“Blues for Mr. Charlie” at Trinity Rep

By Richard Pacheco

            “Blues for Mister Charlie” is James Baldwin's second play, a tragedy in three acts. It was first produced and published in 1964. It is dedicated to the memory of Medgar Evers, and his widow and his children, and to the memory of the dead children of Birmingham.The play is loosely based on the Emmett Till murder that occurred in Money, Mississippi, before the Civil Rights Movement began.
            It opens up with Reverend Meridian Henry coaching the Negro students through their lines. They are interrupted by Parnell Jones who brings them the news that Lyle Britten will be arrested for the murder of Richard Henry. For where once a white storekeeper could have shot a "boy" like Richard Henry with impunity, times have changed. And centuries of brutality and fear, patronage and contempt, are about to erupt in a moment of truth as devastating as a shotgun blast.
            Intended as a companion piece for the current production of “To Kill A Mockingbird” it was intended as a staged reading and the actors, enthused by the material learned their lines. Yet the element of staged readings still lingers over the production in its sparse setting. The action shifts back and forth between past and present. The structure is loose and makes valid points as if they were clichés. What it has in abundance thought is raw energy and fierce passion, a call to arms.

            The play has many rants and diatribe not as well written as “To Kill A Mockingbird” the companion play at Trinity. It tells pretty much the same story without as many twists and turns. Yet it tackles racism as it once existed in this country with relentless zest and conviction.

            There are some strong moments in it. Jude Sandy is Meridian Henry, an impassioned preacher whose son is shot for flirting with a white storekeeper at least that is what the story is. Sandy is focused and powerful at many times during the production with an honest and passionate performance.

His son Richard Henry played by David Samuel has returned to his hometown after spending time up north and hitting some bad times, things like drug addiction. Now, back in his hometown, he seethes with rag and resentment is angered by the racism which surrounds him in his hometown. It makes him rebellious to the customary behavior in the town, the rampant racism which is everywhere. Samuel is a solid presence. He is vibrant and determined in the role, full of raw passion and energy.

The murderer is the bigoted Lyle Henry played by Mauro Hantman, is the husband of the shopkeeper and manages to slyly cover up his hatred and his bigotry in particular for Richard whom he despises. Hantman is on the mark as the bigoted man who oozes a slippery bigotry which he intends and does in fact cover it up.

Stephen Thorne is the white liberal newspaperman with integrity and dares to speak out against the bigotry and defend the blacks from the over racism. He is defensive of Meridian and Richard and it tests their friendship. Throne is sincere and poised in the role, utterly convincing.

Friday, Alexis Green doubled as Grandma Henry and Richard's friend Lorenzo, as she covered, script in hand, for an ailing Ashley Mitchell.

Director Brian McEleny used the same cast as “Mockingbird” and the same sparse set of a classroom setting and disperses the cast throughout the house as he does in that play.  It is not as tight as “Mockingbird” and originally  meant to be a staged reading but the actor’s enthusiasm propelled them to learn lines.

Much of the play is seen as flashback with Richard Henry already dead as the play opens. Baldwin’s characters seem more like entrenched stereotypes who are so antithetical that what divides them seems totally unbridgeable.

The ending is direct and brutal, not at all subtle.

It will be presented again On March 27 and April 1 at 7:30 pm A the Chase Theater at Trinity Rep. Tickets are $25. Trinity Repertory Company, 201 Washington Street, Providence, RI  1(401)351-4242 or www.trinityrep.com

“A Skull in Connemara” at The Gamm Theatre

By Richard Pacheco

            Playwright Martin McDonough’s play “A Skull in Connemara” currently at the Gamm is dark and funny, propelled by vivid performances and keen direction. The 1997 Olivier Award nominee for best comedy takes a look at a gravedigger; a Connemara man hired to exhume skeletons in an overcrowded graveyard and comes upon in his duties the grave of the wife he was once accused of killing. This is the middle play in the Martin McDonagh trilogy. It asks the question of who killed Oona, the wife of Mick the gravedigger.  It does not answer it but instead frolics through some dark humor with determination and quirky dialogue.

            One of the issues with the play is it meanders along seemingly looking for a direction or its plot. It is by far not McDonagh’s best work. It seems as if something crucial is missing here. There is a lot unclear and it doesn’t seem to work that well.

            The cast is excellent across the boards.

Jim O’Brien is Mick, the dark fellow accused of murdering his wife Oona. He is totally believable as the whisky swilling, sullen and dark Mick. He is a man obsessed with dark secrets or at least the impact they have left on his life.

