“Macbeth” at the Gamm Theatre

By Richard Pacheco

            “Macbeth” at the Gamm Theatre is a wonderful, intelligent, intense production. The Gamm knows how to do Shakespeare and does so at its very best in this production which is marked by superb performances and intelligent staging. Director Fred Sullivan Jr. delivers a superb staging and evokes terrific performances for the entire cast. The production lingers in the mind and haunts. The setting could be World War I, with rifles and Marilyn Salvatore’s simple trench coats, but Sullivan has not overdone the period

look.

          

  Tony Estrella is the vain and victorious Macbeth who is obsessed with the witches’ prediction that he will not only become Thane, but king. But Macbeth’s succumbing to his passion and ambition at all costs gets hi impetus from the conniving of his wife, played by Jeanine Kane. They are remarkable together in their nefarious, conniving treachery. Estrella is wide eyed as he plunges into the dark caverns of his limitless ambition, propelled forward by his ruthless wife’s machinations. This is a danse macabre of death and the downfall of destruction by unbridled ambition.

Estrella has true finesse with Shakespeare, knowing how to get the most out of the lines with daring and sincerity. He delivers a masterful performance that is haunting and piercing.

Kane is excellent and the conniving Lady Macbeth, a cauldron of seething ambition for her husband in his quest to fulfill the prophecy and become king no matter what dastardly deeds he must perform to make it all happen. She is chilling in her cold blooded machinations, without heart or care. She is a kind of Lucretia Borgia in her deadliness and relentless pursuit of her political ambitions. Until guilt and remorse overtake her and erode her neat, if nefarious little world view.

The deadly little dance they perform to commit murder and advance Macbeth’s ill fated career is ruthless and compelling, dark and inviting into their murderous little world.

There are a couple of new faces from the Boston area who stand out. Michael Forden Walker is excellent as Banquo, who is at first Macbeth’s close aide and later turns against him. Jordan Ahnquist is outstanding as Malcolm, son of the murdered King Duncan.

Steve Kidd is Macduff, who plays it all in understated calm which is effective until he learns of the murder of his wife and children and then grids on his resolve to see things through.

Richard Donelly, another Gamm veteran, plays King Duncan with grace, dignity and presence.  He is a king of integrity and grandeur.  He later returns as Old Seward.

The three witches are wonderfully done by Wendy Overly, Alec Thibodeau, and Rachel Dulude. The rest of the large cast is top notch. Yung Bedros Kevorkian is excellent as Macduff’s son.

Fred Sullivan Jr. direction is able, accessible and full of finesse and fine touches. It makes this an enjoyable production on so many levels. It leaves a distinct and vivid impression. This is Shakespeare at it best, and if you love Shakespeare or have never seen it, take the time to see this one. It is well worth it. It is relentless and merciless, like watching a fatal accident occur and it holds you transfixed throughout.

The Patrick Lynch set design is simple and effective with minimal touches, no more than is needed to make it all work.

“Macbeth” runs through April 13 at the Sandra Feinstein-Gamm Theatre, 172 Exchange St., Pawtucket. Tickets are $38-48. Call (401) 723-4266, or visit gammtheatre.org.

“The Diary of Anne Frank” at Ocean State Theatre

by Richard Pacheco

            “The Diary of Anne Frank” at Ocean State Theatre is a fascinating and compelling production with solid performances and direction. The play is a dramatization by Frances Goodrich and Albert Hackett, and opened at the Cort Theatre on Broadway on October 5, 1955. The play received the Tony Award for Best Play and was also nominated for Best Actress (Susan Strasberg), Best Scenic Design (Boris Aronson), Best Costume Design (Helene Pons), Best Director (Garson Kanin). The play also received the Pulitzer Prize for Drama for Albert Hackett and Frances Goodrich. Susan Strasberg won the 1956 Theatre World Award. The play also received the 1956 New York Drama Critics Circle award for best play. In manuscript, Anne Frank's original diaries are written over three extant volumes. The first covers the period between 14 June 1942 and 6 December 1942. Since the second volume begins on 22 December 1943 and ends on 17 April 1944, it is assumed that the original volume or volumes between December 1942 and December 1943 were lost—presumably after the arrest, when the hiding place was emptied on Nazi instructions. However, this missing period is covered in the version Anne rewrote for preservation. The third existing notebook contains entries from 17 April 1944 to 1 August 1944, when Anne wrote for the last time before her arrest. Anne Frank's story has become symbolic of the scale of Nazi atrocities during the war, a stark example of Jewish persecution under Adolf Hitler, and a dire warning of the consequences of persecution.

            The group hides in the sealed off upper rooms of Mr. Frank’s offices in Amsterdam. The rooms were concealed behind a hidden bookcase.

            Olivia Gesualdi makes her professional acting debut with this role at OSTC. She is pert and sassy as the young woman who receives the dairy as a gift from her father on her 13^th birthday. It is an auspicious debut done with vitality and honesty, moving and funny by turns.

