On the Verge -- Great Actors, Uneven Production

New Rep’s production of On the Verge is usual and avant-garde.  It contains some sparkling, witty moments, and several neat performance elements, and some laugh-out-loud funny lines. Unfortunately, much of the good work of the performers and production staff is undermined by the fact that it’s just not a very good play. On the whole, the production ends up feeling lacking in cohesion and overly long.

We were interested in the idea for this show because of a fascination with intrepid Victorian lady travelers. They were remarkable women who somehow escaped the extreme strictures that society placed on them. They didn’t just escape from the suburbs to a condo downtown; they fled to the Congo, to Morocco, to live with Bedouins in the desert or with Buddhist monks in the Himalayas.  (Apparently their money bought some protection and European dress and manners made them seem so exotic as to be untouchable.) They may have been naïve, but they had real intellectual curiosity. And they were not silly people.

The play, to its credit, does capture a sense of wild eccentricity and exuberance. But there’s not really a plot to speak of, except for somewhat erratic and unexplained time travel, which ends, for no real reason, in 1955.  And the direction doesn’t help. The three women are quite different in character. One is a scientist, one a poet and dreamer, and the third a rather conventional soul on journalistic assignment from a tabloid. But these differences in character are blurred by similarity of dress and manner so that the women seem much the same (and thus, not as interesting as they should be) until late in the second act.

Of the four actors – all of them familiar to New Rep patrons and Boston audiences in general as superb performers – only Benjamin Evett escapes being bogged down in the sometimes-ponderous wordplay which plagues the three women. The pace picks up whenever he enters, whether as a cannibal who becomes the person he eats, a yeti, a bebop gas station attendant, a lounge singer, one woman’s left-behind husband (or his ghost) or a nebulous character called Mr. Coffee by a confused traveler.     

  

As the women travel, seemingly via some sort of transparent Mary Poppins-like parasol, they develop the ability to see into the future. Much of the comedy revolves around words and phrases which pop into their consciousness, words that are part of our everyday vocabulary but which would mean nothing to a Victorian – air mail, rock and roll, Mr. Coffee, Burma-Shave, casino. Most of the “osmosing” of the future, however, is light and funny.  We were confused and rather disturbed by the absence of any sense of the darkness in the times ahead of these women. Mustard gas is mentioned in passing, but any Cassandra peering into the twentieth century would have to have to spend some effort to avoid seeing the sickening destruction of World War I and the even worse events of the Holocaust and Hiroshima.

Sad to say this production was just not up to New Rep’s admirable high standard. The play, sets and costumes and direction all seemed curiously intellectually sloppy. I particularly wish Christine Hamel, Adrianne Krstansky and Paula Langton better luck in future New Rep productions. They are all fine actors and did their best with a difficult and sometimes-dragging text.

~ Johanna Ettin & Shauna Shames, New Rep Reviewers

Exploring Language "On The Verge"

New Rep’s final mainstage production of the season, On the Verge begins as a tale of three Victorian-era women setting off to explore uncharted lands - “Terra Incognita” as they call it.  At a time when women are just beginning such exploration without being accompanied by a men, the three set off, but by the end of the play they end up in the year 1955 surrounded by American pop culture.  Along the way, the tree women run into several men including one called Mr. Coffee and Nicky Paradise who owns Nicky’s Bar and Grill - a hip 50s resort casino.  The real focus of the play is not a linear storyline, or character development, but language – playing with and inventing language.  Sharp, funny lines abound in this wacky comedy, but you might find yourself shaking your head wondering what’s going on. 

Director Jim Petosa assembles a great cast of New Rep veterans including Paula Langton, Adrianne Krstansky, and Christine Hamel as the three “sister sojourners” as they call themselves and Benjamin Evett playing the other characters.  The three women each give a tour de force performance scaling mountains of dialogue filled with esoteric words, neologisms, and play on words - all this while delivering lines with good comedic timing.  Benjamin Evett delivers an equally strong performance embodying a range of men (and a yeti) of different ages, places, and times. 

Reflecting on the play, I may have enjoyed it more if I stopped trying to focus on any semblance of a comprehensible plot line and just enjoyed the crazy words coming out of the actors mouths.  I found myself laughing frequently, but struggling to make much sense of the play.  While not really an absurdist play, it does occasionally have that feel mixed in with language you might find in a Stoppard play or possibly even Mamet (minus the swearing).  For those who love language and wordplay, there are many funny moments throughout the 2hour 15minute piece, and if you enter the piece just expecting that and great acting, it can make for an enjoyable night of theater.

