Month: February 2017

The Sumptuous Tragedy of “Edward II”

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By Michele Markarian

 

“Edward II” – Written by Christopher Marlowe; Directed by David R. Gammons; Set Designer, Sara Brown; Lighting Designer, Jeff Adelberg; Costume Designer,  Rachel Padula-Shufelt; Sound Designer, Dave Wilson. Presented by Actors Shakespeare Project, Charlestown Working Theater, 442 Bunker Hill Street, Charlestown, through March 19.

 

By most accounts, Edward II was a failure as king, considered weak, inept, and prone to lavishing money on his favorites. He fathered at least one illegitimate child and was reputed to enjoy the company of lower-class people, including his alleged homosexual lover, Piers Gaveston. It is this relationship and its repercussions that are the focus of Christopher Marlowe’s accessible and exciting play, “Edward II”.

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ART Delivers Compelling Take on Williams’ ‘Night of The Iguana’

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by Mike Hoban

 

Night of the Iguana – Written by Tennessee Williams; Directed by Michael Wilson; Scenic Design by Derek McLane; Costume Design by Catherine Zuber: Lighting Design by David Lander; Sound Design by John Gromada. Presented by The American Repertory Theater at the Loeb Drama Center, 64 Brattle St., Cambridge through March 18.

 

In “Night of the Iguana” the star-studded production now being mounted by the American Repertory Theater in Cambridge, Tennessee Williams may ostensibly be tackling the weightier themes of sex and religion, but at its core, the play is still about loneliness in its many forms. Williams has assembled a collection of principal characters, led by a “defrocked” clergyman turned second-rate tour guide, that have lived their entire lives without ever making that vital – and risky – connection to another human being. And during the 24 hour span which “Iguana” takes place, we experience the messy process of watching the characters trying to make themselves whole by trying to find that human bond.

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“AUGUST OSAGE COUNTY” (Little Theatre of Fall River)

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Reviewed by Tony Annicone

 

Little Theatre of Fall River’s current main stage show is “August Osage County” by Tracy Letts. The show won the 2008 Pulitzer Prize as well as five Tony Awards. It takes place in August, 2007 in a large country home outside Pawhuska, Oklahoma. It tells the story of the dysfunctional Weston family who all come together after the disappearance of Beverly Weston, the patriarch. The father opens the show when he is hiring an Indian woman, Johanna to look after his wife. He is a published poet who likes to quote T.S. Eliot. He delivers these ominous words “My wife takes pills and I drink. That is the bargain we have reached” which opens the gates to the adventure and whirlwind journey that the audience takes in this three act play. The couple’s three daughters, Barbara, Ivy and Karen are called back to the family home with husbands and beaus with them. Beverly’s wife, Violet is battling mouth cancer and a growing dependency on pain pills. They return to comfort their mother in her time of need and to try to get to the bottom of their father’s disappearance. Violet’s entire clan returns including her sister, Mattie Faye Aiken, her husband, Charles and their son, Little Charles. As the clan bickers and jokes, old truths come to the surface, jealousies flourish and eventually each one of the characters confront some past hurt and future fear. The moment as each one leaves Violet, is a marvelous moment in this show. It can be likened to Regina’s fate at the end of “The Little Foxes” when her daughter leaves her alone with her ill gotten gain of money. However this one is heard in the 21st Century. Director Roberto Soares casts these roles beautifully and obtains stunning performances from each one of them in this dramedy.

Leading this cast is Linda Monchik as Violet. Violet is an evil mom too end all evil moms, done with black comic moments thrown in the mix. She is excellent in this riveting role. The lesson to learn from these characters is you better be a good person or you’ll end up tasting your own poisonous venom. Her insults and running rough shod over the other characters is splendid to behold. The sordid secrets of the family come tumbling out wonderfully. Other colorful characters include Ron Caisse as Beverly, who delivers a strong monologue to start off the show as well as Violet’s strong willed daughters. Pamela Morgan is a powerhouse as Barbara. She delivers a tour-de-force performance. Her argument scene with her mother, husband, Bill and sisters are show stopping moments. These scenes are mesmerizing with their intensity. Michael McGill does a great job as Bill who tries to help his ex-wife with her problems with her dysfunctional family. Another impressive scene is the battle between Violet and Barbara about who will control the family. Violet needs Barbara’s help in Act 1 but then continually insults her in Act 2. Barbara finally puts her in her place in the dinner from hell sequence. It tells of the cruelty of family life but sometimes some kindness is thrown into the mix.

