Lost in Yonkers at Second Story Theatre

By Richard Pacheco

“Lost in Yonkers” is considered by many to be Neil Simon’s best play. It opened in 1991 on Broadway where it ran for 780 performances. It walked off with the season’s major awards winning the Pulitzer, Outer Critic’s Circle Award, Dram Desk Award and the Tony. The current production at Second Story shows you why. This fine production is propelled by laugh and drama, both skillfully performed with finesse and style.

In the Summer of 1942 widower Eddie Kurnitz must leave his two sons with his domineering mother while he pursues work in the south to pay off a loan shark for the money he borrowed to help their now dead mother battle cancer. In the household is the childlike Aunt Bella and Uncle Louie, a small time hood on the run. The play deftly mixes Simon touches of humor with heartwarming and touching drama.

Matthew Pirraglia is the younger son, Artie. Andrew Jacovelli is the older son, Jay. Mr. Pirraglia is feisty and fun as the younger son, intimidated by his stern grandmother and at odds with the situation he finds himself living in daily. He is perky and energetic. It is a solid performance that is fun to watch. He has a solid sense of comic timing.

Mr. Jacovelli is a delight as the cocky, smart mouthed older brother Jay. He is very protective of his younger brother but finds it tough in the madhouse where he finds himself living.  Mr. Jacovelli shows a fine comic sense and offers some great expressions while the madness unfolds around him.

Paula Faber is relentless steel as Grandma. She is a survivor who managed to get her family out of Germany before Hitler turned it all to hell. She is stern and harsh, determined to teach her children and grandchildren to survey at all costs. Ms. Faber is pitch perfect in the role with her German accent and harsh ways. She is not a woman to bestow love on anyone.

Hillary Parker is a enchantment as the childlike Bella. She has a fine comic timing and a real flair in her performance. She is alternately ditzy and people smart. Ms. Parker is full of energy with a witty flair for the funny. She has some great lines and delivers them with aplomb and impeccable timing.

Ara Boghigian is your macho tough guy, a Humphrey Bogart incarnate as Uncle Louie. He is on the run, perhaps for his life and manages to slide back into their lives and bond with his nephews. He talks the talk with that gruff, macho demeanor with skill and vitality.

Joe Henderson is the father Eddie. He is torn and tortured having to leaves his sons with his iron mother without kindness. But he does what has to be done. He is sensitive and trying to be strong for his sons.  Mr. Henderson is adroit as she shifts back and forth from the strong to the sensitive.

Rounding out the cast is Tray Gearing as Aunt Ger, who has a funny way of talking, sometimes with breath going out, other times with breath going in. The result is very funny. Ms. Gearing is sheer glee as the aunt. 

Director Mark Peckham shows a real feel for the material. He skillfully guides his cast through delicate balance of humor and drama with real flair and elegance.

Trevor Elliot’s set design is a wonder, with period touches that are winning. The stairs to the rear and the multiple doors work really well. The flavor is definitely the forties and reminds me of my grandmother’s home.

Marcia Zammarelli’s costumes are true to the time and appealing. Things like knickers for Artie and the gangster get up with spats and  fedora for the gangster uncle are right on target.

This is a wacky dysfunctional family that is prepared for laughs and deep feelings by turns. They draw you into their world like a welcome guest and you enjoy the invitation.  This is Simon at his best with vibrant performances to bring it all to life.

It will be presented at Second Story Theatre, 28 Market Street, Warren, RI until December 16, Tickets are$25 and under 21 for $20. 401-247-4200 or http://www.2ndstorytheatre.com/tixfaq.htm

A Christmas Carol at Trinity Repertory

By Richard Pacheco

A Christmas Carol at Trinity Repertory

By Richard Pacheco

You can always tell when the Christmas season approaches. It all used to start with the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade. And in theater, there is always the perennial Dickens “A Christmas Carol” or David Sedaris’ “Santaland Diaries”. Trinity Repertory brings vividly to life the Dickens classic with verve, imagination and a sheer abundance of talent which shines throughout. This production is pure fun, rollicking, creative and well acted.  It is the 200^th birthday year of Dickens.

