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

Compelling Characters in "Camelot"

Unlike my fellow New Rep Reviewers, I was not familiar with the original production of Lerner and Loewe’s “Camelot,” and I was actually (quite wrongly) expecting a campy rendition of the tale of the round table.   I was pleasantly surprised, then, when the musical exposed a beautiful love story between Arthur and Guenevere, painful questions of fidelity, the sorrows of watching a dream die, and the excitement born from a glimmer of hope.

The performance is humorous, and there are subtleties and innuendo within that humor that add complexities and enjoyment to the production.  In particular, Lancelot (Marc Koeck) is excellent with his sober expression and naïve piousness.  He is both the greatest white knight and the ultimate villain, and he plays both roles with an earnest likeability.  Also notable is Pellinore (Robert D. Murphy), a wizened, marginally batty King on a quest to find the infamous “Questing Beast,” who thankfully agrees to stop in Camelot and provide sarcastic wisecracks for the rest of the performance.

There are also a few lighthearted moments in the performance that are purely enjoyable, though they do little to further the plotlines.  Guenevere (Erica Spyres) leads the Knights of the Round Table and the ladies in waiting in a jaunty May Day dance scene.  Spyres previously performed at New Rep in Sondheim’s Marry Me a Little, where she had the opportunity to play the violin as accompaniment during the performance.  I was happy that “Camelot” afforded that same possibility.

The costume choices are a bit odd and at times distracting.  Merlin’s shirt looks like it is covered in fake blood, for example.  In addition, while some of the knights wear traditional leggings and tunics, others don hipster grey skinny jeans and glittery knit wool scarves.  It is not heavy-handed enough to make a statement about the universality or timelessness of the themes in “Camelot,” which might have redeemed some of the choices, but it is also not subtle enough to add uniqueness to the wardrobe.

The principal actors were universally strong in the New Rep’s performance of “Camelot” and the supporting cast is delightfully expressive, resulting in an exceptional night out at the theater.

--Victoria Petrosino, New Rep Reviewer

A Beautiful Camelot

The Lerner & Lowe classic, Camelot is one of those shows brimming with great tunes that many people know.  I grew up listening to the original cast recording and it has always been a favorite.  Thankfully New Rep's production did not disappoint with the stellar cast that was assembled for this production.  My favorite is Erica Spyers and her portrayal of Guenevere; I can hardly say enough good things about her in this production.  I've seen her in several roles including appearing in New Rep's Master Class and Marry Me A Little, but in this role she truly shines from when we first hear her clear lovely voice singing of the simple joys of maidenhood.  Benjamin Evett is great as King Arthur and well matched with Spyers.  The two sound great together and have some great chemistry on stage.  Marc Coeck's Lancelot is played a little differently than I've pictured it, but his funny, hammy C'est Moi easily wins over the audience.  The rest of the cast is great with strong voice as solid direction by Russell Garrett.  

Costume designer Rafael Jaen had a grand task of creating many costumes for a large cast, but the results were spectacular.  Each of the many costumes looked great with lovely detail.  While mentioning all that I liked of this production, I must mention the piece that was certainly lacking was the sound and the orchestra.  At the beginning of the performance the orchestra was not fully together and the quality of the sound was rather tinny.  My companion commented to me that because of the sound she initially feared that it was a recorded orchestra, but then realize that they were live.  Such a classic musical with wonderful singers deserve a big strong sounding orchestra to match and hopefully many of the sound issues will be resolved. 

Camelot is not your traditional holiday musical, but it is definitely a treat and even though it clocks in around three hours it is a very enjoyable time.  This is a piece that doesn’t seem to get performed as often as it should, but it is certainly a joy to be able to see it on stage with such a talented cast.

~ Frank Furnari - New Rep Reviewer 

"Camelot" Shines

I admit to being a bit skeptical that New Rep’s Camelot could live up to the memories so many people hold of the original. And isn’t the plot a bit dated? I was completely won over. This is a really lovely production, just right for kicking off the holiday season. As with so many of the musicals of the sixties, the comedy and beautiful music are off-set by a very dark undertone. 

