“Venus in Fur” at 2nd Story Theatre

By Richard Pacheco

            “Venus in Fur” is a two-person play by David Ives set in modern New York City. The play had its premiere off-Broadway at the Classic Stage Company in 2010 and on Broadway in 2011. The current production at 2^nd Story sparkles with sheer brilliance, raw energy and is packed with laughter as well as being provocative.

            Thomas Novachek is the writer-director of a new play opening in New York City; this play-within-the-play is an adaptation of the 1870 novel “Venus in Furs “by the Austrian author Leopold von Sacher-Masoch and happens to be the novel that inspired the term Masochism. The play begins with Novachek on the telephone lamenting the inadequacies of the actresses who have showed up that day to audition for the lead character, Wanda von Dunayev. Suddenly, at the last minute, a new actress, Vanda Jordan, bursts in. Novachek is on the telephone lamenting the inadequacies of the actresses who have showed up that day to audition for the lead character,

            Vanda Jordan, bursts in. and she is brash, vulgar and unschooled, but she convinces him to let her audition for the part of Wanda. The playwright will read the part of Severin von Kushemski. They both become caught up in the characters they are reading, often interchanging art and reality with unexpected consequences.

            Richard Derry is Novachek, the playwright frustrated by the actresses who have thus far auditioned for him. He is frustrated by his efforts to audition a leading lady for the play, with no one seeming to measure up to his artistic needs. As he reads the part of Severin von Kushemski je becomes swept up in the play, at times merging his character with that of the character in the play. Derry is wonderful in the role, sheer brilliance as he deftly shifts back and forth between playwrights and character.

            Lara Hakeem is the actress, Vanda, who arrives late for the audition. She is brash, vulgar and obnoxious, but also very sexy, sensual and provocative. She is outspoken and daring as a person and as an actress, very nervy and bold. She moves in and out of the role she is auditioning for and the actress at the audition with skill and finesse. She is audacious and inventive, full of energy and sassy. She alternates between the audacious actress and the sexy character with finesse, effortlessly being either seductive or brash ass needed. It is an impeccable performance.

            The chemistry between the two is impressive at once vibrant and touching, inventive and provocative.

            Ed Shea directs with zest and intelligence. He knows how to evoke the best from these two actors and does so consistently and robustly.

            The set and lighting design by Max Ponticelli is right on target evoking the bare auditions space with the overhead skylights with skill and vision.

            The costumes by Ron Cesario are perfect from her provocative dominatrix outfit to the coats he wears as the character in the play.

This is a do not miss production, one loaded with terrific acting and an intriguing play that is inventive and provocative.

“Venus in Fur" runs through June 28 at 2nd Story Theatre, 28 Market St., Warren. Tickets are $30, and $21 for those 21 and under. Call (401) 247-4200, or visit 2ndstorytheatre.com. 

“Gypsy” at Ocean State Theatre

By Richard Pacheco

            Gypsy” currently at Ocean State Theatre is an energetic, spirited splendid production which features the talents of Artistic Director Aimee Turner as Rose, the ultimate show business mother and Gypsy’s mom. It’s a 1959 musical with music by Jule Styne, lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, and a book by Arthur Laurents. Gypsy is loosely based on the 1957 memoirs of Gypsy Rose Lee, the famous striptease artist, and focuses on her mother, Rose, whose name has become synonymous with "the ultimate show business mother." It follows the dreams and efforts of Rose to raise two daughters to perform onstage and casts an affectionate eye on the hardships of show business life. The character of Louise is based on Lee, and the character of June is based on Lee's sister, the actress June Havoc.

            While the musical is showing its age, the acting and singing make it fun anyway.

            Aimee Turner, artistic director of Ocean State is stage mother Rose. Rose is obsessed in making her daughter June a star and later her daughter Louise. She will connive,  cajole, do whatever it takes to convince someone to hire her girls and advance their careers. She is bossy, like a bull in a china shop, determined and relentless. And if she seems to care too much about her goals for her daughters perhaps there is more than just a slight twinge that it is derived her disappointments about her own life and not being able to pursue such dreams. Turner is excellent in the role, a virtual human hurricane as she tramps through offices in search of more for her girls with unbridled energy and ruthless resolve. She is excellent with “Some People” and “Everything’s Coming Up Roses” as well as “You’ll Never Get Away from Me” her duet with Herbie.

