“The Hallelujah Girls” at Your Theatre

By Richard Pacheco

The Your Theatre production of the Jessie Jones, Jamie Wooten and Nicholas Hope play, “The Hallelujah Girls.” is a merry romp that moves joyously along with a solid cast and fine direction. Hilarity abounds when the feisty females of Eden Falls, Georgia, decide to shake up their lives. The action in this rollicking Southern comedy takes place in SPA-DEE-DAH!, the abandoned church-turned day spa where this group of friends gathers every Friday afternoon. After the loss of a dear friend, the women realize time is precious and if they're going to change their lives and achieve their dreams they have to get on it now! But Sugar Lee, their high-spirited, determined leader, has her hands full keeping the women motivated.

Carlene's given up on romance, having buried three husbands. Nita's a nervous wreck from running interference between her problematic son and his probation officer. Mavis' marriage is so stagnant she's wondering how she can fake her own death to get out of it. And sweet, simple Crystal entertains them all, singing Christmas carols with her own, hilarious lyrics. The comic tension mounts when a sexy, ex-boyfriend shows up unexpectedly, a marriage proposal comes from an unlikely suitor and Sugar Lee's arch rival vows she'll stop at nothing to steal the spa away from her.

Sugar Lee is the caretaker of the bunch who constantly eggs her cohorts in believing in themselves. At the same time, she is sparring with her nemesis, Bunny, and thwarting romantic entanglements from a past lover, Bobby Dwayne. Becky Minard is poised and compelling in the role.

Mavis is a wise-cracking broad who tells it like it is. She'd rather stay out partying in her Sept. years than be with her predictable, blasé spouse. Valerie J. Reynolds is wining in the role, with great delivery of snide quips about Mavis’ marriage and cynicism.

Carlene is a 3-time widow who's wary of going out with another man for fear of his dying on her – again. Elizabeth Rapoza is Carlene. She handles the role with flair and conviction, full of passion, able to balance the character’s self doubt with raw energy.

Crystal lives life with flamboyant flair. She dresses in costume and sings every calendar holiday to the tune of Christmas carols.  Marilyn Ducette is wildly funny and full of energy and drama as the wacky Crystal.  Her costumes changes and the zest she brings to those changes and her singing is a sheer enchantment.

Nita is the space shot who loses herself in the romantic novels that she reads. She is blissful bewilderment personified. Susan Massey is a delight as the spacey Nita, whose life is so engrossed in sad ending romantic novels that she hides from real life and a twenty something year old son who is the bane of her existence. She is appropriately  out there and caring for her friends at the same time.

Bunny is a bitch on wheels who enjoys making life miserable for the ladies. Cheryl Day is rambunctious and relentless as Bunny, a harridan on speed. It is very funny and wildly nasty performance as she shows this self-absorbed witch for who she  truly is.

Bobby Dwayne braves the terrain with magnified ego. He is Sugar Lee's boyfriend from the past who's giving his all this time around.  Mark C. Fuller handles the role with determination an honesty. He is nervous and stuck in the past, afraid to face Suger Lee and he handles it with earnestness and skill.

Porter still lives with his mother. He's extremely settled in his ways, but, is willing to give dating a try -- maybe. His sense of humor is demonstrated only by his "strange" laugh. Robert Ducette is a joy in the role with a relentless energy and comic poise that never fails to bring a laugh. He is convincing in evoking the mama’s boy timidity of the character and weird antics with ample energy and conviction. He does have a problem with his accent at various times.

Director Trudi Miller keeps it all running merrily along, deftly balancing the large cast with skill and finesse, The Southern accents for the most part are convincing and on the mark.

The set design by Mark C. Fuller is a delightful recreation of a church, in fact it mimics the church hall the theater is in with accuracy and style.

Your Theatre until May 19 All tickets $15

136 Rivet Street, New Bedford, MA
508-993-0772 http://yourtheatre.org/yti/index.php

“The Beauty Queen of Leenane” at the Gamm Theatre

By Richard Pacheco

The current production at the Gamm Theatre is “The Beauty Queen of Leenane” the 1996 black comedy by Irish playwright Martin McDonagh which premiered at the Druid Theatre Company in Galway, Ireland.  The Gamm does it justice with some strong performances packing emotional impact with dark humor in often equal doses. It is a compelling as watching a car wreck in action and you are unable to look away.

The play also enjoyed successful runs at London's West End, Broadway and Off-Broadway. It was nominated for an Olivier Award as Best Play for the London production, and the 1998 Broadway production was nominated for six Tony Awards, winning four, for Best Leading Actress in a Play, Best Featured Actor in a Play, Best Featured Actress in a Play and Best Direction of a Play.

The play is a blend of black comedy, melodrama, horror and bleak tragedy. The story is set in the Irish village of Leenane, Connemara in the early 1990s. It takes place entirely in a shabby, poorly-lit kitchen, resulting in a claustrophobic sense of entrapment.

The play centers on the life of Maureen Folan, a 40-year-old spinster who takes care of her selfish and manipulative 70-year-old mother Mag. Maureen's sisters have escaped into marriage and family life, but Maureen, with a history of mental illness, is trapped in a seriously dysfunctional relationship with her mother.

The Folan cottage is visited by Pato Dooley and his younger brother Ray. Pato is a middle-aged construction worker fed up with having to live and work in England, disappointed by the limitations and loneliness of his life. The day-to-day sameness is tedious also for Ray, a non-threatening "bad boy". 