Mick's dimwitted helper, played by Jonathan Fisher with convincing honesty and freshness is dim and slow.

Steve Kidd is the other Hanlon brother, the constable, Thomas. Thomas is bubbling and ineffectual with delusions of grandeur being an ace detective a modern Sherlock Holmes a legend in his own mind. Kidd handles the role with sincerity and skill

The final cast member is Wendy Overly as the grandmother to the two Hanlon boys, Maryjohnny. She is found of her whiskey, or let’s say Mick’s whiskey. She is still smarting for children’s insults to her many years before. Overly is wining in the role, delivering a sincere and amusing performance.

Director Judith Swift does her best to keep it all moving along despite the mysteries inserted into the convoluted plot.

            The Michael McGarty set design  which combines a cramped living room of a tiny cottage and the grave areas is vivid and evocative.

            If you are a fan of McDonagh then you might enjoy this more.

            "A Skull in Connemara" runs through March 27 at the Gamm Theatre, 172 Exchange St., Pawtucket. Tickets are $41-$49. Call (401) 723-4266, or visit gammtheatre.org

“Yankee Tavern” at Theatre One

By Richard Pacheco

            Ever since 9/11 conspiracy theories have grown in abundance, some more plausible than others. Steven Deitz’s “Yankee Tavern” takes a close look at the event and offers its own conclusions in this impressive production with keen acting and firm direction. Deitz is a prolific and widely produced playwright who has garnered many awards over the years from a multitude of productions of his work worldwide. It is an absorbing and intriguing production filed with twists and turns and abundant in conspiracy theories.

            The jukebox in the Yankee Tavern has been topped since Sept. 11, 2001, at 8:46 a.m., just as the first hijacked plane rammed into the north tower of the World Trade Center. It ended in the middle of Don McLean’s “American Pie.” Throughout the play there is strong opinion about what really happened that tragic day and the facts used to back it up are remarkably accurate and convincing. “Yankee Tavern” uses two tried-and-true character types to deliver the message: the slightly crazy best friend and the mysterious stranger. The play is set in 2006.

The more normal characters are Adam who now owns his father’ bar while coign to college and his fiancé Janet. These two have only two areas of contention in their life. When they should let go of the dilapidated bar and Janet wonders why so many Save the Date cards for their wedding end up being returned marked address unknown.

Adam’s pal Ray is a real conspiracy theory buff, in fact he is obsessed with conspiracies which abound around every corner. He enters wearing headphones and is on a radio call in show about the rigged 2000 presidential election. Ray sees a conspiracy around every corner and thinks of his two young friends as “marsupials” who live in “protective pouches.”

Ray has his own theories about what happened with the twin towers, laying the blame not on the planes but on Bush and the Saudi royal family which Janet dismisses. But this day is different as a stranger in the bar, Palmer, a customer who orders two beers agrees with him. Palmer says that he found a hijacker’s passport in the rubble that day — or rather he planted it there, as instructed, and then pretended to discover it. Palmer seems to know a lot of things, some of them pieces of personal information about the other characters. Just who is he?

Amanda Hayter is Janet who is more concerned about her upcoming wedding and having her fiancé  finally get rid of the dilapidated bar so they can get on with their lives. She is also concerned about the nature of Adam’s relationship with one of his college professors. Hayter is energetic and sincere in her performance, a delight.

Dan Groves is Adam, the bar owner who is conflicted about how long and if he should try to hold onto the bar before the city condemns it to demolition. He is also conflicted about his relationship with his professor, a woman whom is is intrigued by and finds absorbing in many ways. Groves is full of raw energy in the role, honest and vivid in his portrayal.

Omer Courcy is Ray, the conspiracy nut. Everything is a conspiracy to Ray, there is a new one around every corner and every public incident and Ray knows everything behind all of them. He is not afraid to speak out about it either, there is no hesitation on his part at all. Courcy is a comic gem in the role, an impeccable balance between the endearing and the oddball.

Frank Piekut is Palmer a man of mystery and secrets galore who wanders into the bar for a drink and always orders a second beer for his no present friend. Piekut carries the right aura of mystery and dark secretiveness to make it work. He could have walked out of a CIA movie with the same flair.

Peg Holzemer directs with a keen touch, full of finesse and confidence. She keeps the mystery moving and the laughs coming with solid pacing.

The play is loaded with fun while also being provocative. They have a talk back at the end which always proves to be fascinating as audience an cast tackles quesoitn about the content of the play. The mysterious ending might irritate some of simply seem justified under the circumstances.