Timothy Crowe shines as Ebenezer Scrooge, the cranky, crotchety skinflint who evolves into a kind, generous human being after being visited by several ghosts, including his departed business partner, Jacob Marley. Mr. Crowe is a joy as Scrooge. He is robust, articulate and funny as well as fun.  His transition from skinflint to generous patron of the poor and supporter of Christmas from the master of humbug is full of marvelous moments. He has done the role 15 times to date.

Stephen Thorne delivers a enthralling and charming performance as Jacob Marley. He offers many fine touches both as the dying Marley (in this version he does not start off already dead) with Scrooge and as the returning ominous ghost who comes out from beneath Scrooge’s bed.

Mauro Hantman is pure fun as Bob Cratchit, the devoted father of Tiny Tim and Christmas devotee. He is nervous around his boss, but the scene at Tiny Tim’s grave is not as powerful as it could be.

Leicester London is on the mark as Scrooge’s nephew Fred. He is animated and full of verve as Fred. He is also imposing as the ominous Ghost of Christmas Future, a tall, dark creature with glowing red eyes who moves slowly and methodically.

Mia Ellis is winning as the Ghost of Christmas Past with a captivating entrance on a trapeze which descends from the ceiling in a grand way. She is deftly poised and pleasurable in the role.

The Ghost of Christmas Present is given multiple duty with Benjamin Thornton and Elliot Peters and Joe Wilson Jr. with a fake beard as Christmas Present ages a bit, and they are sheer enjoyment, full of liveliness. It starts with a younger Christmas Present who ages as time passes into an older version of himself.

Tom Gleadow is captivating as the reader who starts off the entire adventure. He opens the show when the children, who work for him polishing shoes and they do so around the audience prior to the show, plead with him to tell them a story. He tells them the story of Scrooge’s change of nature. The children are feisty and full of life, with solid singing voices and perky energy. Phineas Peters who alternates with Bedros Kevorkian on different nights is enchanting as Tiny Tim.

The rest of the large cast is full of zest and energy. The singing by the cast is swarming with vim and vigor, full of fine distinction. The original music by Richard Cumming is captivating and endearing and punctuates it at various times. The play does not have many special effects, the trapeze descent of Christmas Past, some snow, Marley emerging from beneath Scrooge’s bed and the video sections with the clock face are about it. The floor opens and closes for various scenes.  There is nothing really dark and brooding about this production unlike some in the past. There are no real frightening  moments with the ghosts and it is all kept lighter, breezier. It is a straightforward and relatively simple production fairly faithful to the original story.

This adaptation by Adrian Hall and Richard Cumming is amusing and enjoyable.

Director Tyler Dobrowsky keeps the pacing swift and bright, avoding darker moments, a rollicking good time for all ages.

The Eugene Lee set is both simple and stylish. It has two stories and on the upper level is a large clock face, a sort of Big Ben, which figures well into the tale. It is a battered board façade which is not that much like London in the 1840’s but seems to work none the less.

The costume designs by Alison Walker Carrier are stunning, both historically faithful and dazzling.

This is a merry romp full of pleasurable moments and robust energy. It is a wonderful holiday treat that is a pleasant trip, not at all scary. It will be presented at Trinity Repertory at the upstairs Elizabeth and Malcolm Chase theater until Dec. 29. For tickets, call the box office at 401-351-4242. Adult ticket prices for A Christmas Carol start at Tickets are $36-$70. Children’s tickets (age 2-14) start at $22. For information on group discounts for parties of 20 or more contact Group Sales at 401-351-4242 or online at online at: http://www.trinityrep.com

“Red” at the Gamm Theater

By Richard Pacheco

The Gamm Theater’s current production of John Logan’s Tony Award winning “Red” is relentless, compelling and eminently fascinating. It concerns a fictionalized account of eminent painter Mark Rothko’s attempt to create a space in the Four Seasons Restaurant where viewers could truly interact with his artwork in a contemplative manner. This two person play is propelled by the endearing and masterful performances of Fred Sullivan Jr. as Mark Rothko and Mark Dante Mancini as his assistant. This is extraordinary theater that amuses, provokes and haunts throughout. It grabs hold of you and never lets go as you watch the squirming antics of the depressed, yet funny Rothko and his assistant as they go at it and develop a vibrant relationship between them, part father and son, part mentor and pupil part friends.