            Christopher Swan is Herbie, the once former agent, now candy salesman, hooked back into being an agent again by the ever manipulative Rose. He is a good hearted man who genuinely cares for Rose and her daughter as well as the young women enticed into the act to trot about the country with them to all sorts of backwater vaudeville houses replete with cornball acts galore. Swan does a fine job in the role, convincing at every turn and shows a warmth that the girl’s mother lacks. He is good in “Have An Eggroll Mr. Goldstone” and “Together Wherever We Go.”

            Kristin Wetherington is the grown Louise, a shy, terrified young woman who struggles to get free of her mother’s over dominating personality and her sister June’s leading the act until she leaves to elope and wash her hands of her show and her domineering mother. She is outstanding in “The Strip” “If Momma Was Married” with her sister June, played by Juliettte Salway.

As far as the younger version of Gypsy and her sister June, Abigail Page as Louise and Victoria Cardi as June are just fine talented and energetic in their roles. They shine in “Let Me Entertain You.’

The rest of the supporting cast is solid and offer fine support to the principals.

            Russell  Garrett directed and choreographed the show with flair and style. Despite the somewhat dated material, particularly in the first act, he keeps it on course and enjoyable. Musical director Justin P. Cowen keeps the singers and the orchestra he conducts on track and agreeable.

            Scenic designer Kimberly V. Powers provides imaginative sets which evoke backstage at a vaudeville theater and elsewhere effectively.

The first act mostly revisits bad vaudeville acts and what often passed for entertainment in those days, being corny and barely bearable. Despite the fact it seems dated, the production keeps being entertaining with the fine performances throughout.

            Gypsy" runs through Aug. 2 at Ocean State Theatre, 1245 Jefferson Blvd. Warwick. Tickets are $39-$54. Call (401) 921-6800, or visit oceanstatetheatre.org.

“My Fair Lady” at Theatre by the Sea

By Richard Pacheco

            The current production at Theatre by the Sea of the Lerner Lowe classic “My Fair Lady” is a delightful production spurred by talented performances, some stunning sets and great music. “My Fair Lady” is a musical based on George Bernard Shaw's “Pygmalion,” with book and lyrics by Alan Jay Lerner and music by Frederick Loewe. The story concerns Eliza Doolittle, a Cockney flower girl who takes speech lessons from professor Henry Higgins, a phoneticist, so that she may pass as a lady. The original Broadway, London and film versions all starred Rex Harrison. Theatre by the Sea stars Charles Shaughnessy of television’s “the Nanny” fame.

The result is a charming, energetic, ebullient production that never rails to please with its finesse and dazzling talent.

It all begins when Col Pickering and Higgins make a bet that Higgins cannot turn Eliza into a lady. Higgins decides to take her into his house to instruct her in the details and finesse of speaking and acting like a lady. They work ceaselessly and tirelessly to master her elocution with determination and Higgins showing off his self centered, self absorbed attitude towards her along the way.

Her first test is the racing at Ascot and the opportunity to meet Higgins’s mother. Eliza carries it off delightfully despite a faux pas at the end when she lapses into her Cockney roots. It doesn’t matter however,  as they are all charmed.

Eliza's final test requires her to pass as a lady at the Embassy Ball, A rival and former student of Higgins, a Hungarian phonetician named Zoltan Karpathy, is employed by the hostess to discover Eliza's origins through her speech. The event is revealed to have been a success, with Zoltan Karpathy having concluded that Eliza is not only Hungarian, but of royal blood. She is a princess.

Charles Shaughnessy of television’s “The Nanny” fame is Higgins. Sophisticated, an elitist he is self absorbed and rational to a fault. One false note occurs at the end when Higgins is supposed to fall in love with Eliza.  It is not totally convincing with Shaughnessy being still too much aloof and uninvolved with her to be truly convincing. Beyond that, it is a wonderful performance full of charm and finesse as well as skill. He is excellent with his singing of “Why Can’t the English” full of gusto and zest.