It continues on March. 17, 18, 19 at 7:30 p.m. and again Jan 22 and 23 at 7:30 p.m., with a Sunday Matinee at 2 p.m. on March. 20. All shows are at the Alley Theatre, at 133 Centre St. in Middleboro. Doors open 30 minutes prior to the performance. General admission is $20, with seniors/students at $18 — cash only at door. On opening Night, Jan.14, all tickets are $18. Free Parking at the Middleboro Town Hall

“The Hunchback of Seville” at Trinity Rep

By Richard Pacheco

          “The Hunchback of Seville” by Charise Castro Smith Currently at Trinity Rep is a wild, wacky fun filled romp that is a retelling, both vivid and imaginative of the Spanish history as they ravage the New World in the name of God.

It opens with the bold Christopher Columbus played with wacky aplomb by Jessica Ko is wild and hilarious. She comes upon land after a precarious voyage with loads of thunder and lightening and does a merry little dance with her two crew members. The entire play is a wild  and wooly ride, full of comic twists and turns finding its roots in the remnants of Spanish genocide and racism in a cockeyed phantasmagoria of history in the New World. The antics are outrageous and silly, delightfully fun.

The actions then turns to the ailing Queen Isabella who is concerned about naming the successor to her throne. The pickings are slim to put it mildly. There is her daffy daughter, Princess Juana, who indulges in idiotic baby talk and  rambunctious tantrums wild enough to put anyone into fear for their life.

Or maybe it will be Isabella’s adopted hunchback sister, Maxima Terrible Segunda, who is voracious reader with an impressive mind who has been imprisoned to a tower for her entire life.  Isabella wants to draft her to be her crazed daughter’s trusted advisor, no matter what protestations her daughter my offer.  Anyone who has spent on second with the whacked out Juana knows this is doomed to failure from the first word.

In the midst of this madness, there is the meddlesome maid, Espanta who appears at times accented by dramatic lighting to let everyone know she harbors a dark secret germane to all this madness frolicking about at court.

The  performances here are top notch.  Jessica Ko is not only the wacky Columbus at the beginning, but also as a meek maid later in the play. Ko is incisive in both roles with impeccable timing and a flair for the absurd with zest.

Then there is Janice Duclos Queen Isabella, She is full of imperious bluster and little concern for the dark side of things in her reign. She prefers pageantry and pomp to the nitty gritty facts of her daily reign.

The hunchback sister is played with poise and comic finesse by Phyllis Kay. She is cynical and a bit aloof, with a keen eye to the situation she is in and what goes on around her on a daily basis. It is a performance full of poise and understated comic flair.

Anne Scurria is the meddling maid, Epanta who insinuates herself into everything at every chance she gets. It is a delightful performance, vivid and nuanced.

There is further fine support coming from Joe Wilson Jr.'s Talib Furozh and Omar Robinson as yet another Moor. Wilson is a delight as the Moor wanted by the government with little hope of escape or reprieve. Robinson is enjoyable as his friend and ally.

The costumes by Oliveira Gajic are striking and impressive, a bold mixture of old and new, vivid and impressive.

The direction by Taibi Magar is sharp and incisive, right to the point. He emphasizes the play’s points with finesse and vigor.

The Charise Castro Smith play is imaginative, at times ribald and always funny and intriguing. It is a dark comedy that never fails to entertain or amuse, not matter what extremes it has to get to accomplish that.

There are tons of surprises along the merry way of this play.
            "The Hunchback of Seville" runs through March 6 at Trinity Rep, 201 Washington St., Providence. Tickets are $25-$71. Call (401) 351-4242, or visit trinityrep.com.

“Any Given Monday” at Theatre One Middleboro

By Richard Pacheco

            Bruce Graham’s irreverent and politically incorrect “Any Given Monday” at Theatre One is a merry, sassy, darkly funny romp with some unexpected twists and turns as it takes a look at marital infidelity, football and philosophy. It is the winner of the 2010 Barrymore Award for Best New Play. The cast, directed by Peg Holzemer is spirited, energetic and robust, full of strong comic timing and dark humor. It is a twisted morality play.

            Set in Lenny’s living room with a few asides, the play introduces daughter Sarah and undergraduate philosophy student about to graduate and considering going on for a master’s degree. Then there is Lenny a Jewish teacher married for 24 years who is a bit of a wimp and rarely if ever gets angry no matter what happens. He has been couch bound since his wife Risa, walked out to move in with her very flashy lover, a real estate mogul who is all ego and bucks. Finally there is Mickey, Lenny’s lifelong friend who works for the transit authority. Sarah finds his current condition intellectually stimulating although she finds his wimpy behavior unacceptable. There are some twists and turns which shifts all this into a crucial moral dilemma which will have an effect on all involved.