              Fred Sullivan Jr. is compelling as Rothko, a man beset by huge doubts and relentless passion for his art and getting it to the viewers in a way that impacts their lives indelibly. Mr. Sullivan’s Rothko is a man who changes like a chameleon, one moment rash, brash and egotistical as well as eccentric to the next, compassionate and insightful.  This is a complex, troubled character that Mr. Sullivan brings vividly to life. It is Mr. Sullivan’s first appearance onstage at the Gamm, but he is a longtime Trinity Rep actor and director at the Gamm,

Marc Dante Mancini is his perfect foil as Ken, his assistant. Ken is a student artist, thrilled to be working with the legendary abstract expressionist painter. This too is a highly complex character, beset by doubts and ambitions, wanting to succeed, yet not wanting to offend his employer. Mr. Mancini creates a fine mixture of student uncertainty and awe with an underlying desire to understand and zealous exploration of the nature of art. It is a deft performance, truthful and energetic.

Mr. Sullivan and Mr. Mancini create a kinetic chemistry onstage between each other. There is so much energy here, intellectual, emotional and artistic that it never fails to enlighten and charm even the midst of enraged outbursts..

Together they do a deft dance of passion and energy, discussing art and life with equal verve and vigor. They are somehow inexorably tied to each other, both repelled and attracted to each other’s intellect and artistic passion. Rothko is the well established mentor, the legend to Ken’s fledgling artist full of hopes and dreams as well as artistic ambition while battling with his difficult and emotional past. Underlying it all is Rothko facing his greatest artistic challenge, murals for the Four Seasons Restaurant in the new Seagram’s Building while being threatened by the emerging new generation of artists coming up to challenge his authority and accomplishments.

“Red” is a vibrant, ardent ride into the meaning between art and its viewer, between an older generation of artists and the one that replaces it and between artist and assistant. As Rothko points out, “first you must respect them, then kill them” when it comes to artists succeeding their predecessors.

The play is also an enthralling and inexorable dialogue about art and those who make art. It is articulate and intelligent, fuelled by energy and sincerity. As Rothko points out in the play, “I am here to stop your heart. I am here to make you think. I am not here to make pretty pictures.” They play makes you think, often breathlessly. It creates a vivid portrait of an artist in the act of art, which drives his life forward.

It is highly memorable and permeates the mind and heart with indelible precision and zest. It is a must see production.

Director Tony Estrella keeps it all flawlessly on track, by turns funny and passionate, full of energy and vigor.

The set by Michael McGarty is rich and a vivid recreation of an artists studio. The Marilyn Salvatore costumes are right on the mark. The light design by David Roy is impeccable.

It will be presented until Dec. 16 at the Gamm Theatre, 172 Exchange Street, Pawtucket, RI. Tickets are $36 to $45 depending on time/day. Discounts for groups of ten or more, seniors and students. Tickets at 401-723-4266 or gammtheatre.org

An Inspector Calls at Second Story Theatre

By Richard Pacheco

               Second Story Theatre delivers a witty and intriguing production of J.B. Priestly’s 
“An Inspector Calls” at the historic Bristol Statehouse, 240 High Street, Bristol.

            The play, set around the First World War time period, just before it, is family gathering and celebration gone sour. The Birling family is together to celebrate their good fortune, full of self congratulations and good cheer. Sheila is getting engaged to the equally wealthy and prominent Gerald Croft. This will be not only a family merger but a business merger. These people are incredibly wealthy, sleek sophisticated and aloof. But beneath this veneer of proper sophistication there is a darker layer of hidden secrets and that is where the mystery lies. All of this becomes clear when a mysterious police inspector arrives to put them through their paces with some devastating questions. A young woman has committed suicide in a most horrible way and the inspector believes he can find some answers here, so far away from that grisly scene.