Erica Vitelli plays the youngest daughter, Ivy who has lived near her parents all her life. Now she wants to run off with Little Charles but there is a dark hidden secret that might explode at any moment. The argument scene between Linda, Pam and Erica is riveting and electrifying. Kathleen Povar plays the sexpot sister, Karen very well. She is engaged to Steve, a handsome cad in sheep’s clothing who tries to seduce her 14 year old niece, Jean. Strong performances are given in these roles by Ray Almeida Jr. as Steve and Shauna Brosky as Jean. Other amazing performers include Jay Burke as Charles who delivers a terrific speech to tell off his wife from insulting their son, the biggest scene stealer is Deb Sadler as Mattie Faye who delivers her many hilarious one liners perfectly and has a hidden secret that rocks the family with high intensity and Jeffrey Griffin as Little Charles who loves Ivy. Rounding out the cast are Nadine Goulet as Johanna and Richard Brosky as the Sheriff. So for a stunning, well written and provocative black comedy, be sure to catch “August Osage County” at Little Theatre of Fall River. It will definitely make you appreciate your own family after witnessing this messed up one. This electrifying show wins a well deserved standing ovation at the end of the night.  A word of praise for the stunning three story set designed by Roberto and built by George Sadler and his crew. Run do not walk to the box office before time runs out. Tell them Tony sent you.

AUGUST OSAGE COUNTY (16 to 19 March)

Little Theatre of Fall River, BCC, 777 Elsbree St, Fall River, MA

1(508)675-1852 or www.littletheatre.net

“ROMEO AND JULIET” (Community Theater)

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Reviewed by Tony Annicone

 

The Players fourth show of their 108th season is “Romeo and Juliet” by William Shakespeare. It is considered to be one of the greatest works of romantic literature. Written in 1591, it is a story of deep passions which come out as lover or violence, the tragic tale soars with the poetry of heartbreak and doomed but perfect love. It can also been seen as a contemporary play with gang violence, emotionally absent parents, generation gap frustrations, reckless youth, unbridled passion and torrid romantic love. Director Roger Lemelin casts his show splendidly and blends the comic and dramatic moments together marvelously, too.

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“Shirley Valentine” at 2nd Story Theatre

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By Richard Pacheco

 

“Shirley Valentine” is a one-character play by Willy Russell. Taking the form of a monologue by a middle-aged, working class Liverpool housewife, it focuses on her life before and after a transforming holiday abroad. Russell turned the acclaimed play into a film staring the actress who did the show on stage in London’s West End, Pauline Collins.

 

The current production at 2nd Story offers a bravura performance by Joanne Fayan that bristles, sparkles and delights without hesitation and without stop.

 

Shirley is stuck in her life, caught and trapped in the dull day to day in Liverpool. There seems to be no escape from her doldrums which daily encroach on her and only leave her with faded dreams and lost hopes, in short leave her in a dismal state longing for more. Shirley finds herself regularly alone and talking to the wall while preparing an evening meal of egg and chips for her emotionally distant husband. Her friend whose husband left her for the milkman, offers to take her along on a trip to Greece, all expenses paid and Shirley can’t resist. Her two children often annoy and distress her with their attitudes and antics. Her husband is often distant and self-absorbed leaving her feeling trapped with no way out of her dilemma, which only seems to get worse everyday.

So when she heads off to Greece she does with a mixture of trepidation and excitement. Here is a chance to revive herself and her life to reconnect with the Shirley Valentine who was bold and daring and tamed down when she became a wife, misplacing her sense of daring and love of life. In Greece, she is ignites in her love of life and herself once again, reviving her sense of daring and adventure, stirring her courage once again.

Joanne Fayan is raw delight in the role. She is poised and astute in her depiction of Shirley’s conflicting fees and dreams. She has personality that she exudes without fail. When she rants about her husband and her disappointments, it is comic gems, delivered with the right mixture so sassy and smart. The only thing missing from the performance is a Liverpool accent and frankly with this kind of gem of a performance, that is minimal and better no accent that a horrid one. Fayan’s performance makes up for this with a zest and convincing passion that illuminates the stage.