The actors playing Arthur, Guinevere and Lancelot have a difficult line to walk. They must transition from the idealistic and somewhat silly people they are at the beginning of the play to people with whom we identify and sympathize, people whose tragic dilemmas touch us deeply.

Benjamin Evett gives us a very young at heart Arthur with an immature but ambitious vision of a peaceful and “civilized” society. He has more human frailties than the average king, but a sweetness that appeals to Erica Spyres’ Guinevere , overcoming her silly ambition to be the occasion of knightly combat. Marc Koeck is perfect as the handsome Lancelot who is vain of his virtue and somewhat oblivious to the impression he makes on Arthur and Guinevere. His entrance with “C’est Moi” is a great comic turn.

The show contains more beautiful Lerner and Lowe tunes than I remembered, and the singing of the three principals (and indeed everyone in the cast) is absolutely lovely, pure in tone and unforced, totally without the strained shouting that mars so much musical theater performance. Kudos to the invisible orchestra which manages to sound twice its size and provides perfect accompaniment, not an easy task when you are behind the scenery instead of in an orchestra pit.

The scenery is cleverly suggestive, a particular virtue of staging at New Rep. Costumes, however --especially for the female characters -- and choreography are serviceable but not up to New Rep’s usual very high standards.  (For example, Merlin's costume is really a shame, and gets in the way of the actor's good work.  Same with Guinevere's odd sari-type shawls.)

For those of us who are old enough to remember John F. Kennedy, “Camelot” is always particularly poignant, but even without the bittersweet sauce of those memories, this performance provides a charming and highly entertaining evening in the theater.

 ~ Johanna Ettin, with Shauna Shames

Rancho Mirage in a Season of Illusion

The season theme for the New Rep is always in the back of my mind for each new production.  It is interesting to me how different time periods, forms, and characters can still have the same core themes and ideas.  Illusion comes quickly to mind when thinking of both “Rancho Mirage” and “The Elephant Man.”  In “Rancho Mirage” the couples are under the illusion that their lives can, in fact, be perfect.

The Rancho Mirage is the aptly named development where two of the three couples reside.  The name is apt not for the abundance of ranches, but for the mirage of security that comes from living in a gated community and the residents’ adherence to “keeping up appearances.”  In the production, two Rancho Mirage residents Diane (Tamara Hickey) and Nick (Lewis D. Wheeler) host two other couples for a dinner party.  Despite their bankruptcy, they serve the expensive wine and offer to order food when dinner is ruined.  As the night progresses (and the bottles of wine empty), the truth pours out.

Scene designer John Howell Hood models the stage into a living room that is warmly lit and provides the illusion of comfort: overstuffed pillows rest on micro-suede couches, two fireplaces frame an expanse of earth-tone tile, artificial plants add purpose to staggered end tables.  Every object falls into the same color palette: dull green, desert yellow, clay red.  The effect creates a space that is inviting and comforting, but also suggestive that the couple is afraid of standing out too much.  Whether through painting the walls the wrong color, or buying the wrong type of wine, it matters, to them, what other people think.

The first scene in particular reveals that theme of blending in.  Diane recites a list of items that Nick is forbidden to mention during dinner.  Her message is clear: by ignoring the “taboo subjects” they can be the perfect hosts.  Everyone will feel comfortable at the party, conversation will be pleasant, and they will communicate without providing additional information on their situation to their friends.  Nick, quite predictably, brings up all of them in the first 15 minutes of the party. 

It’s tempting to draw conclusions about the characters based on gender.  The men trust each other more easily, but the women are more honest.  The women’s honesty may actually be their barrier to trust, since they use facts as weapons against one another.  I wish the production had done more to counteract these stereotypes.

Although I found the story-lines to be a bit exaggerated, the hyperbole is usually redeemed by comedy, and the character-driven production features strong performances by the cast.  Cate Damon, as soft-spoken, pious Pam, delivers several of the most humorous lines of the show.  Abigail Killeen, as Type-A Louise, is a wonderful paradox of a boisterous personality keeping her own secrets.  John Kooi as Charlie is the only noticeably drunk character after two hours of drinking and no food, which helps to ground some of the revelations. 