            The play is packed with relentless twists and turns and the inspector digs deeper into the dead young woman’s past and the people in the room with vigor and mercilessly dedicated to finding the truth. Oddly, the inspector seems to know certain answers before he asks the questions and his manner is not accusatory, but deeply probing.. The result is a witty and delightful mystery with jabs of comedy throughout.

Vince Petronio is a delight as Inspector Goole. He is poised and astute in his relentless and cagey pursuit of the dark secrets he knows lies here.  Mr. Petronio is the perfect calm, cool and collected inspector who knows what he wants and how to best get it.

Tom Roberts is engaging as Arthur Birling, the family patriarch, a man set in his ways and superlative businessman with an every ready eye to the bottom line. Mr. Roberts is determined to protect his family and his business from outside assaults and ready to use any means he has to defend them and prevent scandal at all costs. Mr. Roberts is imposing in the role.

Laura Sorensen is incisive as Sheila Birling, a young woman brought up in sheer luxury and disdain for those others, less privileged than her, who gets to look into her life with astonishing revelations. Ms. Sorensen is highly convincing in her balance between elegance and sincerity.

Tim White is poised and intelligent as Sheila’s fiancé, Gerald Croft.  He is a man beset by personal challenges and dark doubts about a bright future. It is a strong, nuanced performance.

Jeff Church is engaging as the dissolute and hard drinking brother, Eric Birling. Mr. Church is outstanding as the man who while he takes advantage of his advantages his darker thoughts about them at the same time.

Joan Batting is incisive as the family matriarch, Sybil, who knows all too well her status in life and what it takes to protect it. She is aloof and self assured, above it all. She knows she is right, and she is right, facts be dammed.

Valerie Westgate rounds out the cast as the maid, Edna.

It is a well honed performance, with many laughs along the way. There are provocative questions here, which resonate to current day. The cast is right on target with their poise and character twists and turns marked by a sincerity that is endearing and at times surprising or off-putting. It is engaging fun and presented with no intermission, running time one hour and fifteen minutes.

Director Ed Shea keeps a fine balance between the wit and mystery in the play. It is vivid and impressive.

Trevor Elliot’s set is sheer delight, elegant and simple at the same time. Ron Cesario’s costume designs are impeccable, sophisticated  and graceful, faithful to the time period.

It will be presented again at the historic Bristol Statehouse, 240 High Street, Bristol, RI until Dec. 2. Box office 401-247-4200. www.2ndstorytheatre.com Tickets $25, Performances Wed, thru Sun. at 8 pm, except for Sun. which are at 3 pm and 7 pm on different Sundays.

The Goat or Who Is Sylvia at Second Story Theater

By Richard Pacheco

Edward Albee has always had a unique edge to his work, from his early one act plays to his most recent ones. “The Goat, or Who Is Sylvia,” which is currently playing at Second Story Theater in Warren, is no exception. This, biting, funny and disturbing play comes vividly to life in this production. It shimmers, it make you laugh while is shocks you to the bone.

Ed Shea is Martin, a man now at a loss for words in the face of his most recent actions. Once articulate and educated, he now struggles to figure out why he came into the room. It is not the usual culprits like early Alzheimer’s or just becoming forgetful with age. Martin can’t find words for his experience or how to deal with it.

Upon winning a prestigious architectural prize, with a solid marriage and a son who loves him and a devoted longtime friend, he is on the brink of disaster of epic proportions. He has fallen in love with a goat and now everything he has built so far is at risk.

Mr. Shea is impeccable in the role of Martin, a witty articulate man brought down by the unimaginable.  Everything is falling apart in front of him and he does not know where to turn or what to do. Mr. Shea is poised, in a richly delivered performance, full of angst and humor, deftly balanced..

Sharon Carpentier is his longtime loving wife Stevie, who unravels at her discovery of Martin’s behavior. It is the unthinkable come true, become substance. Ms. Carpentier is winning as a woman at odds with herself and her husband’s action.  She is caught in an inescapable dilemma and watches her life fall apart in front of her, what she thought she knew vanishes in an instant with irreparable harm and emotional devastation. She ably navigates the emotional range from tender to perplexed with vivid nuance and emotional power.