            Mark S. Cartier is excellent as her father, Otto Frank, with a keen ear for accent and a sense of dignity and genuine concern for others as a man caught up in a difficult circumstance with his family during trying times. Cartier brings a sweep of humanity and compassion to the role which is impressive.

Karen Gail Kessler is Anne’s mother, Edith Frank, a woman who does not fully understand her daughter’s ways and opinions but loves her very much. Kessler is confident as the mother, delivering a deftly nuanced performance and an excellent accent throughout.

Margot Frank is Anne’s older sister. Margot is pretty, smart, emotional, and everyone’s favorite.

Ethan Paolini is Mr. Van Daan who worked with Mr. Frank and helped him out when he first came to Amsterdam. The father of the family that hides in the annex along with the Franks and who had worked with Otto Frank as an herbal specialist in Amsterdam. he is intelligent, opinionated, pragmatic, and somewhat egotistical. Mr. van Daan is temperamental, speaks his mind openly, and is not afraid to cause friction, especially with his wife, with whom he fights frequently and openly Paonlini is right on the mark as Van Daan

His wife, Mrs. van Daan is at first a friendly, teasing woman, but later an instigator. She is a fatalist and can be petty, egotistical, flirtatious, stingy, and disagreeable. Elise Arsenault plays her with flair and fire, making the most of her often nasty nature and petty attitude with her penchant for things over people.

Peter van Daan is the teenage son of the van Daans, He can be obnoxious, lazy, and hypersensitive, but later they become close friends. Peter is quiet, timid, honest, and sweet to Anne, but he does not share her strong convictions. Brian Roque plays Peter with an ease and confidence that makes him appealing.

Albert Dussel is a dentist and an acquaintance of the Franks who hides with them in the annex. He is particularly difficult to deal with because he shares a room with Anne, and she suffers the brunt of his odd personal hygiene habits, pedantic lectures, and controlling tendencies. Tommy Labanris plays Dussel with skill and poise, making the most of his foibles in a well defined performance.

Sarah Pierce is Miep, who helps hide them. Rudy Sanda is Mr. Kraler who also helps hide them and bring them information and food. They round out the large cast with zest and energy.

            Aimee Turner directs the production as it moves along with sincerity and conviction under her sure hand. The only thing awry in it is the occasionally fluctuating accents of some of the actors who slip in and out of the accents. Scenic designer Amanda R. Hall offers a superb set of the attic, rich in detail and effectiveness. Costume designer Jessie Darrell-Jarbadan offers excellent period piece costumes with skill and finesse.

            It is an excellent production well worth seeing despite the issues with accents.

            It continues at Ocean  State Theatre (March 26 – April 13)

OCEAN STATE THEATRE COMPANY

@ 1245 Jefferson Boulevard, WARWICK RI

1(401)921-6800

“The Waverly Gallery” at Theatre One

By Richard Pacheco

            “The Waverly Gallery” currently at Theatre One in Middleboro is a solid production that is well acted and well directed. It was nominated for the 2001 Pulitzer Prize and its writer, Kenneth Lonergan  is well known for works like the screenplay of “Analyze This” and “Gangs of New York.” The play is a kind of memoru play based on his grandmother’s Greenwich Village Gallery. The play explores her fight to retain her independence and the subsequent effect of her decline on her family, especially her grandson. Inspired by Lonergan's own grandmother, it's an ode to an extraordinary woman, and to the humor and strength of a family in crisis. The family members who agonize over Gladys's retreat from reality are themselves given to lesser versions of what they deplore in her: repeating the same questions and phrases, disputing past events, forgetting names and places, following trains of thought that derail into non sequiturs and dead ends.
            Gladys, a former lawyer with a vital social conscience and a passion for entertaining who now runs a small, unfashionable art gallery in Greenwich Village. Susan Wing Markson is Gladys, the grandmother who struggle valiantly against the ravages of Alzheimer’s and dementia, slowly but surely eroding her memory and her ability to be present without losing track of her conversations.  It is a sad slow disintegration with more than its share of humorous moments interspersed throughout. Markson handles it with flair and finesse, making Gladys believable and funny even in her sad declining abilities. ''The Waverly Gallery,'' is used to indicate an inextinguishable will inside a decaying mind.
            Christopher Cartier makes his acting debut as grandson Daniel Reed with Theatre One with this play and an auspicious debut it is. Daniel loves his grandmother very much and is at a loss to watch her slowly slip away from the family into her own little world. While he loves her, he is also frustrated by her and her condition such as when she shows up at his apartment in the middle of the night, not once, but multiple times. He frames the evening's vignettes with lyrical retrospective monologues.
            Jane Cartier is Ellen Fine, Daniel’s mother and Gladys’ daughter, who finds herself caught up in her mother’s failing health and the toll it takes on the entire family and is at a loss at what to do. Cartier is fine as Ellen and deftly conveys her frustration and affection for her mother, the confusion as to what to do next for the best of all concerned.
            Ken Carberry is Howard Fine, Elle’s husband, basically a nice guy who is at a loss at confronting the deteriorating mental condition that afflicts Gladys. Carberry is pleasant and amiable in the role, very likeable.