Kerry Conte is Eliza, a poor young flower seller in downtown London with a dense Cockney accent. Se is endearing and charming in the role. Her transition from Cockney flower girl to lady is convincing and appealing. She shines in “Just You Wait and her numbers with others like “I Could Have Danced All Night” and “The Rain in Spain” as well as “Wouldn’t It Be Loverly”.

A real stand out here is Eliza’s father, Alfred, played by Bill E. Deitrich. Alfred is a real conniver, a man out for himself but also likeable and charming. Deitrich makes this even more appealing with an energy and gusto that is perfect, full of sass and spirit.  He does well with his singing and dancing too as he displays in “Just A Little Bit” and the energetic “Get Me To the Church On Time” which he delivers with style and enthusiasm.

Tom Gleadow, well familiar to local audiences is solid as Mr. Pickering, who makes the bet with Higgins to transform the flower girl into a lady. While not his best performance, it is well done, full of confidence and skill.

Xachary Berger as Freddy, enamored of Eliza is a young man infatuated by love, distracted by Eliza’s beauty and style. He shines with his song “On The Street Where She Lives: being sincere and convincing.

Among the other supporting cast which adds so much to this production are Maria Day as Mrs. Higgins and Ellen Peterson as Mrs. Pierce, Higgins’s main servant.

There are many treats in this show with admirable signing and vivacious dancing.  The “Ascot Gavotte”  is very funny and right on the mark as the singers follow the racing horses around the  track with relentless dedication and an air of aloofness. There is more fun to be found with

Charles Repole directs with a sure hand and firm touch throughout. Musical director Milton Granger is excellent in his direction of the singers and conducting the orchestra. The sets by Michael P. Kramer work very well, beings suggestive and effective and imaginative throughout. The choreography by Michael Lightefeld is spirited and vibrant, never failing with imaginative touches throughout.

"My Fair Lady" runs through July 18 at Theatre By The Sea, 364 Cards Pond Road, Matunuck. Tickets are $45-$65. call (401) 782-8587, or visit theatrebythesea.com.

“Venus in Fur” at 2nd Story Theatre

By Richard Pacheco

            “Venus in Fur” is a two-person play by David Ives set in modern New York City. The play had its premiere off-Broadway at the Classic Stage Company in 2010 and on Broadway in 2011. The current production at 2^nd Story sparkles with sheer brilliance, raw energy and is packed with laughter as well as being provocative.

            Thomas Novachek is the writer-director of a new play opening in New York City; this play-within-the-play is an adaptation of the 1870 novel “Venus in Furs “by the Austrian author Leopold von Sacher-Masoch and happens to be the novel that inspired the term Masochism. The play begins with Novachek on the telephone lamenting the inadequacies of the actresses who have showed up that day to audition for the lead character, Wanda von Dunayev. Suddenly, at the last minute, a new actress, Vanda Jordan, bursts in. Novachek is on the telephone lamenting the inadequacies of the actresses who have showed up that day to audition for the lead character,

            Vanda Jordan, bursts in. and she is brash, vulgar and unschooled, but she convinces him to let her audition for the part of Wanda. The playwright will read the part of Severin von Kushemski. They both become caught up in the characters they are reading, often interchanging art and reality with unexpected consequences.

            Richard Derry is Novachek, the playwright frustrated by the actresses who have thus far auditioned for him. He is frustrated by his efforts to audition a leading lady for the play, with no one seeming to measure up to his artistic needs. As he reads the part of Severin von Kushemski je becomes swept up in the play, at times merging his character with that of the character in the play. Derry is wonderful in the role, sheer brilliance as he deftly shifts back and forth between playwrights and character.

            Lara Hakeem is the actress, Vanda, who arrives late for the audition. She is brash, vulgar and obnoxious, but also very sexy, sensual and provocative. She is outspoken and daring as a person and as an actress, very nervy and bold. She moves in and out of the role she is auditioning for and the actress at the audition with skill and finesse. She is audacious and inventive, full of energy and sassy. She alternates between the audacious actress and the sexy character with finesse, effortlessly being either seductive or brash ass needed. It is an impeccable performance.