  -- Victoria Petrosino, New Rep Reviewer

A Mirage of Happy Couples

Rancho Mirage is a gated community in the desert where we meet three couples convening for at on couple’s house for dinner and a fun night together. Over the course of the evening, secrets and truths start to be revealed, first slowly, then at one point at a frantic pace.  These are best friends, but each person is keeping up a façade, trying not to let others know of the problems that lie underneath, sometimes even to their own spouse. The playwright, Steven Dietz, weaves in twists and turns in the plot that may keep you guessing with a bunch of good lines that also keep you laughing.  I was reminded a little bit of God of Carnage which played at the Huntington last season - the way the couples interact and the way the evening progresses reminded me a little of the show – but that's a good thing as I was entertained by both.  If it seems that I’ve been a little vague on the plot on what actually transpires, that is on purpose.  Sometimes it’s best to go into a play knowing very little of what will happen so you can get caught up in the action – this is a good example of a play where you will benefit from not knowing too much. 

Director Robert Walsh assembles a fine cast that is well directed.  Each of the couples is strong and the entire cast works well as an ensemble.  All of the technical aspects came together to make the production look great.  John Howell Hood's scenic design was very fitting for the neighborhood the play is set in.  It was very interesting to look and to take in all the details.   Dewey Dellay's sound design and music composed for the scene changes fit in very well, helped keep the pacing going and were perfectly timed with Deb Sullivan's lighting design – it really made the scene changes flow perfectly. 

Overall, this was a show that was enjoyable and kept my interest for the entire two hours.  While being enjoyable, it wasn’t a very deep show that leaves you pondering it for long after the house lights come up as a show like Elephant Man may do.  That being said, it still made for an enjoyable night of theatre and makes me interested in seeing more from the playwright. 

~ Frank Furnari - New Rep Reviewer

New Rep New Show Great Fun

Large, overstuffed couches greet theatre goers in the fantastic set of New Reps's area premiere of a brand new play, Rancho Mirage.  (Ridiculous locale names become the topic of a later monologue.) But "mirage" is the perfect descriptor, as it turns out; nothing is as it seems at the start of the play.  The couches become audience to one revelation after another, as the tangle of lies and half-truths holding together various relationships is unwound.

The performances and technical infrastructure of New Rep plays are consistently very high quality.  This show is no exception, although some of the characters feel more real than others. (Whether this is an artifact of the acting or the writing is difficult to say.)  Returning New Rep star Robert Pemberton as Trevor is stunning (and sews a mean pair of pants), and we loved the odd quirkiness of John Kooi and Cate Damon as Charlie and Pam(my).  Newcomer to New Rep Abigail Kileen (as Louise) really holds the show together and is perfectly loud-mouthed, honest, irreverent, and blousy -- although the script speaks of a hypersexuality that is not apparent in the character.

The play, ultimately, is a fun night out.  The script is often laugh-out-loud funny, and director Robert Walsh makes the most of the jokes and set-ups.  The danger with this kind of work, which exposes the ugly underbelly of many of the characters and relationships, is that the audience may not like any of the characters enough to care what happens next.  Some of that feeling comes in here, although the actors do a heroic job in making the characters as like able as possible despite their (many) faults.

~ Shauna Shames, New Rep Reviewer

Illusion and Reflection in "The Elephant Man"

“The Elephant Man” kicks off New Rep’s 30^th Season.   Appealing to both the audience’s curiosity and a dreamer’s unfilled wishes for normality, “The Elephant Man” delivers on this season’s theme of “dreams, dares, and discoveries.” 

The stage is one of the simplest this reviewer has seen at New Rep.  With the exception of a sliding wall made of mirrored glass, the rest of the stage is painted black, with a single, multi-functional black box in the center.  A solitary oboist (Louis Toth) adds a somber quality to the setting and fits well with the reflective pace of the performance.

