“King Elizabeth” at the Gamm

By Richard Pacheco

            The Gamm is doing a new version of Frederich Schiller’s “Mary Stewart” adapted and directed by Gamm Artistic Director Tony Estrella. While there are some slow moments in it, the acting is excellent and vibrant.

          

Estrella has taken the 217-year-old play of gender politics and tried to make it more accessible for contemporary audiences. Schiller tells the tale of the battle between Queen Elizabeth and her archrival and cousin Mary Stewart with Mary’s 19-year imprisonment and eventual execution. To do so, he takes a look at gender politics.

            The two women were at the time they loved the two most powerful in England and rivals for the throne there. One of the other aspects in the play is the then rivalry between Catholics and Protestants in England at the time. It is intense and vibrant as their disagreement grow an Elizabeth often finds her wishes at odds with her advisors, who often view her as weak and not in control.

Jennie Kane is Elizabeth. She is proud, a bit aloof, reluctant to kill her cousin Mary to protect her throne. She manages to wriggle in between the intricacies of political bantering and disagreements. She knows how to handle the men who constantly attempt to rule over her and get in the way of her wishes. She is determined and stalwart, aware of her position and unafraid to fight for it, to maintain it and transcend it. Kane is winning in the role, the epitome of poise and style. She is elegant and restrained with conviction and passion.

Marianna  Bassham is Mary Queen of Scots, the Catholic pretender to the throne of England and Elizabeth’s cousin. She has been imprisoned for 19 years at the mercy of Elizabeth. She is stalwart in her determination to keep things as friendly as possible, not very easy under the circumstances.  She is every inch the match for Elizabeth, ready to go the distance with her, no mater what it takes. Yet she is also weakening under the strains of imprisonment, showing sign of wear and weariness. Bassham brings Mary to life with vigor, energy and honesty. She aptly captures Mary’s mixed feelings and passionate desire to reverse the circumnutates if possible.

The two of them are excellent together with the right balance of passion and intellect, the mixture of a fierce fight literally to the death even with Elizabeth’s reluctance to send her cousin to death by beheading.

Wendy Overly is Mary’s nurse, loyal and steadfast no matter what it takes. She is supportive and practical, a true ally as well as servant. Overly is sincere and vibrant in the role.

The rest of the cast is winning support, full of vitality and finesse. There is Sir Amyas Paulet, played by Richard Noble, who accepts his role as Mary’s protector and jailer. He knows his duty and fearlessly pursues it while never losing his sense of reason and common sense. There is the ruthless and inflexible Lord Burleigh, Elizabeth’s advisor,  played with conviction and poise by Cliff Odle, Justin Blanchard is Leicester, who loves both queens with conviction and honesty, genuinely torn between them, caught in the tangle of his convoluted facts which are necessarily alternative to truths. Then there is Clara Wesihan as Davison, the Queen’s secretary who is ensnared in the miasma of middle management, a dangerous place to be amidst all the relentless intrigues which abound.

Tony Estrella directs with conviction and energy that in his adaptation he transforms into something more bout the 21^st century than the 15^th century.

The costumes by Amanda Downing Carney are contemporary and work very well.  The set is minimal with two large post modern images of queens on the back walls. That is all that is necessary.

It is a winning production full of fine acting. While at times the play seems to strain for contemporary relevance it is a good vehicle for the talented cast.

            It continues at the Gamm until May 28. Shows are at 7 pm except for Friday and Saturday when they are at 8 and on Sunday with a matinee at 2 pm and show at 7 pm. Tickets are $44.75 - $52.75. http://www.gammtheatre.org/   172  Exchange Street, Pawtucket, RI 02860  |  BOX OFFICE :  401-723-4266​​ 

“The Best of Everything” at 2nd Story

By Richard Pacheco

            “The Best of Everything” at the 2^nd Story Theatre is a play based on the Rona Jaffe controversial best selling novel about sexual politics in 1960’s Manhattan. Set in the pre-women's liberation era, “The Best of Everything”, tells the story of five young and impressionable secretaries who are new to Manhattan and publishing and their adventures to find a nice boy to take them out to dinner, and possibly lasting love while dodging the garter snappers and lotharios at Fabian Publishing. While it was highly provocative and controversial at the time, it seems rather tame and mild today.

          

  The play, adapted by Julie Kramer from the novel and it revives a feeling for the era and its definite oddities and manners and mores. For many, women it was a more limiting time with less options to choose from to live their life. The period as well as evoking nostalgia in the form of fond memories also evokes an era of McCarthyism and rabid ear of communist amidst nostalgia about the Norman Rockwell vision of the American family.

            The cast is superb, bright, funny, full of finesse. Kira Hawkridge directs with deft touches throughout, rich in movement and wit as well as touching moments.

Kerri Giorgi is Caroline Bender, an ambitious young woman with a broken heart who finds herself in New York with a desire to be an editor at Fabian Publishing. She is smart, pretty and polished. Devastated by her fiancé running off to marry another, wealthy woman, she finds herself on another path, one in publishing, no more married life stay at home wife. Giorgi is pert and vivacious in the role, exuding not only a strength and persistence, but also a vulnerability that is convincing. Giorgi is a delight in the role.

The bevy of secretaries includes, Mary Agnes Russo, a somewhat gossipy and naïve woman; Brenda Zaleski, a schemer; April Morrision, a small town girl who often says funny things without her knowledge; Amanda Farrow, the only female editor at the publishing house, tough and tenacious; and Gregg Adams, a temp and actress with loads of ambition and not as devil may care as she seems on the surface.   