 

~Frank Furnari - New Rep Reviewer  

Our Lady of Gay Youth

Our Lady, a 90 minute performance art piece written and performed by James Fluhr takes us on a frantic journey that many gay youth endure.  An evening that reminded me of varied elements from Hedwig, Laramie Project, drag performance/Lady Gaga show, and even Clint Eastwood yelling at an empty chair – this is not your typical New Rep show.  James Fluhr is a masterful performer, embodying a variety of roles, he is able to fluidly and easily switch from one to another.  Most notable was his transformation into his mother, embodying her Southern charm and mannerisms, it’s a joy to see a skilled performance.  Fluhr makes use of almost every inch of the space, moving around for the various parts of the show - above, below, and all around including some audience participation.  This struck me as a piece that I could see at Club Oberon where patrons standing with drink in hand move around to follow Fluhr on the journey.  Fluhr was supposed by an outstanding creative team who really were able to immerse the audience in his world.  The simple, but effective scenic designers – Fluhr and Courtney Nelson, augmented by Matthew Haber’s projection design which added another layer to the performance.  Chelsea Kerl created a great costume for the Our Lady character.  Dan Alaimo (lighting) and Yi-Chun Hung (sound) rounded out the design team where we went from a room with the fluorescent work lights on, to various locations to a nightclub with booming music and great lighting.  While Fluhr is a masterful storyteller, the story he tells still needs some work.  The piece tries to tackle too much – gay suicide, both on a personal level and also stories we’ve heard on the news, bullying, parental issues, it’s a lot to stuff into this short piece and it may be better to pair down and delve more into certain aspects.  The scene with Fluhr’s mother really allows us to see this relationship and what it meant to the young boy, while others really didn’t land as well.  The ending transformation and show are fun and great to watch, but it seems this could be tightened to make this a great piece.  

~ Frank Furnari  New Rep Reviewer 

"Tongue of a Bird:" Tales of Searching

I am a huge fan of Black Box productions at New Rep, and the intimacy afforded by the space is the perfect atmosphere for the personal histories and emotional performances of “Tongue of a Bird.”  The play tells the story of Maxine (Elizabeth Anne Rimar), a search and rescue pilot in the Adirondacks, commissioned by a distraught mother to find her missing daughter.  In the midst of her search, the pilot confronts her own childhood loss.  The production is almost a series of monologues, each one helping the audience to more fully comprehend what it is to lose everything and what it means to let go.

The five-person cast of “Tongue of a Bird” is without exception spectacular.  Bobbie Steinbach (Zofia) reminded me so much of my own Polish grandmother, that I spent most of her performance lost in nostalgia.  Olivia D’Ambrosio (Evie) was flawless as Maxine’s mother.  She speaks exuberantly, seemingly without breathing.  The tone of her voice instead changes to signal a new thought or idea.  Her eyes, however, constantly have a fearful expression, as if, any moment, she might crash again.  Ilyse Robbins’s character (Dessa, the distraught mother) also projects the idea of fighting not to slip away.  She clings desperately to the idea of her daughter’s survival, recalling the exact blue of her coat and the fried chicken and peas dinner they shared.  Her speech also borders on manic, one sentence rambling into the next, fighting to imagine her daughter back into existence.  As the missing girl, Claudia Q. Nolan (Charlotte) is haunting as she delivers her mocking threats to Maxine.

Maxine’s character is arguably the most complex.  She is an interesting contrast to all of her other co-stars: calm next to Dessa’s anguish, pragmatic next to her grandmother’s stories of bears and witches, and solid next to her mother’s flighty ghost.  She has the most to lose, and at the end of the performance, the audience feels the weight of it all.

--Victoria Petrosino, New Rep Reviewer

“Tongue of a Bird” Emotional, Intense

A black box production allows a company to experiment with the form and substance of a theatrical work, and this setting is ideal for New Rep’s wonderful “Tongue of a Bird.”  The theatrical action happens on what ends up looking (appropriately) like a narrow airstrip of a stage, with half of the audience on either side.  The script (by Ellen McLaughlin), which is largely the musings of the protagonist (Maxine, expertly portrayed by Elizabeth Anne Rimar), heightens the feeling of being inside her search-and-rescue plane, and sometimes inside her head, along with the lost girl she seeks and her own long-deceased mother. 

