I wanted to tell you how the story of Collinwood was wrapped up in the present day by those actors and actresses who presented us with a wonderful radio-style rendition of RETURN TO COLLINWOOD. The actors "onstage" stood at microphones and read from their scripts while the others sat. When a scene was finished, those actors took their seats and the next actors stood at the mikes to read their lines.
First off, for those wondering, it was mentioned briefly that Barnabas and Julia were off in Hong Kong, together.
Carolyn, now married to (hold down your gorge) Ned Stuart, is the matriarch of Collinwood. Elizabeth is dead (as is Roger), and has left very specific instructions for a seance to be held (presumably to conjure up Liz herself) and for her last will and testament.
Quentin returns home from Peru after a fruitless search for David, who is on an expedition and hasn't returned to Collinwood for 10 years. Maggie, whose husband Joe is deceased, is a nurse-administrator at Windcliff, looking after a silent, motionless Sebastian Shaw. Although she and Quentin seem to have an understanding, she's obviously annoyed that he doesn't confide in her. They have been a couple for a year, but there's been no commitment.
Willie Loomis and his wife, Jessica (portrayed by Marie Wallace) live in the Old House, which now, thanks to Willie, has plumbing and electricity. With Elizabeth's generous help, they own the Blue Whale, which now features karaoke! Willie installs a Jacuzzi (yup) in the Old House basement. When he and Jessica encounter problems with the pipes, he's forced to open a wall in the drawing room to check it out. Inside the wall, he finds a large package and a letter.
Carolyn, who has taken up paining lanscapes as a hobby, astounds Maggie by painting a picture of a gorgeous blonde woman who Maggie doesn't recognize. Angelique appears to Carolyn, urging her to kill everyone else in Collinwood, calling her a "good girl" when she agrees. The audience quickly realizes that Carolyn's hand is being guided by none other than the witch herself, who is apparently seeking to return. She accomplishes this by possessing Carolyn. During the seance, Carolyn, Ned, Quentin, Maggie, Willie and Jessica share the round-table honors, but instead of bringing back Liz, they conjure up Angelique!
The witch herself, now claiming to be Roger's long-lost wife, Cassandra Collins, immediately starts trouble for everyone. She's decided she's been mistreated by Collinwood residents since 1795 and that she and Quentin, both immortal, should rule the manse and dispense with everone else. To blackmail Quentin into agreeing with her plan, she awakens the comatose Sebastian Shaw (who has resided at Windcliff for 10 years) and compels him to steal Quentin's painting, which is what Willie Loomis unearthed behind the wall at the Old House (along with a poignant, sniffle-inducing letter from Barnabas thanking Willie for being so loyal). Shaw knocks poor Jessica unconscious and steals the portrait.
Quentin knows he must get back his painting; if Casangelique makes good her threat to destroy it, he will return to his werewolf state!
Quentin formulates a plan--he will keep Cassangelique "occupied" during an intimate dinner for two while Willie goes to the Collins mausoleum and recovers the painting. Quentin is sure the witch has hidden it there.
In a hilarious scene, a nervous, flashlight-wielding Willie returns to the tomb, where no good has ever happened to him or anyone. He finds the painting, but is forced to confront Sebastian, who is guarding it. Willie applies his flashlight to Shaw's head and makes off with the portrait.
James Storm portrays a professor from the college where Carolyn was his student (or she was a teacher, my mind isn't clear on that point). He unearths information about one Angelique Bouchard that is quite interesting. He also realizes what Carolyn thought was Liz' handwriting in her will was actually Carolyn's--all to promote Angelique's safe return to Collinwood.
Angelique's plan is thwarted. She's furious, of course, but Liz' will gives Cassandra a permanent home in the cottage on the estate, which will surely lead to other problems in the future. Also in her will, Liz confesses to an affair with a man she does not name that produced Victoria Winters! Carolyn bursts into tears when she learns that her own half sister was living under her roof. Liz begs Carolyn to find Vicki, to whom she has left Seacliff, somehow. Liz has also given Willie the Old House and all the property surrounding it.
A woman named Violet Collins--David's wife!--appears at Collinwood. She has all the proper paperwork, but Quentin is puzzled by her maiden name--Chavez! She has control of David's 50 percent interest in Collinwood, and we wonder just what her plans are for the family.
Maggie, all set to turn her back on Quentin because of his refusal to share with her, finally convinces him to tell her the entire truth about himself. He asks her to sit down--for five hours or so--he will tell her everything. We are left with the impression they will end up together, at last, even though she has a brief bout of jealousy over his little dinner with Cassandra (which was just Quentin's way of getting her attention so Willie could steal back his portrait).
I nearly forgot--Donna Wandrey played a hilarious Mrs. Danvers type role. She took over for Mrs. Johnson as housekeeper, and she is one scary gal! You MUST be on time for her meals, or else. When she urges Maggie to leave Collinwood, all but threatening her, we realize that she champions the evil Cassandra Collins and is apparently her helper.
So there are loose ends in RETURN TO COLLINWOOD, and I'm sure I forgot someone/something, but this script, written by David Selby's son, Jamison, was wonderful, filled with humor, warmth, poignancy, wit and joy.
And yes, there was a standing ovation at the end, and everyone applauded wildly upon learning that Liz was Vicki's mother!
Love, Robin
P.S. - This will be made available on tape for those interested in purchasing it. Personal recording and flash photos were forbidden, but I saw some folks taping it anyway, and there were definitely several flashes during the show (from those who can't or won't follow directions).