The simplicity of the design adds additional focus to the heavy-handed mirror and illusion motif repeated throughout “The Elephant Man.”  In an early example, John Merrick (Tim Spears) impresses the actress Mrs. Kendall (Valerie Leonard) with his description of Romeo and Juliet, particularly his belief that Romeo cannot be in love with Juliet because he tests her life only by checking for her breath in a mirror.  He does not check her pulse or have a doctor examine her body, suggesting the greatest test of life is the reflection of that life, the impression a person makes upon their surroundings.

John Merrick inspires this self-reflection within the good people of 1880’s London society, arousing their sense of Christian generosity and validating their need for approval.  The time period, often called the Gilded Age, perfectly complements the characters’ desire to help and their expectation of return.  Characters reference King Leopold, Jack the Ripper, workhouses, and asylums, but those are conveniently in the background, while the moral superiority the cast derives from fulfilling their Christian burden is intensely felt and immediately evident.

Though the characters of “The Elephant Man” are largely flat, the actors do not lack passion in their roles.  Dr. Frederick Treves (Michael Kaye) spends the 2-act play mixing charity and authority, doling out small kindnesses with the unmasked hope of greater recognition.  He delivers an emotional monologue at the end of Act II, and despite his conflation of social acceptance and a cure for “the elephant man,” his sentiment is obviously heartfelt.  Spears’s performance is exceptional.  As he undergoes his transition from side-show spectacle to perpetual patient, he transforms in front of the audience from a diminutive man in a tattered shroud into the elephant man.  He contorts his face; he turns his palm and holds his arm stiffly at his chest; he juts out his hip and turns in his foot as he limps across the stage.  Suddenly he is the deformed man the doctor describes.  The transformation is remarkable, and the fact that the audience begins to forget Merrick and to only see the elephant man inspires reflection long after the performance has ended.

-Victoria Petrosino, New Rep Reviewer

Fascinating, Layered Elephant Man

New Rep opened its 30th season with the award winning and thought provoking play Elephant Man by Bernard Pomerance.  The play tells the true story of John Merrick, the so called Elephant Man who lived in the 1800s – if you search for his name online, you can see pictures of the real Merrick.  The play opens showing him in a freak show in London – we are told that he exposes himself to this humiliation in order to survive.  First we see the reactions of others who have seen John, and when we first see him, his head is covered, so we do not get a good look at him until later.  One day Dr. Frederick Treves walks by and is tempted to go see Merrick, his first glance of Merrick is very short, but asks that he come to be examined.  Over the course of the play, Treves examines Merrick and eventually invites Merrick to live at London Hospital.  While living at the hospital Merrick tries whenever possible to be a normal person – whenever he sees a behavior he feels is normal, he attempts it.  At the same time, those that he interacts with eventually are able to get beyond his appearance, befriending him and seeing something of themselves in him.  

Tim Spears gives a masterful portrayal of Merrick.  While we do not see the full visual effect, no exaggerated makeup or prosthetics, but we don't need to thanks for his portrayal.  We see him fully inhabiting the character, from the speech, the posture, the use of his arms – everything.  It is hard to take your eyes off of him, this is truly a masterful portrayal.  Michael Kaye does a good job as Treves, showing the range of emotions and struggles that the doctor must have faced, he really makes character with depth.  Valerie Leonard provides a good bit of the comedy in this play as the actress and socialite Mrs. Kendal.  She is hired by the doctor in hopes that an actress would be able to hide her reaction when seeing the grotesque Merrick.  While silly at times, as her relationship grows with Merrick, it provides a much needed balance.  In addition to other actors, the production featured a single oboe played by Louis Toth sitting on the corner of the stage.  I understand there was an instrumentalist during the Broadway production as well, and I'm still unsure about this detail and what it should add to the production.  The choice to not use a mask or makeup for Merrick was an interesting one (also the case on Broadway) that I felt really worked in this case and played on the theme of perception and being able to look beyond the outer layer.  Just as those who see Merrick can have their perceptions of him change, we can imagine him as we wish, we're simply able to see the man hiding behind those deformities.  Jim Petosa's direction along with the rest of the artistic team do a great job a layering this production and giving you a lot to dissect and think about afterwards. This play was enjoyable, kept my attention for the almost 2 hour run time and also gave me something to think about for some time afterwards.  