            Mix these together and you get a wild ride of politically incorrect and moral dilemma questions. It all unfolds with Monday night football in the background on the television.

            Manny Moitoso is Lenny, the world’s most decent and patient guy, in fact too patient and decent for his own good. Lenny is too agreeable, and really subservient to his wife. His daughter Sarah in one of her monologues sums it up while talking about a tough Jewish lawyer who when his wife merely raises an eyebrow, immediately whimps out and runs to buy her an expensive gift. Lenny is of the same ilk. Moitoso is excellent as the laid back, moral Jewish man intimidated by his wife to the endth degree, to the point of not even being angry that she left and ready to take her back at a moment’s notice without a fight at all without even righteous anger. Moitoso is convincing in his emotional evolution as the play unfolds.

            Bob Genereau is Lenny’s lifetime friend, the real salt of the earth Mick, who works in the subway and has a different view of life because of what he sees and experiences during his life below ground. Genereau delivers an honest performance as a man dedicated to his lifelong friend determined to do whatever is necessary to make things right and help his friend be happy moral qualms notwithstanding. He shows a fine comic finesse and solid comic timing.

            Vanessa Lima is Sarah, the philosophy minded daughter who wants her father to grow a pair and not serve as a doormat for her mom. She is intrigued by questions of philosophy, particularly moral questions and seeking solutions to moral dilemmas both the esoteric abstract kind as well as those that exist in daily life. Lima is confident and sincere in her performances and she writhes through the array of moral morass she must confront in her life with her parents situation and the unusual things which arise.

            Finally there is Risa, Lenny’s wife and Sarah’s mother, a woman who finds herself bored after 24 years of marriage and wants to feel alive again without thinking of the consequences or personal cost for her or the rest of her family. Risa is self absorbed and aware of her needs but seems to lack a genuine concern for how her actions affect anyone else. She knows what she wants though and isn’t afraid to go after it with passion and conviction. Susan Salvensen is Risa and she is poised, confident and manages the right hint of boredom in her relationship with her husband it a highly convincing performance.

            Peg Saurman Holzemer directs this raucous black comedy with skill and finesse with sharp pacing and an eye and ear for the right comic touches.

            John Marzilli’s set, Lenny’s living room, works with nothing too ostentatious, but simply and serviceable.

            “Any Given Monday” is a merry ride into the politically incorrect with outrageous events and deep moral choices by the characters in between all the laughs and sometimes the cause of them. If you are tired to the apologetic politically incorrect dogma, then this is one for you to see.

            It continues on Jan. 14, 15, 16 at 7:30 p.m. and again Jan 22 and 23 at 7:30 p.m., with a Sunday Matinee at 2 p.m. on Jan. 24. All shows are at the Alley Theatre, at 133 Centre St. in Middleboro. Doors open 30 minutes prior to the performance. General admission is $20, with seniors/students at $18 — cash only at door. On opening Night, Jan.14, all tickets are $18. Free Parking at the Middleboro Town Hall

“Grizzly Mama” at the Gamm

By Richard Pacheco

            Playwright George Brant has a history over the past three or four years in writing plays about some tough independent women and this play is no exception. Last year the Gamm staged his excellent “Grounded” and return this year with yet another fine production, this time he leaves behind the female fighter pilot grounded due to her unexpected pregnancy and confined to flying a drone in a windowless trailer in the Nevada desert to a tale of politics brought boiling to a near carnival atmosphere of extremism and radicalism. The results are often fiercely funny and powerful theatre.

         

   Deb Marshall is a divorced mother of a teenage daughter who moves to Alaska to become a liberal avenger when she moves next door to right wing Patti who happens to be running for president. Deb is shamed and embarrassed by what she considers betrayal of her ultra liberal activist mother’s politics and activism since she slipped quietly into the role of a stay at home mother. Deb feels she betrayed her mother’s ideal and her mother and ended up a daughter who gave her only extreme disappointment by settling for a more traditional role. So Deb develops some dark plans for Patti and wants to garner the support of her daughter Hannah into the mix.

The play shelters no political view from relentless observation which finds its roots in dark, raucous humor.

