Reviewed by Tony Annicone
The Players third show of their 111th season is “The Country House” by Donald Margulies. There is a family gathering at the Patterson home in the Berkshires during the Williamstown summer theatre season. Matriarch Anna, who is a star of stage and screen, invites her protege, Michael, a younger man who is now a famous TV star, to stay at her home. She also has family members visit, including Walter, her son in law who is a famous teen picture movie director and his new girlfriend Nell whom had a flirtation with Anna’s son, Elliot 11 years earlier. And they are still mourning Anna’s daughter, Kathy, who was married to Walter and passed away a year ago from cancer at the age of 41. Their daughter, Susie, a senior at Yale, clad in black for the first act, is still mourning her mother. This group of people wrestle with fame, their art and each other. However, all good intentions go awry during their weekend sojourn when arguments break out and secrets are spilled. These happenings threaten the very fabric of the family with memories of the past mingling with new love as well as discarded dreams. Director Alan Hawkridge elicits strong performances from his six talented cast members. They move the audience to laughter and tears with familiar struggles all families face. “Did mother spend more time doting on you or your sibling?” and “ Were you talented enough to make it in show business?” are a couple of the questions asked in this well written play. The show starts off like a comedy about eccentric family members but turns into a dramatic, gut wrenching finale where even the hardest heart in the audience dissolves into tears.
Trish McManus commands the stage as Anna who handles the comic and dramatic
sides of the character excellently. She is just as adept at delivering many
quips and jabs at the others as she is at still mourning the loss of her
daughter. The funniest quip is aimed at her young male guest in the last act
when she dismisses him with the wave of her hand as she departs the room. Later
the dramatic moment between Anna, her granddaughter and son definitely tugs at
your heartstrings as they think back on time spent with their beloved Kathy and
the effect she had on their lives. David Crossley is the father, Walter, who
was quick to find a girlfriend after his wife’s death. He buys a new Porsche
and takes up jogging to impress the new girl. David delivers the goods in his
scenes with the other performers where he tries to make peace with his
daughter, argues with his brother in law and remembers past events with his
mother in law.
Dark haired and handsome, John Thomas Cunha plays Michael, the object of affection of every woman in the show. He is the celebrity of a new TV series where he plays a doctor but is also appearing in “The Guardsman” play. He is funny and debonair but delivers an impassioned speech about a little boy in the Congo who liked him for himself and not for the famous role he played. Michael Pugliese plays the tortured and embittered Elliot who tried his hand at acting but now wants to be a playwright. He has written a play which he makes the cast read in the second act. He does a marvelous job with the clever quips and insults but shines in the last act when he explodes in anger at Walter and has a meltdown with his mother and niece that delivers a stunning and dramatic impact to the audience.
Caitlin Buerge plays Nell, who is wooed by Walter and had a fling with Elliot 11 years ago when they acted together in Kentucky. She does a great job in the role as she tries to please her boyfriend while trying to reach an understanding with his in-laws, especially with Susie. Caitlin lightens up the proceedings but also has a dramatic and startling scene near the end of the first half when everyone witnesses a surprising situation when the house lights which went off during a thunderstorm come back on. Sarah Quintiliani wonderfully plays the still mourning daughter, Susie who fends off the other guests with sarcastic quips and barbs. She portrays the raw emotions of a daughter trying to adjust to life without her mother and now has to face her dad’s new girlfriends. Susie also has a crush on Michael, wants to help her grandmother with her lines for “Mrs. Warren’s Profession” and tries to broker an understanding with her distraught uncle. So for a contemporary show that deals with the struggles and travails of a famous family facing the same issues we all might be facing, be sure to catch “The Country House” at the Players. You will witness superb acting on an absolutely gorgeous living room/library set by Dan Clement and beautiful costumes by David Cabral. To become a member of The Players give Bill Applegate a call.
THE COUNTRY HOUSE (31 January to 9 February)
The Players, Barker Playhouse, 400 Benefit Street, Providence, RI
1(401)273-0590 or www.theplayersri.org