Mark Peckham directs with a sureness of touch and real energy, which takes full advantage of the theater in the round set up at 2nd Story’s upstairs theatre. He moves her with grace and supple confidence throughout the space, a sheer delight.

The setting and light design by Max Ponticelli is right on the mark evoking both the Liverpool flat and the Greek ruins with discrete and slight touches that work perfectly.

This is a bold and superb performance that shimmers with verve and personality, leaving an indelible mark in the memory and the heart. Ms.Fayan got a well deserved standing ovation at the end for her memorable performance. You don’t want to miss it.

It will be presented again until April 2in the Upstage theater with tickets: Regular – $35, Preview (online) – $20, Preview (phone/in-person) – $25. Under 25 – $25* Matinees are Thursday through Saturday at 7:30 and Sunday matinees at 2:30.

“Shirley Valentine” at 2nd Story Theatre

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Reviewed by Tony Annicone

 

2nd Story Theatre’s current show is “Shirley Valentine”, a comedy by Willy Russell. Inside Mrs. Joe Bradshaw, a 42 year old mother of two grown children, is the former Shirley Valentine longing to get out. Her schoolgirl dreams have faded and she is reduced to talk to the kitchen wall while preparing her husband’s evening meal. It is to be on the table at the same time every night as he opens the front door. Her feminist friend, Jane offers her a trip to Greece, and with great trepidation, Shirley seizes the opportunity and goes, to encounter a totally new lifestyle there. This one person show contains humor, pathos, warm sympathy and human insight. It contains a tour de force performance by Joanne Fayan in the title role who captures the essence of this character perfectly. The whole audience rose to their feet at the end of her phenomenal performance. Brava!

Director Mark Peckham cast the right person for this role and elicits a stunning, multilayered performance from Joanne. He blends the comic and dramatic moments together splendidly. The show takes place in two acts. The first is set in a kitchen in Liverpool, England and the second is set on a secluded Greek island beach with a taverna. The sets by Max Ponticelli are superb. In the first act Shirley tells the problems of her life to the kitchen wall while drinking a glass of wine during scene one. The Nativity story with her son as Joseph is hilarious. In scene two, she tells the wall that she has decided to take the trip without telling her husband while running around getting ready to leave. She wants life beyond the wall and her neighbor gives a silk robe to take with her on her trip. The second act reveals how Shirley has become a free spirit again while recapturing her long lost youth. Shirley realizes it is what you want to do that is more important than what you have to do. Joanne runs the gamut of emotions in this role, keeping your attention during the whole 86 page script. She is absolutely brilliant in this role, making this one of the must see shows of this season. So for a powerhouse one woman show, be sure to catch “Shirley Valentine” at 2nd Story Theatre. Tell them Tony sent you.

SHIRLEY VALENTINE (10 March to 2 April)

2nd Story Theatre, 28 Market St, Warren, RI

1(401)847-4200 or www.2ndstorytheatre.com

 

“A Night of Durang” (Arctic Playhouse, West Warwick, Rhode Island)

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Reviewed by Tony Annicone

 

The opening show of the Arctic Playhouse’s new season is “Sister Mary Ignatius/The Actor’s Nightmare” by Christopher Durang. They are two one act companion piece plays. Sister Mary Ignatius, a teaching nun who is more concerned with sin in all its various forms, delivers a cautionary lecture to her charges. One of them can quote the Ten Commandments on cue, and each time he does so Sister Mary rewards him with a cookie. But when several of her former students turn up the picture darkens, along with Sister Mary’s indignation. They confess the various paths their lives have taken after leaving her class and teachings. Sister highly disapproves their transgressions and a highly volatile and shocking conclusion to their meeting occurs. One of them is an unmarried mother of an illegitimate child, another is a homosexual, another is a woman who was raped on the night her mother died from cancer and the last one is an alcoholic who is suicidal. “The Actor’s Nightmare”, involves an accountant named George Spelvin, who is mistaken for an actor’s understudy and forced to perform in a play for which he doesn’t know any of the lines. He is dressed as Hamlet but then the show keeps changing from “Private Lives” to “Hamlet” and Beckett plays to “A Man for All Seasons” with a surprising realistic twist to it. Director Christopher Plonka casts these roles wonderfully, giving his 7 member cast the insight into these comic but deeply flawed characters to not only entertain you but to enlighten you along the way, too.