Mike Zola is Ross, Martin’s longtime friend who finds him a special person, someone truly extraordinary.  When Martin divulges his dark secret, Ross is shocked and devastated.  It rattles him to the bone, shakes his confidence in his friend and leaves him with worries about what to do.  Mr. Zola is excellent as Ross, a man in the throes of fear, shock and confusion, wanting to do the right thing, not sure what that is.

Ben Church is Billy, Martin’s grown, gay son. Billy is stunned to the core by all this. Before, he raved about his parents, their tender and best qualities, their support of him and who he is. Mr. Church is outstanding as Billy. He ably captures his emotional twists and turns as he watches helplessly as his once loved family implodes with relentless terror and dark humor.

Albee’s play is a tragedy in the classic sense of the word. Someone of great honor and prestige falls from grace through his own actions, sinking into a mire of despair and disgust. Yet the play is rich in humor as well, Albee’s biting, sassy and smart humor that slices to the bone with surgical precision.

This is a vivid performance that shocks and entertains with equal doses, not for the feint of heart and definitely for mature audiences.

Mark Peckham directs with an assured hand, firm and with poise. He keeps the pacing perfect, delving into the rich emotional depth of the play and evoking its rich humor simultaneously.

Trevor Eilliot’s set design is a delight, elegant, spacious and rich.  Ron Cesario’s costumes are right on the mark.

Second Story Theater is at 28 Market Street, Warren RI. Performances are September 27 – October 21, Thursdays at 7:00PM, Fridays and Saturdays at 8:00PM, Sundays at 3:00PM. Ticket prices range from $20 to $25. Call the box office at 401-247-4200  or go to: http://www.2ndstorytheatre.com/tixfaq.htm

After the Revolution at the Gamm Theater

By Richard Pacheco

“After the Revolution” by  Amy Herzog, opens the Gamm’s 2012-2013 season with politics and family in conflict. In the play a leftist, Marxist family finds out that the esteemed patriarch, Joe was not only harassed by the Black List, but in fact passed military secrets on to the Soviets.

The play is set in 1999 and the family has a long history of being Marxists and knows their loyalties.  It focuses on Emma, Joe’s granddaughter, Emma, who is devout in her dedication to fight injustices wherever she finds them.

 Diana  Buirski is Emma, a third generation Marxist who reveres the memory of her dead grandfather, almost canonizing him into a proletariat saint. She loves him so much she started a fund named in his honor to help fight various injustices, such as the battle to save and set free convicted cop killer Mumia Abu-Jamal.

Ms. Buirksi  is determined and convincing as the young woman whose world gets turned upside down when she discovers the truth about her grandfather.  It is a good performance but ultimately I was left with little sympathy for her character who seemed a bit immature and self-absorbed to involve me in her misery at this discovery.

While the cast is solid, the impact this seems to have on the family appears to be too much fuss. This is the play’s flaw.

Jim O’Brien as her father, Ben, is strong and solid and puts the father’s actions into perspective. It is an admirable performance. When Emma discovers he withheld the spying information about the family icon, Grandfather Joe, she cuts him off, refusing to take his phone calls or talk to him at all

Casey Seymour Kim is his wife, Mel. She delivers an energetic and nuanced performance. She is full of vitality and sincerity.

Wendy Overly is Emma’s grandmother, Vera. It’s an inspired comic performance full of energy and wit.

Sam Babbitt is Emma’s big supportive contributor, Morty who reassures her and supports her, trying to convince her to hold onto her ideals. He is deft and effective.

Karen Carpenter is Emma’s sister, Jess. Jess has been the outcast child until now after a series or battles with rehab and other difficulties. Yet she proves to be supportive of Emma when she encounters her crisis.

Ben Gracia as Emma’s boyfriend  Miguel is firm and appealing. Chuck Reifler is Emma’s sympathetic uncle Leo and is ingratiating and likable.

The cast is strong and convincing. The aptly show the family loyalties and battles with skill and honesty.

Director Tony Estrella keeps everything vivid and ably moving through the emotional twists and turns in the play. He manages to evoke some subtle comic touches with facial moves with finesse. These are refined touches not broad comic touches and are very effective.

