JUSTIN CALLISCH and Hannah Belle Owens in “the Diviners” at Golden West College.

By Thom deMartino
Orange County Tribune

Some things are just destined – regardless of the choices we make. “The Diviners,” written by Jim Leonard Jr., has opened at the Mainstage Theater at Golden West College for a limited time. Directed by Tom Amen, it tells the story of a special young man and his family during the Great Depression, and the kindly lapsed preacher that wanders into their lives, as well as their tiny midwestern town of Zion.

The audience is introduced to Buddy Layman (Justin Callisch), a simple-minded young man with a terribly complicated relationship with water. Having nearly drowned in his youth, Buddy is terrified of it, and immensely sensitive regarding it: to the degree that he can even detect water below the earth through “divining” – using a forked stick to determine where to dig a well.

His sister Jennie Mae (Hannah Belle Owens) and father Ferris (Scott Keister) have grown accustomed to the boy’s strange ways – including his refusal to bathe, and speaking of himself in the third person. But when the wandering former preacher C.C. Showers (Luke Brodowski) comes to town looking for work, he immediately strikes up a friendship with the odd young man.

Ferris, a mechanic, gives C.C. a job so he can remain in the town: but not only has C.C. caught the interest of Jennie Mae, but also the local religious folk: including the pious Norma Henshaw (Kim Brown), her niece Darlene (Emily Bolden), Luella Bennett (Carrie Vinikow), wife to farmer Basil Bennett (Phil Brickey) and Goldie Short (Judy Gish), owner of the town diner.
In this tiny burg of only forty residents, word gets around: and despite his determination to distance himself from his former vocation, the townsfolk keep pushing C.C. to take on the job as the new preacher – much to his irritation.

But his friendship with the young diviner deepens, as the young man opens up about how his mother drowned, and the pair talk about heaven and where Buddy’s mom is now: for while C.C. might insist he is no longer in the family business of preaching, he is indeed still a man of faith who looks to give comfort to the boy.

Can this friendship transform the wounded son, or will it lead him into further danger still?

This is a powerful production from director Tom Amen and Golden West College: a tale not only about moving on from grief, but of a father trying to do right by his simple son; of a man struggling with his faith; and the dynamics of belief in a small town desperate for heavenly guidance.

Justin Callisch’s performance as Buddy is breathtaking: a remarkable exploration of a young man who is both joyous in his simplicity and tragic in his inability to move forward from his deathly fear of water. There is incredibly moving interplay between him and Brodowski’s C.C., with palpable chemistry in the friendship between the two – and his interactions with Owens as his loving sister and Keister as his exasperated father are no less touching.

Even the little town and its residents are explored in depth; whether it’s the local young men Melvin Wilder (Tristan Lund) and Dewey Maples (William Logan), including the latter’s attraction to Darlene Henshaw; the interplay between husband and wife Basil and Luella Bennett; or the determination of belief and religious structure pursued by Norma and other persons of faith in the town.

Brodowski’s rendition of C.C. is striking, with his struggle over his faith and not wanting to be boxed into a vocation that no longer suits him, as well as his growing fondness for Jennie Mae and his gentle encouraging of Buddy to grow past his fears and move forward, regardless of the outcome.

“The Diviners” is touching, powerful, and thought-provoking, with moving performances that will leave the audience pondering the story long after they’ve left the theater.

Be sure and check it out while you can.

“The Diviners”, Justin Callisch, Luke Brodowski and Hannah Belle Owens star in this moving tale of a simple young man, his family and the wandering stranger whose arrival in their little town changes everything.

Now playing through October 19 at the Golden West College Mainstage Theater, 15751 Gothard St., Huntington Beach, CA 92647. Tickets available through the box office at 714-895-8150, x1 or at http://www.gwctheater.com.