~ Frank Furnari - New Rep Reviewer

"Elephant Man Startles, Disturbs"

Opening the New Rep’s fall season is the Tony-award-winning play, The Elephant Man. Tim Spears’ performance in the title role is nothing short of astonishing. Without costume or make-up, at times nearly naked, Spears persuades us that he is John Merrick and that the deformities he mimics are entirely real. He never breaks character by even the smallest gesture.

John Merrick is a mirror to each of the other characters. Each sees in him some part of his or her own spiritual deformity and longing for spiritual freedom. The prison of his body becomes a metaphor for the prison of Victorian propriety, where good conduct, gratitude and humility are the highest values, where spontaneity, creativity and original thought are suppressed and neurosis is just under the surface.

Frederick Treves (Michael Kaye), the physician who rescues Merrick from the street and from being displayed in a freak show, is a kind, intelligent and thoughtful man, a rational scientist who is attracted by the rarity of the disease and horrified by the treatment Merrick endures. He finds himself moved by the man’s stoicism and he is just sensitive enough to recognize Merrick’s talents and need for human company. He brings as a visitor an actress, Mrs. Kendal (Valerie Leonard). She is at first merely curious but is quickly enchanted by Merrick’s sharp insight into human character and his intellect. (Merrick’s interpretation of Romeo’s reaction to the death of Juliet astonishes her and is one of my favorite moments in the play.)

The production has a simplicity which allows the layered, nuanced play to unfold. The stage is bare and black with, at the center, a coffin-like black box which serves multiple purposes – bathtub, picnic table, sofa, bed. Mirrored sliding screens open to admit visitors to John’s cell. As actors enter and leave the center of the stage where Merrick lives, they move at a measured ceremonial pace. A solitary oboist, sitting at the corner of the stage provides transitional music and adds to the sense of pervasive sadness. The pace of the play is slow and meditative, but nonetheless mesmerizing.  

The meditative pace, the compassion at the heart of the play itself, and the utter lack of cynicism of the play and this production are unusual in the theater today (or perhaps at any time). Add brilliant acting from the three principal characters and you have an evening not to be missed.

~ Johanna Ettin and Shauna Shames, New Rep Reviewers

The Titanic Sails Again!

You wouldn't think that a poignant re-telling of the Titanic's sinking could be made uproariously funny -- but in the hands of the talented Colin Hamell, laughs abound in the New Rep black box theatre.  A collaboration between New Rep and Tir Na Theatre Companies, "Jimmy Titanic" (written by Bernard McMullen) is sweet, a little sad, and ever so funny.

Hamell, who does some excellent accent work in what must be an exhausting performance for him, portrays something like 30 different characters, each with its own voice, story, and funny physical quirks.  The transformations from one to the next are stellar and subtle; you rarely see Hamell make any sudden movements, but he suddenly becomes someone entirely different.  The funniest moments occur in Heaven; we particularly loved the interactions between the Angel Gabriel, St. Peter, and God.  (God's cigar-sucking was perhaps the best sound effect of the show!)

In addition to transforming himself, Hamell transforms a completely empty stage into multiple locations with aplomb.  At the height of the show's narrative, as the Titanic is sinking and the last of the lifeboats is launched, we were so caught up in the story that we truly forgot where we were for a moment.  Such transporting of an audience takes excellent acting and direction, both (kudos to the show's director, Carmel O'Reilly).

~ Shauna Shames, New Rep Reviewer (with Johanna Ettin)

"Amadeus": On the Burdens of Genius

New Rep’s rather magnificent production of “Amadeus”— a show about the burdens of genius on both the individual and those around him -- begins with Antonio Salieri muttering to himself as the audience takes their seats.   As Salieri, Benjamin Evett carries the show, which is no easy feat given its heft, depth, and length!  Evett’s characterization of the jealous, duplicitous composer is mesmerizing, and his transformations from old to young, and back, sublime.  

