (the first as teens in the 1970s, the second as young adults in the 1980s, and so forth), highlighting some of the most pivotal and emotional moments of their lives. The story starts with the friends in the middle school locker room on Becca’s birthday, each on the cusp of adulthood (a central part of the opening dialogue is whether Becca needs to buy a bra). In the midst of rapid-fire, often humorous banter, we learn that Tammy is excited to be growing up and dating boys, Kim is primarily interested in sports and other girls, and Becca doesn’t want to grow up because she wants to stay just the way her father — a pilot missing in action in Vietnam — would remember her, as she still holds out hope he will come home soon. Katie Barnett (Becca), Pamela Northrup (Tammy), and Rebecca Husk (Kim) in ‘4 a.m. Friends.’ Photo courtesy of Michael Mason Studios. The next scene — at a bridal shop in the 1980s, preparing for Becca’s wedding — illustrates the  tension that arose in their college years as they pursued their own disparate career interests (Becca in fashion, Kim in teaching and tennis, and Tammy in finance). In fact, their distance has grown so much that Tammy, coming back from a summer internship at Barclays in London, walks into the bridal shop mistakenly believing that Becca is about to marry Tammy’s stepbrother (whom Becca had dated for several years) instead of her actual fiancé. It is here that we see the chemistry between these characters shine. Each of these women has significant flaws that impact their friendship throughout the years. Rebecca struggles to share bad news, even when withholding it causes more harm, Tammy has strong opinions shaped by personal traumas that create deep insecurities, and Kim has a bluntness and strength of will that make it hard for her to understand why others don’t see things the way she does. As they age, these friends face even tougher challenges: breast cancer, struggles with infertility, IVF, and adoption, challenges with raising children, career struggles, and the realities of growing older. These are all moments where those character flaws come to the forefront; yet time and again, the trio’s friendship emerges intact, even stronger, because of their commitment to stay friends, even (especially) when friendship is hard. This regional premiere production, presented by the Endangered Species theatre Project (ESPtheatre) in Frederick, Maryland, and directed by Rikki Howie Lacewell, features two unique twists that draw the audience further into the story. First, there are two full casts that may perform on a given day. Kim is played by Rebecca Husk in both casts, Katie Barnett and Danielle J. Curry each play Rebecca, and Tammy is played by Pamela Northrup and Marissa Liotta. TOP: Pamela Northrup (Tammy), Rebecca Husk (Kim), and Katie Barnett (Becca); ABOVE (both casts): Danielle J. Curry (Becca), Katie Barnett (Becca), Marissa Liotta (Tammy), Pamela Northrup (Tammy), and Rebecca Husk (Kim), in ‘4 a.m. Friends.’ Photos courtesy of Michael Mason Studios. “[T]wo groups of artists [are] bringing these friendships to life in their own way,” Lacewell shares in her director’s note. “That means two sets of friends discovering these relationships together, building trust together, and sharing this story with you.” That chemistry was evident in the performance I witnessed with Husk, Barnett, and Northrup; even when there was a misstep or a wobble on stage, they clearly supported each other and got back on track, just as Kim, Becca, and Tammy did. The second, bigger twist is that Donaghy, the playwright, edited her original story so that Becca, Tammy, and Kim spend their lives growing up and living in Frederick. They attend West Frederick Middle School, mention local venues and activities, and pursue careers and lives that feasibly (though not always believably) could take place there. This could be considered a gamble. Some insertions feel a bit forced; others are hard to believe. It stretches the imagination, for example, that Tammy could become a high-level financial executive specifically in the entertainment industry and never move away from the Frederick area for any length of time, other than for her summer internship in London. But it also invites locals to feel a deeper connection with the characters, imagining them as neighbors who enjoyed the same things they did growing up. (“I miss that place,” one older audience member remarked when she saw a photo of the now-defunct Freez King ice cream shop during a scene transition.) This leans into the strengths of community theater, especially given the small size and intimate nature of the venues (ESPloft and Sky Stage). The sets, lighting, and sound are minimal. The opening scene in the locker room, for example, consists only of a wooden bench; the wedding dress venue has a rack of dresses, a few chairs, a table, a stool, and some glasses of champagne and mints. Sam White’s use of relevant songs to transition between scenes (including John Lennon’s “Imagine” and Madonna’s “Vogue,” which are also referenced in the script) and Kayla Swain’s costume choices for the characters for each scene do a lot of the heavy lifting to help us transition from one decade to the next. (Though it should be noted that some of the costuming has less to do with the actual decade and more to reflect the career phases the women are in — Tammy’s power suit at the height of her financial career, or Becca’s shift in her 50s to opening a vintage clothing store, for example.) Deanna Kinzie, the show’s set and props designer, gives us just enough detail in each scene to give a concrete sense of place and space without impeding on the audience’s connection to this trio. In a particularly poignant staging choice, the closing scene uses the same bench from the opening scene, though in a different way; it serves as a visual reminder of just how long these friends have been connected. Perhaps, then, the most unbelievable point — and yet the most profound, hopeful, and challenging — is that there could still be a friendship like the one depicted in 4 a.m. Friends in our current moment. Even as social media makes it possible to keep tabs on old friends in ways we never could before, it also makes it harder for us to maintain true in-person friendship — the kind displayed here in all its grit, pain, joy, and humor. “A 4 a.m. friend is not the person who shows up for the easy moments,” Lacewell says in her director’s note. “A 4 a.m. friend is the person who answers the phone when everything’s fallen apart. They sit with you in the quiet hours, when the world feels heavy and the truth has nowhere left to hide.” 4 a.m. Friends offers a refreshing reminder of why it’s worth the hard work to cultivate close friendships — to have people who know you well enough to challenge you, to support you, and to love you, even at 4 a.m. Running Time: Approximately 90 minutes with no intermission. 4 a.m. Friends presented by the Endangered Species theatre Project plays through Tuesday, April 21, 2026, at the ESPloft (16 East Patrick Street, Frederick, MD — second floor, no elevator available) and Thursday, April 23, through Tuesday, April 28, at Sky Stage (59 South Carroll Street, Frederick, MD — open-air theater). The April 21 performance features a special post-show discussion with the playwright and cast. Tickets are on a pay-what-you-will basis starting at $0 with general admission seating and can be reserved online or in person immediately prior to the start of a performance. 4 a.m. FriendsBy Charlene A. Donaghy CASTRebecca: Katie Barnett and Danielle J. CurryTammy: Pamela Northrup and Marissa LiottaKim: Rebecca Husk PRODUCTION TEAMProducer: Endangered Species theatre ProjectDirector: Rikki Howie LacewellStage Manager: Kayla SwainAssistant Stage Manager: Sam WhiteSet Designer: Deanna KinzieCostume Coordinator: Kayla SwainProps Designer: Deanna KinzieSound Designer: Sam WhiteProjections Designer: Rikki Howie LacewellStage Crew: Deanna Kinzie Morgan Feddes Satre is a communications professional based in Frederick, Maryland. She is a graduate of Whitworth University (Spokane, WA) and of Fuller Theological Seminary (Pasadena, CA). She has more than a decade of writing and editing experience, ranging from film script treatments to news reporting to higher education public policy analysis to book editing and review writing, and she’s still figuring out what she wants to be when she grows up.  ...read more read less