            The chemistry between the two is impressive at once vibrant and touching, inventive and provocative.

            Ed Shea directs with zest and intelligence. He knows how to evoke the best from these two actors and does so consistently and robustly.

            The set and lighting design by Max Ponticelli is right on target evoking the bare auditions space with the overhead skylights with skill and vision.

            The costumes by Ron Cesario are perfect from her provocative dominatrix outfit to the coats he wears as the character in the play.

This is a do not miss production, one loaded with terrific acting and an intriguing play that is inventive and provocative.

“Venus in Fur" runs through June 28 at 2nd Story Theatre, 28 Market St., Warren. Tickets are $30, and $21 for those 21 and under. Call (401) 247-4200, or visit 2ndstorytheatre.com. 

“And Miss Reardon Drinks A Little” at 2nd Story Theatre

By Richard Pacheco

            The current production at 2^nd Story Theatre of Paul Zindel’s “And Miss Reardon Drinks A Little” is sheer theatrical gold, It is polished, intense and riveting, loaded with laughs and fraught with emotional moments. The writing is top notch, full of funny contrasted by moments of disheartening pain and power. The acting in it is simply superb.

            Paul Zindel wrote this play in the late 1960s. The show was first produced in 1967 in Los Angeles, but was not published until 1971 when the Dramatists Play Service in New York picked it up. On February 2, 1971, And Miss Reardon Drinks A Little made its Broadway debut. It ran for a total of 108 performances and was directed by Melvin Bernhardt. The original Broadway Cast included Julie Harris as Anna Reardon, Estelle Parsons as Catherine Reardon, Rae Allen as Fleur Stein, Bill Macy as Bob Stein, Nancy Marchand as Ceil Adams, Estelle Parsons was nominated for a Tony Award for her role as Catherine Reardon and Rae Allen won for her portrayal of Fleur Stien.

            The cast here is a wonder and a delight. This tale of three dysfunctional school teachers is pure magic. The three sisters lost their mother about eight months earlier and that has taken it’s toll on the women, mostly Anna, who seems to fall to pieces over it, slipping into odd behavior from embracing strange real cats, not even  dissuade when on attacks her and she insists, wrongly, that she has rabies.

            Erin Olsen is a wonder as the crazed sister on temporary leave from teaching for her illness and some alleged bad conduct with a young male student, is riveting. From her maniacal laughter and absurd antics to her moments of painful withdrawal, she is excellent.

            Then there is the imbibing sister referred to in the title, Catherine, played by Lara Hakeem. She has by choice scarified her life to hold this shattered family together. It had taken its toll on her and she seethes with anger and a fierce sense of humor that is totally relentless and merciless. She is fed up with her now vegetarian sister Anna’s compulsions to eat zucchini and drained by trying to find new ways to cook it

            Then there is sister Ceil, cool, aloof, accomplished who has risen to become superintendent of schools by protecting number one without reservation of restriction. She appears to b in control and com[pared to her sisters she is, but she is also self absorbed and takes care of number one, namely here. She will throw anyone under the bus to preserve her own career and station in life, including family. Tanya Anderson delivers an outstanding performance as the sister with a mission and ruthless determination.  She is impeccable in her steely demeanor and aloof poise.

            Also on hand is a wannabe guidance counselor, Fleur Stein.  She is a real kiss up and no doubt stops by to kiss up to the superintendent sister and does so from the moment she arrives.  She is played with humor and flair by Susie Bowen Powers.

            Her husband Bob, played by Joseph Henderson who is less than thrilled by some of her habits and how she likes to acquire things from school like toilet paper and paper towels, much to his dismay and chagrin.  It is he who delivers the bomb that they do not recover from just before he departs. He is suitably annoying and persistent as he rambles on full of himself and very conscious of his wife’s failings which he does not hesitate to list with gusto.

            Finally there is Marica A. Layden as Mrs. Pentrano, who lives in the building and has a home business for cosmetics etc. and she is relentless in her pursuit of sales and a bit of malapropist, often using the wrong word or mispronouncing it with gusto and conviction. Layden is delightfully annoying in the role a mixture of dense and  dogged in her pursuit.