The show invites us into the mind and world of Salieri, who knows his own gifts to be dwarfed by those of the foolish young boy whose work, Salieri says, channels God.  Upon first reading a Mozart piece, Salieri laments that he will never be as good as Mozart, no matter how long or hard he works -- a sentiment made particularly painful by the contrast in their characters.  As we are meant to, the audience constantly compares the substantive, serious Salieri with the fatuous but enormously gifted Mozart, played by Tim Spears (who, it must be said, comes off more like a caricature than a character until he finally becomes a real person at the end of his life).

On the whole, there is something good to be said for each individual actor, but the production as a whole does not entirely gel the cast into an ensemble.  One of the largest disconnects is between the stylized portrayal of the men of the court and the serious construction of the role of Mozart’s wife (played with great feeling by McCaela Donovan).  The show could also have benefited from some judicious cutting, perhaps in the first act (which moved too slowly), allowing the intermission to come later, so that the second act did not go so long without a break.

Our favorite part of the production was probably the “venticelli” (little winds), two gossiping, whispering spies (played by the expert Paula Langton and Michael Kaye), who bring Salieri the news of the town, gallivanting around the stage and using their masks and wigs to great effect.  They, more than the other characters, use the full stage, including the enormous wooden slide/set piece with a fabulous geometric design, which becomes a church window, a podium, and other set pieces in turn (kudos to Cristina Todesco and Mary Ellen Stebbins, respectively the scenic designer and the lighting designer, for their terrific collaboration).  A big “nice job” to director Jim Petosa also on the brilliant stage pictures created by the intersection of the various production elements and the actors’ bodies in the geometric space of the stage and set.

~ Shauna Shames & Johanna Ettin, New Rep Reviewers

Mozart through Salieri's Eyes

by Frank Furnari, New Rep Reviewer

 

New Rep concludes their season with a wonderful production of the TONY winning play Amadeus by Peter Shaffer, which inspired the film of the same name.  The play presents a fictionalized account of composer Antonio Salieri’s last day where he recounts his relationship with fellow composer Wolfgang Amadeus (some scholars argue he preferred to use Amadè) Mozart. Salieri, though a series of flashbacks takes the audience on a three hour journey through both men’s lives attempting to prove to the audience how he is the one responsible for Mozart’s death.  We see the pious Salieri makes a pledge to devote himself to God in exchange for a musical gift and fame.  He does indeed get a gift and some success; however he is ever aware of his mediocrity, especially in comparison with Mozart who lives the life of a libertine. 

 

Jim Petosa assembles an amazing cast for this large production. Benjamin Evett is wonderful in the role of Salieri, transforming from an old man to a man in his prime for us on stage.  This is a large role, but Evett is up for it and shows that even if the composer were mediocre, the actor portraying him certainly is not.  Salieri’s Venticelli (little winds, aka spies) played by Michael Kaye and Paula Langton are also great in this production, they remind me of Commedia dell’arte characters with their costumes and mannerisms and they add a bit of humor to the production.  Also adding humor without saying many words is Paul D. Farwell as Von Strack – normally mumbling on stage is not something to be desired, but it is perfect for the character and Farwell makes it almost into an art form.  Tim Spears performance as Amadeus was generally good, although at times it reminded me a little too much of the portrayal in the movie rather than his own portrayal.   

 

The technical pieces of the production all came together well including Cristina Todesco’s scenic design whose centerpiece help transform the space through slight changes.  Frances Nelson McSherry’s costume design was very fitting of the period.  Mary Ellen Stebbins took an interesting concept with the lighting design by having Salieri followed by a spotlight throughout most of the production, allowing the rest of the stage to be more dimly lit; this at times helped add to the sense that what we’re seeing isn’t necessarily reality, but what was seen through his memory. 

 

I’ve seen the movie several times and it was a delight to finally be able to see this piece in person.  The two are similar but vary slightly, in the play it feels that a lot more is simply narrated by Salieri, whereas in the movie even if he is narrating the action, it is a voiceover while you see the action take place.  On might say (to paraphrase a line in the play), it has too many words – at times it does go on and one wonders if the script could have been cut a little while maintaining the story, but overall it was a very enjoyable night of theatre.  If you like Mozart or if you’ve seen the movie, you should certainly make time to see this production of Amadeus.