Metro Theater performs Delilah’s Wish

Janet Morales

The Metro Theater Company brought a one-man (woman) play to Moberly last Friday entitled “Delilah’s Wish”

The play, written and performed by Mariah Richardson, portrays a year in the life of a young girl in St. Louis living with her mother and grandmother. When her mom, who serves in the Reserves, leaves for Iraq, Delilah is given a video camera so she can keep a journal to keep her mom updated on life’s happenings.

Delilah runs the gamut of emotions. Her grades drop because she misses her mother. Her friend Stanley, who is always “on punishment” worries her because he gets involved with the wrong people. A neighborhood store burns, probably due to arson. But through it all, she has the tree which bears the initials of everyone in the neighborhood, an old tree that provides stabiity for Delilah as she works through her hardships and the doubt of whether her mother will make it home.

The play was performed Friday afternoon also at Gratz Brown Elementary. Richardson said the children always have a lot of questions about Delilah with the primary concern about Delilah’s mom.

“I left it open like that,” said Richardson, “because in some children’s lives, reality is that mom or dad don’t come back from the war.”

“Delilah’s Wish” was brought to town courtesy of the Moberly Area Council on the Arts.