            This play zooms on with relentless and fierce humor and nothing and no one is immune to the bite. Together this cast sizzles with energy and vehemence and liberal doses of laughs in between the biting comments.

            Mark Peckham directs with a sure and certain touch. He keeps the pace fast and furious and the actors interactions sparking with snippets of  venom and bile in the midst of the hilarity.

            Trevor Eliot’s set design is once again excellent., evoking a cramped apartment where two of the three sisters live.

            "And Miss Reardon Drinks a Little" runs through May 17 at 2nd Story Theatre, 28 Market St., Warren. Tickets are $30, and $21 for those 21 and under. Call (401) 247-4200, or visit 2ndstorytheatre.com. 

“Lend me a Tenor” at Ocean State Theatre

By Richard Pacheco

            The current production at Ocean State Theatre is feisty and full of energy, loaded with laughs thanks to strong direction and excellent performances. The Ken Ludwig comedy received nine Tony nominations when it played in New York. The play is set in 1934 in Cleveland for the Cleveland Grand Opera Company.

            The Cleveland Grand Opera Company has booked the famous Italian tenor Tito Merelli to sing the lead in Verdi's "Otello." But Merelli takes an extra dose of sedative to calm down and they think he is dead. In a fit of panic, the head of the opera house, Henry Saunders sends his relentless assistant, an aspiring opera singer, Max, off to pretend to be Merelli and sing in his place. In the middle of this mess, Merelli wakes up and now there are two men in blackface and Othello costumes running around the hotel, darting in and out of bathrooms and closets to avoid an irate wife and some horny female opera singers.  It all grows increasingly outrageous with each passing minute.

            Nick Gaswirth is Max. the wannabe opera star and assistant. He is mild mannered and insecure expect for caring about Maggie, Saunder’s daughter and about being passionate about singing opera and being a star. Gaswirth is right on the mark as  the timid man propelled into the middle of his wildest dream by a quirk in circumstance.

            The imported Italian Opera star Tito Merelli is a total womanizer, a man of talent and huge appetites, mostly sexual. He is a hopeless flirt and his actions infuriate his wife constantly firing her hot temper to new explosions of rage and distrust.  Bruce Sabbath is Merelli and he plays him with panache and flair, full of energy and as a relentless womanizer.

            Although this is not a musical, there is a point where Gaswirth and Sabath sing a Verdi suet together and it is well done, very enjoyable.

            Alexander Cook is Saunders, the head of the Cleveland Opera. He is the epitome of classic restraint except when he loses it when he thinks Tito is dead. He is a sharp, hard edged businessman and Cook plays him well, full of firm confidence and a sense of control.

            Gerianne Genga is Merelli’s flamboyant and passionate wife with her jealous streak, Maria. She is a bundle of energy and raw passions as she rants and rambles about with her jealously running amok.  Genga is right on the mark in the role, a madcap mixture of passion and zest.

            Elizabeth Boyke is Maggie, Saunder’s daughter who is intrigued fascinated and in awe of the famous Merelli, opera star. She wants to have a fling before she settles down with Max, so why not with a famous opera star? She is an innocent held spellbound by the pull of famous star, attracted into his orbit, under his spell. Boyke is wonderful as the innocent wanting to go awry for a famous fling.

            Rochelle Weinrauch is Diana who sings opposite Merilli as Desdemona, and is enamored of him as much as Maggie. She is enticing and seductive, shimmering an elegance and finesse and high style as she zooms in like a black widow to get what she wants. Weinrauch is delightful in the role, full of zest and sultry finesse.

            Maria Tavarozzi is Julia, a snooty grand supporter of the opera. Tavarozzi is a delight in her sliver wig and haughty demeanor, a joy to watch.

            Finally is Kevin Broccoli as the opera loving bellhop, whose passion for opera nearly exceeds those of the singers. Broccoli is a comic gem in the role bringing just the right touches to it with superb comic timing.

            The direction by Kevin Pariseau is impeccable and meticulous. He is always aware of pace and keeps it moving merrily along. It is sheer fun from beginning to end, a delight to watch.

            The hotel art deco set by Amanda Hall and the costumes by Ryan J. Moller are sheer delight, true to era and exquisite.