The result is an extremely intimate and powerful production.  It is a good thing the actors are so compelling, because the closeness verges on claustrophobia, but is constantly rescued by the breathtaking performances.  In particular, New Rep favorite Bobbie Steinbach shines as Maxine’s extremely pragmatic grandmother, Zofia, who is solid as the earth in the face of her flight-bound progeny.  The missing child, Charlotte (portrayed with zest by Claudina Nolan), is spirited and sassy, and her youthful exuberance makes a painful contrast with the painful adult world of the other characters.  The two mothers (Charlotte’s desperate searching mom, Dessa, and pilot Maxine’s own mother’s ghost, Evie) are a study in contrasts.  Dessa (Ilyse Robbins) is mournful and emotionally laden – heavy, full of pain.  Evie (Olivia D’Ambrosio), on the other hand, is bright-eyed, fun-loving, and so manic that she clearly lived several feet off the ground all the time, finally snapping the cord that tethered her to this world. 

At the center of it all, Maxine struggles to make sense of it all, to pull together the heavy pain and the love of flying, and does her best – which is all we can ever do.  The play is raw, touching, and deeply human.  It is well worth seeing.

~ Shauna Shames, New Rep Reviewer

Powerful and emotional Whipping Man

The Whipping Man takes a different look at the Civil War.  Matthew Lopez’s play receiving it’s Boston premier at New Rep focuses on a Confederate soldier just back at the end of the war and two of his now freed slaves, however the three are Jewish.       Caleb stumbles back in his family’s home – a wonder wonderful and grand home now showing its own battle scars.  Caleb crawls into the house unable to walk as his leg was hit by a bullet and has turned gangrenous and is discovered by Simon is (now former) slave who has stayed in the house waiting for the return of his wife and daughter.  Soon we meet John, another of Caleb’s former slaves who has been in hiding in and around the various houses in town.  Over the course of the next 2+ hours the audience is taken on an intense emotional journey learning what has brought these three men together.  Weaved through the story is the fact that Caleb’s family is Jewish and has raised their slaves in the Jewish faith and customs.  It’s an interesting twist on the tale but one that on occasion has the parallels between Jewish slavery and the Civil War struggle overemphasized, especially during the Passover scene – it’s powerful stuff but doesn’t need to be beaten over the audience’s head.  There were many powerful moments opening night where the audience sat in rapt silence taken in by the story, acting, and directing. 

Benny Santo Ambush masterfully directs this well crafted production.  Jesse Hinson does a wonderful job as Caleb and although he spends almost the entire play either on the floor or in a chair is able to provide depth and draw in the audience.  Johnny Lee Davenport gives an amazing performance as Simon showing great depth and variety of emotion in this role.  It’s always great to see such good acting.  It seemed that Keith Mascoll took a few minutes to settle in as John, but once he did he delivered a solid performance.  Kudos should be given to the entire design team for the beautiful set and the very cool rain effect.  There were some moments that were tough to sit through (and not because of the acting of directing!) watching the characters go through some of the scenes was tough – but that’s the intent – to make the audience feel uncomfortable at times and this production succeeded – and it was well worth it to be able to experience this production.   

~ Frank Furnari, New Rep Reviewer 

Why it's Worth Spending a Little Time with Bernie Madoff

I was somewhat reluctant to spend an evening with the repellant Bernie Madoff. Perhaps I was suspicious of the playwright’s motives. How could one tolerate Madoff’s slimy company? What could the play be other than an effort to help me understand a person whose actions have put him at the outer edge of the circle of people whose actions I wish to make the effort to understand. But Deborah Margolin’s brilliant play is titled Imagining Madoff, not Understanding Madoff, and she imagines brilliantly.

