by Tony Annicone
After two long years, Burbage Theatre Company brings Ayad Akhtar’s Kennedy Prize winning drama “Junk” to audiences. It’s also the New England Premiere and their last show of their 10th season. Junk is based on a true story and it’s essentially The West Wing meets the Wolf of Wall Street. Junk is a sprawling epic about the Rockefellers and Vanderbilts of the 1980’s who make and break the rules of uncharted waters of finance while creating vast amounts of money for themselves. The money they garner is unbelievable as they engineer the first hostile takeover of a Dow Jones corporation and introduce the concept of debt as an asset. Is morality possible with the high stakes of involvement with money?
The show takes place in the 80’s but is comparable to the greed and avarice seen during the last administration. Robert Merkin has just landed on the cover of Time magazine and is the wunderkind of the investment firm of Sacker-Lowell. Merkin proclaims “debt is an asset” as he tries to reshape the world, setting off a turbulent chain of events. Director Jeff Church picks a dynamic cast to enthrall you in this tale of greed and intrigue from start to finish. He blends the dramatic and comic moments together splendidly, eliciting excellence from his cast members.
Leading this cast is Anthony Goes, who excellently plays the conniving schemer Robert Merkin. He seems to be onstage for the entire show. Anthony captures the essence of this man of finance as he works his way up the ladder in the business world and his smooth talking makes his subjects ripe for the plucking. Hostile takeovers of large corporations made them very wealthy in 1985. They showed little regard for those they destroyed in the process. His behavior alienates his supportive wife and wins his evil compatriots loads of money while he is slapped on the wrist for his horrendous behavior. Bravo on a job very well done.
Playing Merkin’s supportive wife Amy is Allison Crews. She encourages him in his business dealings no matter how unscrupulous they are and no matter who they hurt. Allison is excellent in this role, warning her husband to stay away from Boris Pronsky because she doesn’t like or trust him. The stalwart detective Kevin Walsh is trying to put an end to the evil and corruption of these robber barons. He is marvelously played by Omar Laguerre-Lewis. After living through four years of corruption, the audience yearns for him to succeed in punishing them. Some of Merkin’s business associates are the foulmouthed Izzy Peterman played wonderfully by Michael Thibeault. The character enjoys taking over successful firms to add to his holdings. He runs roughshod over one and all. Izzy’s loudmouth bullying behavior wins him some laughs along the way. Another one of his cronies is played by James Lucey who also swears like a sailor but as they say loose lips sink ships. The hapless owner of the steel company who is on the short end of the stick is terrifically played by Aaron Morris. He garners the sympathy of the audience as his family business and his employees are ignored in the ruthless behavior of Merkin and his partners. His empathetic portrayal is brilliantly done. Aaron delivers a gut-wrenching performance near the end of the show.
The cast is large, and other characters include Zach Gibbs as one of Merkin’s associates, who is constantly abused via his cellphone but still helps him out with insider trading; Andrew Stigler as Leo Tresler, a competitive businessman who hates Merkin’s tactics but joins in the battle for the steel company; Victor Neto as the ruthless Cuban lawyer Raul Rivera, who works for Merkin and employs a mole in his company takeover and an overzealous reporter, Judy Chen is played by Darby Hinton who wants fame and fortune by pinning her hopes and aspirations on the methods that Merkin employs and exposes them in a book. The many twists and turns in this show will keep you glued to your seat with fantastic acting and direction. Make sure you catch “Junk” at Burbage Theatre Company to be a part of a riveting evening of live theatre that you will thoroughly enjoy. To obtain tickets either call the theatre or go their website at www.burbagetheatre.org
JUNK (18 August to 11 September)
Burbage Theatre Company, Wendy Overly Studio, 59 Blackstone Ave, Pawtucket, RI
1(401)484-0355