The final member of the cast in the artist from out of town, a man with an eye for details in his paintings such as the one of his sister’s wheelchair, but not exactly abundant in the talent category, but a nice guy none the less who takes on Gladys like she is his family. John Marzelli is the painter Don Bowman. Marzelli is likeable and amiable in the role, sincere and convincing as the artist from Massachusetts who desire a show in an NYC gallery as his ticket to success.
It is directed with intelligence and sensitivity by Peg Suarman Holzemer. She keeps everything sincere and truthful.
            The play is both funny and sad. It’s a strong yet likeable cast. At times however I found it a bit repetitive in dialogue. Yet for the strong performances and direction, it is well worth seeing.
            It will be presented again by Theatre One at the Alley Theatre in Middleboro 133 Center Street Middleboro. March 29, April 3, 4, 5 at 7:30pm Sunday  March 30 April 6 at 2pm.  Tickets at the Door “Cash Only” Students & Seniors $15 Gen $18 Food Donations for the COA Senior Food Pantry accepted at all Performances. Info 1-617-840-1490

 

 

“Twelve Angry Men” at Your Theatre

By Richard Pacheco

            Your Theatre’s current production of the 1967 film classic, “Twelve Angry Men” is simply superb. Intense, vibrant, electric and well acted it sizzles with conflict and intelligence. The large ensemble cast is rich with energy and nuance, with the characters well define and articulate.
            “12 Angry Men” is a 1957 American drama film adapted from a teleplay of the same name by Reginald Rose. Written and produced by Rose himself and directed by Sidney Lumet, this trial film tells the story of a jury made up of 12 men as they deliberate the guilt or acquittal of a defendant on the basis of reasonable doubt. In the United States, a verdict in most criminal trials by jury must be unanimous. Staged in a 1964 London production, the Broadway debut came 50 years before the CBS aired the play on October 28, 2004, by the Roundabout Theatre Company at the American Airlines Theatre, where it ran for 328 performances.

This rich and complex play is must see theater, vividly acted and brought to life with energy and conviction by a talented cast

Wade Martin is juror number 8, the role played by Henry Fonda in the movie, the juror with doubts, reasonable doubts about the prosecution’s entire case and meticulously and effectively takes it apart piece by piece much to the chagrin of the other jurors. He is reasonable and articulate, calm and effective throughout, making his points with self control and intelligence as he presents alternatives to the crime, shooting holes in the evidence.  It is a stunning performance, controlled and sincere throughout, very effective.

Tony Oliva is juror 1, the foreman of the jury. He is thoughtful, precise and in control of the gamut of emotions which ravage the jury room in the deliberations. He brings a sense of homey order to all of it.

Roland Dube is the quiet banker, juror number 2. He is meek and sincere, very genuine. Dube gives an excellent performance, with just the right nuance.

Chuck Doherty is the outspoken juror number 3, a man with seething temper and tons of outspoken opinions which are emotionally based. He hates his son and sees the defendant in that light, echoing  King Lear, “how shaper than a serpent’s’ tooth it is to have a thankless child.”

Eric Paradis, as Juror No. 4, the stockbroker, a man who  is confident, self assured and analyzes everything in front of him in detail. It is a strong performance, very precise and articulate.

Brian Costa is Juror No. 5, a young man who grew up in city slums and can empathize with the young defendant.  It is a solid, emotional performance, full of nuance.

Roger Duarte is Juror No. 6, a house painter and down to earth kind of guy.  It is an impressive, consistent performance. Bob Goodwin is Juror No. 7, a slick and sometimes obnoxious salesman who would have done anything to avoid jury duty. He is consistently loud and insulting to everyone. It is an admirable performance.

Juror No. 9 is soft spoken, played by Al Vitale, a man who is meek and mild, he is the first to agree with Juror #8, deciding that there is not enough evidence to sentence the young man to death.  It is a confident and self assured performance with just the right touches throughout.

Juror No. 10 is expertly played by Frank Mitchell, as an obnoxious bigot who rants and rages on with no stop yakking.  Tommy Whalen makes an impressive stage debut as Juror No. 11 a watchmaker from Europe and a naturalized American citizen, who loves his new country. Michael McGill is the annoying advertising executive with a full range of expressions that are often very comic in a winning performance.

To round out that cast is Dennis J. Smith as the court officer and William C. Smith as the Clerk’s voice. A nice touch to the production is the voice of the judge at the beginning who outlines the charges and gives them the legal information they need is none other than actor, playwright and New Bedford Judge Raymond J. Veary Jr.

Director Bob Gillet delivers and imaginative, intelligent highly effective staging of theatre in the round. It is excellent direction, right on the mark and evoking the best out of the actors consistently and continually. The set and period costumes by Mark P Fuller are very effective and work well.

            A nice touch to the production is the voice of the judge at the beginning who outlines the charges and gives them the legal information they need is none other than actor, playwright and New Bedford Judge Raymond J. Veary Jr..

            "Twelve Angry Men" continues at Your Theatre, 136 Rivet Street (corner of County), through March 30. Tickets are $15. For reservations call 508-993-0772 or visit boxoffice@yourtheatre.org.