Jeremiah Kissel’s Bernie Madoff is indeed reptilian and cruel, repellant but also dazzling, charismatic, funny. As he talks with his friend, the Jewish poet, Holocaust survivor and scholar, Solomon Galkin, we believe entirely in his ability to fascinate and charm this good man. As the play opens, Galkin sits in his study surrounded by books. (It’s worth a ticket and a trip to Watertown just to see the great Hokusai-like wave of books that sweeps from behind Galkin’s comfortable library chair, tumbling over his head and down the ceiling of the stage to the other end where Bernie sits in a prison, also constructed of books, but orderly, rigid, a cell with bars built from what appear to be leather-bound law books. (I must admit that the wave of books was distracting: like any worshipper of print I was worried by the numbers of books that were destroyed to construct the set and spent too much time myopically peering at spines and chapter headings.)

Bernie thinks back to an evening spent with Sol, perhaps the only person he feels any admiration for. He tells us that he resisted involving Sol in his Ponzi scheme, but the old man, intrigued by what he could do for his shul and for charity with so much money, keeps urging Bernie to take him on as a client. The conversation between the two men is wide-ranging, with the older man assuming an interest in moral questions and niceties which Bernie only pretends to share. Sol has the wisdom conferred by scholarship and horrific experience, but he also has a terrible naiveté which leads him to make dangerous assumptions about the snake of a man before him. Much whiskey is consumed. At one chilling moment the old man pulls out one of his greatest treasures, his tefillin, which he teaches a reluctant Bernie to wrap around his arm. Bernie can scarcely contain his instinct to recoil from such holiness.

Sol’s conversation fascinates us as well as it does Madoff, who seems to be looking back from a great distance at a religious and cultural identity which should have great meaning for him, but clearly does not.

Gaps in their conversation belong to Mr. Madoff’s secretary who seems to be answering questions from an investigator, explaining her long relationship with Madoff and the walls he created to distance her from the realities of his business. Despite their long association he is an enigma to this woman whose sense of guilt highlights his complete lack of it.

I was reminded of Shakespeare’s treatment of Richard III, as a man who is evil but entirely human. I’m not sure what human instinct allows us to be fascinated by such villains, but fascinated and entertained we are. I would strongly recommend that you take this opportunity to imagine Bernie Madoff.

~ Johanna Ettin, with Shauna Shames, New Rep Reviewers

A Complex Tale of Good v. Evil

“Imagining Madoff” reveals three very different conversations about the collapse of Bernie Madoff’s Ponzi scheme: the secretary pleading her ignorance, the victim extending his trust, and the culprit humanizing his actions to an invisible biographer.

Jeremiah Kissel portrays Bernard Madoff richly, capturing the magnetic appeal of a salesman and the vulgarity of a manipulator.  He is a man at times too crass to be likeable and at times sympathetic as his guilt briefly overcomes him.  He brags about his ability to lie, lasciviously describes killing and eating a salmon, calls his sons “soft,” and then smiles with his whole face, the corners of his eyes crinkling in joy as he tells another off-color joke.  The fundamental complexity and success of the character hinges on the actor’s ability to appear both amoral and trustworthy; Kissel does both perfectly.

Joel Colodner as Solomon Galkin, a Holocaust-survivor and poet, with his stoicism and passion for literature and religion complements Kissel’s Madoff.  Though ultimately framed as a good versus evil discussion, Galkin’s character is also appropriately multi-dimensional.  He shares passages from the Torah, modestly discusses his own flaws and his belief that purely moral men do exist, but ultimately begs Madoff to take him on as a client.  Playwright Deborah Margolin gives the audience many gestures to appreciate in Galkin.  At one point, for example, he spills some scotch on the table and comments that good scotch should be left to evaporate; it should not be wiped up.

Adrianne Krstansky, as Madoff’s nameless secretary, plays a necessary, but obvious, role.  Her character reminds the audience of the non-abstract: the trial and the legal implications of Madoff’s guilt.  Her role serves to break-up the heavy, philosophical discussions led by Galkin. 

New Rep’s Black Box Theater lends intimacy to the performance.  Set designer Jon Savage creates a canopy of books, spilling over onto the floor behind Galkin’s study.  The books reinforce Galkin’s presence, the overbearing company of spirituality and history, the weight of truth hanging over all of the characters, tapering out over Madoff’s cell.

In addition to the skill of the cast, “Imagining Madoff” is successful because of its lack of answers, its lack of redemption or accusations for Madoff.  The performance instead raises the complex narrative of questions and history lying beneath the surface of a trial.  

--Victoria Petrosino, New Rep Reviewer