Casey Seymour Kim is the hapless Deb, struggling to make up for the disappointments she felt she gave her mother when she failed to follow in her feminist and ultra liberal life and beliefs. Deb traded in her mother’s activisms to become the wife of a doctor and became a stay at home mom in Ohio. Her mother’s death and her mother’s last words to her inspire her to move to the wilds of Alaska next door to an ultra right wing woman ho is running for president.  The transformation inspires Deb to devise a radical plan to get her in good with her mother’s memories, truly insane and radical actions. Kim is excellent in the role, bringing verve and sincerity to the woman caught in a diabolical internal conflict in an attempt to soother the memory of disappointing her mother. She also wants to entice her daughter to join her in this newly formed quest. Kim deftly manages high hilarity at Deb’s outrageous words and actions with an impeccable comic timing and flair.  She never ends up a caricature despite the often outlandish things she says and does.

Amanda Ruggiero is 17 year old Hannah, Deb’s daughter. She is very much a typical teenager, glued to her smart phone forever texting to the point her hand continues even when she no longer holds the cell phone. Hannah is at a loss to be stranded in the wilds of Alaska, with her mother going increasingly wild in her ideas and passionate desire to make up for years of disappointment to Hannah’s grandmother.  She is at a loss when her mother tries to invite her to collude with her on an outrageous plan that defies logic.  Ruggiero is excellent as Hannah. She delivers a performance that is vivid and honest. She ably captures the confusions and interests of a teenager with a carefully etched performance that is fascinating and endearing by turns.

The final character ins this is Laurel, played by Betsy Rinaldi. Laurel is the daughter of the woman running for president who resents the attention her mother’s choices has on her, bringing in the attention of media and public alike. Laurel loves her mother but also harbors some resentments against her as well and for the position that she finds herself in with no apparent escape. Rinaldi is also excellent as a teenager also at odds with her mother and her mother’s wishes and politics.

Director Rachel Walshe shows skill and verve, getting the most out of the at times uncomfortable humor and darker moments.

Josh Christoffersen’s scenic design is effective with the hominess of the cabin simply conveying and the stands of birch trees effectively in evoking the wilderness.

It is a riveting production with many laugh vividly out loud moments amind at times uncomfortable moments. It is well worth seeing.

            "Grizzly Mama" runs from Jan. 7 to Feb. 7 at the Sandra Feinstein-Gamm Theatre, 172 Exchange St., Pawtucket. Tickets are $41-$49, and $30 for previews Jan. 7-10. Visit gammtheatre.org, or call (401) 723-4266.

‘Buyer and Cellar” at 2nd Story Theatre

By Richard Pacheco    

            2^nd Story Theatre is busy with renovations with its downstairs theater so performances there are minimal except for the wonderful Jonathan Tollins play, “Buyer and Cellar” sparked by a brilliant performance, sheer virtuoso skill and talent by Kevin Broccoli. The play is offbeat and imaginative and very, very funny. It is a real gem with non stop laughs.

            The Tollins play came about from Harvard educated playwright’s two fortuitous events. Barbara Streisand showed up at a production of one of his plays and offered him a bite of her KitKat bar. The other was when Tollins’ husband borrowed  a copy of Streisand coffee table book, “My Passion for Design” from the local library. There were photos in it from the celebrity’s mall beneath her Malibu house. It sparked this funny play about an actor fired from Disneyland  who ends up getting a job working for Barbara Streisand’s mall under her home.

            Broccoli’s Alex Moore adores her and is thrilled to death when she randomly shows up in her basement to peruse her stores. Most of the time, he is left alone with the popcorn machine awaiting her next visitation as he daydreams about whether or not they are friends or does she even like him.

            It’s a fun ride due to the snappy writing and Broccoli’s impeccable performance, so acutely timed and refined. He is deliriously funny.

            True it is far fetched, but truly funny with Broccoli as the hapless actor who ends up working for a star he admires in her faux stores in her below ground private mall where she is the only customer. The hilarious moments are many with Broccoli deftly playing Streisand answering him back as when they bicker and negotiate about how much to pay for a French doll hanging up in one of the stores. What ensues and its developments are truly funny.

            I cannot say enough about Broccoli’s performance. His timing is perfect as he dazzlingly veers back and forth between an overtly gay snarkiness delivered with smart, intelligent finesse that keeps you roaring.

            Lara Hakeem makes her directorial debut with this laugh filled delight. It is indeed an auspicious debut.

            The set production design by Max Ponticelli is more implied than defined.  There are only a couple of chairs and a screen where images of Ms. Streisand and other flash as needed.

            While the plot sounds goofy and far fetched, the citing her will enchant and amuse you. Don’t miss it. It is sheer theatrical delight.

            "Buyer and Cellar" runs through Oct. 25 at 2nd Story Theatre, 28 Market St., Warren. Tickets are $30, and $20 for those under 21. Call (401) 247-4200, or visit 2ndstorytheatre.com.