By Richard Pacheco
Theater reviews for Massachusetts and Rhode Island by an award winning critic, actor, playwright and director
Friday, March 25, 2016
“Blues for Mr. Charlie” at Trinity Rep
“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.
Monday, March 14, 2016
“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
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