Mary Paolino delivers a tour de force performance as Sister Mary Ignatius. She delivers an enormous 40 minute monologue while speaking directly to the audience. Mary is strict in her lecture but comical at the same time, winning sustained laughter all night long. Her transformation into a tigress at the end  of the show by keeping the intruders at bay is hilarious as is her doting on the seven year old prize student, Thomas  wonderfully played by Nico Marschat. Another standout performer in this piece is Meg Taylor-Roth who delivers an impassioned speech about how her character felt abandoned by God when her mother was dying of cancer and how she had abortions after being raped on the night her mother died and the second when her therapist had sex with her. This is where this comic piece takes a dramatic turn. Olivia Sahlin plays the unwed mother who is a dumb blonde excellently but she shows great emotion at Meg’s poignant speech with tears in her eyes. She and Jeff Blanchette play a comic Camel who helps Mary and Joseph deliver Jesus in the stable. Jeff plays the alcoholic father who never was allowed to go to the bathroom and wet the floor at school because the nun never let him go to the bathroom. Mario Sasso also delivers the goods in the Nativity skit as St. Joseph as well as when he tells Sister that he slept with 500 men.

Jeff Blancette commands the stage as George Spelvin in “The Actor’s Nightmare.” From the first entrance as this befuddled, confused man who proclaims he is just an accountant not an actor, he delivers a well nuanced performance. As he moves from play to play from “Private Lives” to “Hamlet” to “Waiting for Godot” to Sir Thomas More in “A Man for All Seasons”, he shines at each transformation by calling for line, never knowing the dialogue or whether it’s a monologue for the character which he mixes up constantly in this absurdist play. Victoria Ezikovich is a hoot as  Amanda in the Noel Coward play by repeating her lines over again until he delivers the right line and slapping his face when he tries to unzip her dress. Olivia plays the stage manager who enters now and again to feed George his lines in an inaudible whisper. Mario plays Horatio in “Hamlet” and the Executioner in “Man for All Seasons”, delivering a powerful performance as both characters as does Meg who plays Sybil in “Private Lives” and a character in a garbage can in the Beckett play. She urges George to play the death scene as Thomas More to the climatic conclusion. So for a riotous night of comic antics with some serious undertones, be sure to catch “An Evening of Christopher Durang” at Arctic Playhouse. Also enjoy their free cookies, popcorn and coffee while watching these entertaining shows.

SISTER MARY IGNATIUS/THE ACTOR’S NIGHTMARE (22 February to 10 March)

The Arctic Playhouse, 117 Washington Street, West Warwick, RI

1(401)573-3443 or www.thearcticplayhouse.com

MARVIN’S ROOM (Rhode Island College)

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MARVIN’S ROOM

Reviewed by Tony Annicone

 

Rhode Island College Theatre’s current show is “Marvin’s Room” by Scott McPherson. It won the Outer Critic’s Award, the Drama Desk Award and the John Gassner Award for Best New American Play in 1992. The show is about two sisters, Lee, a wisecracking, psychologically unstable free spirit who has not helped with the caretaking and Bessie, who is their ill elderly father Marvin and their ill elderly Aunt Ruth’s saintly caretaker who has leukemia. Lee is the mother of two sons, one Hank, who is a disturbed teenager and Charlie, his younger brother. Bessie’s diagnosis and the possibility that one of them may be a match for a transplant is what brings them all together. It is comic show about a serious illness, but it is performed and written with humor amid the pathos. Director Connie Crawford makes sure the comic moments as well as the dramatic moments come to life through the college performers. The show is a series of fourteen vignettes and Connie brings out the best in her cast, creating a splendid show with heart for the audience to savor and enjoy.