The glimmer of a last-chance romance between Maureen and Pato sparks up in the first act, and continues in the second one with a notable monologue of Pato. The plot, full of deceptions, secrets and betrayals interspersed with turnabouts, keeps surprising the audience. Hopes are raised only to be dashed.

Wendy Overly is Meg Folan, the manipulative hag who shares a shabby cottage with her spinster daughter. She pretends to be ill, is domineering and demanding and makes her daughter’s life a living hell. It is a brilliant performance, riveting and compelling, by turns funny and chilling.

Jeanine Kane is her daughter, Maureen, who is dutiful and obedient of her mother’s relentless demands, but not without taking her share of barbs at the cantankerous old woman. Kane is wonderful in the role, she sparkles as a woman caught between her desires and the reality which dashes them to pieces by continual betrayals. .

Joe Short is the fidgety, young neighbor, Ray Dooley. He is a mass of twitching, never still energy, always moving, always talking relentlessly. He is a sort of tame bad boy who manages to be bored more than bad, occasionally stealing things usually of little value. He is obsessed with television, watching it religiously. Short is on the mark with the role, capturing the restlessness and character traits with skill and endless energy.

Steve Kidd is Ray’s brother Pato. He is a man fed up with having to work in England and the prejudice he finds aimed at him there for being Irish. He wants more out of life than he has had so far and it seems that Maureen, who he has liked for years, but been fretful of approaching offers him a way out of the humdrum monotonous world for her and him. Kidd is excellent in the role and particularly shines in his monologue which opens the second act in a blend of humor and pathos.

The cast works well together and create a vivid and convincing whole that delights and disturbs with equal doses, both sublime.

Director Judith Swift manages the fine balance between humor and chilling undertones with skill and assurance.  The accents coached by Overly are wonderful and precise.

The set design by Michael McGarty is a masterpiece of intricate details, all adding up to a rich whole. Marilyn Salvatore’s costumes are perfect.

McDonagh has a rich, dark streak of humor and the ability to combine that with some chilling and disturbing topics and this is no exception. The result here is riveting theater which amuses while it disturbs.

“The Beauty Queen of Leenane” at Gamm runs through June 2, 172 Exchange St., Pawtucket. Tickets are $36-$45. Call (401) 723-4266, or visit gammtheatre.org.

           

“The Rose Tattoo” at Second Story Theater

By Richard Pacheco

Tennessee Williams is not known for his light hearted theatrical fare, but “The Rose Tattoo” currently paying at the Second Story Theatre is just that and it is a sheer delight, an adult fairy tale that charms and offers many laughs along the way. It is endearing and heartwarming, a sexy romantic comedy that leaves you with a lasting smile. It is set in a small fishing village in the Gulf Coast. Serafina Delle Rose is a dressmaker who has know the glory of love. After her husband’s death she withdraws from the world and expects her daughter to do the same—except her daughter has just discovered boys, in her case a young sailor whose sister goes to school with her. Serafina is adamant until a young truck driver arrives in town and her attitudes begin to change. It won the 1951 Tony Award for Best Play. Williams originally wrote the role for Italian actress Anna Magniani but she wasn’t’ able to do it although she performed the role in the film in 1955 and won an Academy Award.

Rae Mancini is the determined and indomitable Serafina. It is a masterful performance, one filled with heart, passion and sincerity.  Serafina worships the memory of her dead husband. Her meaning in life comes from that love and her devotion to her religion, in particular Our Lady.

Ara Bohigian is the truck driver, Alvaro, who ends up in town and at Serafina’s house.  Alvao is a mixture of overly sensitive and the grandson of the village idiot, he constantly says. Bohigian is a delight in the role, very funny and  hitting the character’s peculiarities and passion with finesse.

The scenes between Serafina and Alvaro when he is crying are hilarious.  The passion the evolves between them is vivid and compelling.

Valerie Westgate is Serafina’s daughter, Rosa, a young woman who has suddenly become aware of the opposite sex and her own sexuality as her mother is withdrawing from the world. The confrontations with her mother are wonderful. Westgate is charming and provocative in the role. Her scenes with Iacovelli as the young sail rawer winning and fun.

Andrew Iacovelli is the young sailor, Jack, a young man torn between his attraction for Rosa and his religious upbringing. Iacovelli is full of energy and sincerity in the role, the perfect foil for Westgate.

The rest of the large cast makes it all vivid and fleshes it all it, from Liz Hallenbeck s the witchy Strega, to  Vince Petronio as Father De Leo,  Jim Sullivan as the salesman,  to Emily Lewis as Flora and Gail Hanrahan as Bessie are all delightful and fun.

There are so many solid and rich scenes in here such as when Serafina, being mother Inquisitor, makes Jack promise to the Virgin Mary on his knees that he will respect Rosa no matter what. Or the scenes between Serafina and Alvaro, from the crying scene, to the drinking scene to when they first feel the attraction for each other and how ti develops. The scene where Serafina learns a disturbing disruption of her view of her dead husband is also a a treat.

Director Ed Shea is adept with a large cast 19, handling them with flair and a clear sense of purpose. They all have wonderful Italian accents.

Trevor Eliet’s turntable set is a marvel, hinting at shutters and windows, a parch and door as well as a living and dining room.  It is chic and impressive. Ron Cesario’s costumes in a 1950’s fashion are accurate and charming.

            The cast gets a well deserved standing ovation for a job well done.

Tickets are $25, age 21 and under tickets are $20. You can call the box office at 401-247-4208 or check the website at www.2ndStoryTheatre.com for more information.

"The Rose Tattoo" (2 - 26 May)

2ND STORY THEATRE

@ 28 Market Street, WARREN RI

1(401247-4200