        

There is also the men who haunt their lives, like Eddie Harris, Caroline’s former fiancé, Mike Rice a handsome and dissipated alcoholic, David Wilder Savage, a dashing womanizer, Mr. Shalamar, the editor in chief both drinker and garter snapper and finally Ronnie Wood, a small town boy who is genuinely sweet.

Jennifer Michaels is the gabby, pleasant but somewhat daffy Mary Agnes. She cavorts about with zest and energy, full of gossip and tales. She sincerely wants to be married and out of the secretarial pool and that is her ambition. Michaels is a delight in the role, with a quirky sense of personality that is endearing,

Melanie Stone is April Morrison, the small town girl a bit taken aback by her escapades in NYC and a bit timid in matters of love, but a genuine thirst to know. Stone offers an offhand charm and innocence that is just right for the role.

Rae Mancini is the only female editor at Fabian Publishing, a kind of legend who is smart, sassy, tough and unmarried but still holds dreams of wedded life. Mancini is the solid blend of hash and professional and still desirous of married bliss.

Valerie Westgate is the actress and temp, Gregg. Gregg appear devil may care, but she has hidden feelings underneath that run deep, very deep. Westgate is vivacious and sassy in the role, a wannabe ingénue with still romantic notions for only the right man. Westgate is fascinating in the role, full of an edgy charm and deep feelings.

Rachel Perry is Brenda, a bit of a schemer and a trifle bit manipulative. Perry is right on the mark with the role, full of enthusiasm and sharp edges when needed.

David  Sackal is Eddie Harris, Caroline’s former fiancé who still seems to lurk in her life at times. He is full of himself and sees himself as the lead on a romantic novel. He is massively self absorbed. Sackal is steady with his creation of Eddie, with just the right touches of egotism and charm that is imperative for the role.

In the rest of the male roles is David Nando Rogers. He is adaptable and poised managing to find just the right touches for each of the different characters with passion and skill.

Kira Hawkridge’s direction is impeccable, full of nice touches like the movement she guides her cast through at various points which add an almost ballet element to the play.

It is a delightful production if the play seems a bit too nostalgic of times gone by. It continues until May 28 upstairs at 2^nd Story Theatre, 28 Market Street

Warren, Rhode Island 02885. Box office: 401 247 4200. http://2ndstorytheatre.com

“Art” at 2nd Story Theatre

By Richard Pacheco

            “Art” currently at 2^nd Story is s smart, funny, vibrant play brought vividly to life by an exceptional cast with great interactions and sheer chemistry. “Art” is a play by Yasmina Reza that premiered in 1994 in Paris. The English-language adaptation, translated by Christopher Hampton, opened in London's West End on 15 October 1996, starring Albert Finney, Tom Courtenay and Ken Stott and ran for eight years. It opened in New York in 1998 and was awarded the Tony for best play and the best actor award went to Alfred Molina.

            The production at2nd Story is energetic and funny propelled by some terrific acting and great cast chemistry. It revolves around an massively priced totally white painting which evokes considerable controversy between a group of friends including the man who bought it, the painting’s main detractor and another friend who finds himself in the middle of this artistic battle of worth. The paining is stark white with evidently subtle variations. Is there something more there in the painting? What it evokes between the friends is not merely a battle over the painting’s worth or aesthetic value, but reveals much deeper wounds.

            In the resulting production the laughter is relentless and nearly non stop.

            It begins with the purchase and with Marc’s often smarmy, condescending disgust with the painting, minimizing its monetary and aesthetic value. It is Serge who bought the painting and then mutual friend Yvan comes into the picture and vacillates back and forth between liking it and not.

            Ed Shea, who also directs is Marc, who is the epitome of artistic condescension and aloof nastiness. He is vividly clear in hits distaste for the painting and the huge price his friend paid for it. Marc has a nasty streak that transcends all bonds of friendship, and he is determined to make his opinion clear with unmistakable haughty bite that oozes disdain from every pore. Shea is a delight, plunging through this with vigor and conviction and he comes across as the epitome of vitriolic nastiness.

            Luis Astudillo as Serge is confident in his purchase, not only of its monetary value but its artistic one as well. He is proud of his choice and willing to defend it against all comers including his friend Marc. Serge is well off, and confident in his own ability to decide what to buy and its value. Astudillo is confident and convincing with a deft and funny performance. It is a delight.

            Finally there is Kevin Broccoli as Yvan, who vacillates from g the painting. Concerned by his personal life which is going to hell in a hand basket and his wedding plans take weird twists and turn and seem to be going kaput. He is only day away from being married and the infighting between his parents and stepparents are battling to the death over various details with relentless determination and sheer selfishness. Broccoli is wonderful, delivering a masterful performance full of just the right touches and loaded with humor which he extracts to perfection during some monologues.

Shea directs with a light touch, very minimalist and right on the mark. It is a terrific directing job.

            It runs 70 minutes without intermission. These three actors deliver with flair and finesse. They are uproarious and vastly entertaining and well as able to show a deeper level of issues going on underneath the surface.

“Art” runs through May 21 at 2nd Story, 28 Market St., Warren. Tickets are $25 and $35. For more information, go to www.2ndstorytheatre.com or call (401) 247-4200.