The set is by Katryne Hecht while the costumes are by Marcia Zammarelli. Maria Cabral handles the demanding role of Bessie excellently. She plays the long suffering but resilient Bessie, who we see from the humorous scenes of opening in the doctor’s office and with her aunt to the poignant moments in the hospital and with her sister and nephews. Maria appears in almost every scene of the show and makes each moment count. She appears without her wig in one scene to show how the effects of the disease and a lighter moment occurs during a happier time when she was in love with her carny barker. Bessie wants to bring the same kind of happiness to her dying father by using a carnival type light to brighten his life and finally showing her love for her father and aunt. Maria makes Bessie into a sympathetic character that the audience adores for handling a dark situation with humor and optimism.

Madison Ramsay as Aunt Ruth steals almost every scene that she’s in. She wears a gray wig and makes the doddering aunt with a bad back into an hilarious character. Some of the comic moments include the robotic device implanted into her back that makes the garage open, she loves soap operas and thinks Pluto at Disney World is a gopher. Another strong performance is given by Mia Ceglie as Bessie’s sister, Lee. She makes this hard shelled woman soften when she deals with her sister’s illness later in the show. One of her best moments occurs when she finally admits to her son, Hank that she knew his father beat him and she took things out on Hank by yelling at him. Her emotional breakdown and renewed connection to him and Bessie is excellent. Some comic moments include her stealing candy and yelling at her sons.

The two actors who play Lee’s sons in the show do fantastic work, too. Andrew Holowienka makes Hank, the tough juvenile offender who has burnt down his mother’s house into a likeable kid by the end of the show. His scenes with Bessie, his mother and Charlie shows his true love for them. Hank runs away when he feels he’s failed to give Bessie the bone marrow that she needs but eventually realizes he needs the love of his family at last. Andrew makes the transition from tough to nice believable and delivers an emotion packed performance. Elijah Swain plays Charlie, the book loving and school hating younger brother. His interactions with the other cast member is terrific. One of his funniest lines is “Can I watch Grandpa breathe?” while his most poignant when he gives Hank’s note to Bessie after Hank ran away.

Other comical cast members include Michaela Pendola as Dr. Wally who calls everyone by the wrong name, Emily Fleet as Dr. Charlotte who plays Hank’s shrink and also plays the bitchy, Southern Retirement Home Director who tells them they have to become destitute to afford to put their father and aunt there, Yunus Quddus plays the narrator and Marvin who is never scene onstage but through a translucent scrim and Ellen Porde as Wally’s dimwitted sister. So for a marvelous production, be sure to catch “Marvin’s Room” at Rhode Island College. The audience learns what it’s like to be caretakers of our elderly relatives.

MARVIN’S ROOM (23 February to 4 March)

Rhode Island College, Forman Theatre, 600 Mount Pleasant Avenue, Providence, RI

1(401)456-8144 or www.ric.edu/mtd

“THE FANTASTICKS” – Ivoryton Playhouse (CT)

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“THE FANTASTICKS”
Reviewed by Tony Annicone

 

The historic Ivoryton Playhouse’s first show of their season is The Fantasticks”, a 1960 musical with music by Harvey Schmitt and lyrics by Tom Jones. The original show opened off Broadway on May 3, 1960, ran for 17,162 performances, closing on January 13, 2002. It tells an allegorical story, loosely based on the play “Les Romanesques” by Edmond Rostond, concerning two parents who put a wall up between their two houses to ensure that their children fall in love, because they know children always do what their parents forbid.

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Apollinaire Blinds Us With Science with Provocative ‘Informed Consent’

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by Mike Hoban

 

Informed Consent – Written by Deborah Zoe Laufer; Directed by Dale J. Young; Set Design by Jessica Pizzut; Sound Design by Camilo Atehortua; Costume Design by Elizabeth Rocha; Lighting Design by Danielle Fauteux Jacques. Presented by the Apollinaire Theatre Company at the Chelsea Theatre Works, 189 Winnisimmet St., Chelsea through March 12.

 

Informed Consent, the unsettling and thought-provoking work now being staged by Apollinaire at the Chelsea Theatre Works, is – on the surface – about finding the middle ground between science and belief systems that may or may not serve a greater purpose for those that hold them. But it is, at its core, a very human story. Powered by an affecting performance by Becca A. Lewis, it is a compelling tale of how rigidly applying science and logic devoid of any real humanness can complicate rather than solve complex problems. It is also a very human story of how fear-driven behavior can cripple one’s ability to connect with the rest of the universe in a meaningful way.

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