            Lend Me a Tenor" runs through April 19 at Ocean State Theatre, 1245 Jefferson Blvd., Warwick. Tickets are $34-$49. Call (401) 921-6800, or visit oceanstatetheatre.org.

“Lysistrata” at Cape Cod Community College

By Richard Pacheco

            Cape Cod Community College’s current production of the classic Aristophanes play “Lysistrata” is a merry raunchy romp, full of vitality and sheer fun. Originally performed in classical Athens in 411 BC, it is a comic account of one woman's extraordinary mission to end the Peloponnesian War. Lysistrata persuades the women of Greece to withhold sexual privileges from their husbands and lovers as a means of forcing the men to negotiate peace — a strategy, however, that inflames the battle between the sexes. The play is notable for being an early exposé of sexual relations in a male-dominated society. This translation by Douglass Parker is raucous fun, full of double entendres, sexual innuendoes and jokes galore, which the director aptly calls the Mel Brooks version, not at all academic but full of sheer fun able to deftly trample boundaries of good taste at a single bound.

            Kimberly Monteiro is Lysistrata, the woman with a mission to make love not war. She struggles to rally the women behind her cause to cut off all sex from the men until they end the war, period and most succinctly. It is an uphill battle, one fraught with assorted difficulties but she is determined. Monteiro is solid in the role, full of energy and enthusiasm. She offers a strong presence, a woman of sheer will and concentration bent on victory and the end of the war no matter what it takes.

            She has a bevy of determined women with her, some varying in their dedication and enthusiasm for the cause but still willing to contribute to the best of their abilities.

            The men who try to thwart this plan are many and just as dedicated until the lack of sex starts taking its toll on all of them eventually ending with them stuck at attention to the task at mind.

            Dustin Martin is the commissioner of public safety whose loyalty and dedication to the cause of war are not in question. But he is a man and eventually the battle of the sexes takes its toll on him as well and he succumbs to the pressure to relent in war. Martin is delightful as the commissioner, full of bluster and at times pompous, a loyal city father dedicated to the cause of the current war.

            Ben Gutman is Kinesias, a renown warrior who loves his wife even more than war so it turns out. When he returns for battle for a conjugal visit and his wife refuses him sex, it paridly brings about his change of heart to embracing the new cause of peace and put an end to his priapism.  Gutman is hilarious as he battles his wife’s refusal and his painful condition. He makes the most of double entendres and sexual comments to very funny effect.

            Emily Entwhisle is Myrrhine, his wife. She is winning as the temptress, who shamelessly teases and tantalizes her husband but refuses to surrender to his advances, no matter how long it has been unless he supports giving up the war.

            Cameron Hall is Kinesias’ slave, a man dedicated to his mater determined to help him solve his marital plight as bet he can. Hall is a hoot as the slave, full of energy and enthusiasm.

            Special mention has to be made of the Spartan Ambassadors who sound like big time hillbilly rednecks. They are outrageously funny with the twang in their voices and their rough and ready presence.

            Of the women, the names ones and not the choruses, Emily Tullock, Emily Entwhisle. Taryn Van Esslestyn and Liz Bent are sheer delights with their various antics and quirks as they come over to the cause espoused by Lysistrata.

            The fairly good sized choruses of men and women offer distinctive personalities as well as blending into homogeneous wholes when needed.

            Director Elizabeth Rapoza keeps everything moving at a merry raunchy pace, the sex jokes and antics running amok with a sense of raw energy and sheer abandon.  It is a large cast with both male and female choruses and she handles their movement with skill and grace.

            The set by Guy Trudeau is excellent, with two Greek style buildings on either side and a temple entrance at rear of the stage with a frieze atop which is elegant and classic in style and beauty.

            It is a vigorous, rambunctious good time, rich in sexual remarks, situations and double entendres. Aristophanes would have been happy to see it.

            “Lysistrata” at Tilden Arts Center, Cape Cod Community College, 2240 Ivanaugh Road, West Barnsatable, MA n 508-362-2131, April 9-11, 17 and 18, 24, 25 at 7 pm, April 11, 18, 25 at 2 pm. $15 general admission, free with student ID.