Patrick Lynch’s set is clever and inventive. It effortlessly converts into several locations with slight touches, from New York to Boston and back again.

"After the Revolution" runs through Oct. 14 at the Gamm, 172 Exchange St., Pawtucket. Tickets are $36-$45. Call (401) 723-4266, or visit gammtheatre.org.

King Lear at Trinity Repertory

By Richard Pacheco

Trinity Repertory opens its 2012-2013 season with a stunning and memorable performance of Shakespeare’s “King Lear.” Sparked by a brilliant performance by Brian McEleney in the title role, the performance is sheer magic. It features a spectacular exploding set and torrential rain on stage.

The Shakespeare tale of rampant ambition and familial betrayals and love is non stop intensity that catapults through nearly three hours of memorable theater. It is robust and relentless. From the gut wrenching scenes of Lear’s laments to blazing battles, moments of male nudity and a gut wrenching unsettling scene where Gloucester has her eyes plucked, it is  riveting and compelling.

Brian McEleney propels it all with a vibrant, brilliant and  unforgettable performance as the king, driven into madness by betrayal and victim of ambition and his own desire to be adored by his daughters. Mr. McEleney is poised and perfect as Lear. He delivers an emotionally packed and thrilling performance. His Lear suffers and churns with emotions as he watches the results of his own actions, rewarding two daughters, expelling the third, who truly loves him. It is disturbing and true to the heart, emotionally effective.

Christie Vela is devious and relentless as the eldest daughter Goneril. She lusts after her father power, ruthless determined to do anything to achieve it.  Ms. Vela is pure venom in the role, insincere and sweet when it serves her purpose, callous and determined when it does not.

Anglea Brazil is equally wonderful as Regan, Lear’s second daughter. Like her elder sister she too craves power and to replace her father by whatever means necessary. Ms. Brazil delivers a poised and slithery performance as the ambitious second daughter.

Abby Sedgeworth is Lear’s youngest daughter, who truly loves him but will not satisfy his ego on his birthday by exaggerating her love for him. When she refuse to do s, he is enraged and gives her none of his kingdom, setting in motion dark events and violence. Ms. Sedgeworth is a delight as the loving, sincere daughter.

Joe Wilson Jr. is wining as Goneril’s husband, the Duke of Albans. Despite being loyal to his wife, he is a man with a conscience.

Stephen Berenson is comic pleasure as the Fool.

Phyllis Kay as the Earl of Gloucester is winning as a person with morals and high standard in the face of rampant oppression and injustice. Ms. Kay is delicately nuanced in her performance giving a wide range of emotional truth and vitality. Her moral conflict is palpable and intense.

Steven Michael Walters as her son and heir Edgar is brisk and persuasive in the role as he squirms his way through betrayals and convolutions which threaten his very life.

Lee Trull is gripping as his illegitimate and scheming brother, Edmund. Mr. Trull is sheer slipperiness in his political manipulations and contortions. He is polished and slippery as this Machiavellian manipulator.

Hassan El-Amin as Kent is the epitome of the dutiful supporter. He is loyal and determined in a riveting performance.

Fed Sullivan Jr. as Oswald, Goneril’s steward is a delight as a faithful servant wth few moral qualms

There is strong support coming from Chamblee Ferguson as Regan’s husband, the Duke of Cornwall, Grant Chapman as the King of France, Drew Ledbetter as the Duke of Burgundy, Brandon J. Vulcovic as the herald and Alston Bornw as Curan.

The entire cast is a wonder as good if not better than most of what I saw at the Royal Shakespeare Company in London.

Director Kevin Moriarty delivers a well honed production with endless vitality and nuance. He entwines the cast with finesse and passion.

Michael McGarty’s set is resourceful and simple at the same time. From the simple décor to the palace to the collapsible walls to make way for the stormy rain scenes, it is effective and impressive.

Craig Handle’s fight choreography is stunning. The large battle scene moves with the elegance of a ballet and the fierceness of any battle. The individual fights are just as effective and impressive.

They received a well deserved standing ovation to a delicious and magnificent evening of theater. It is a must see performance.

"King Lear" is up through Oct. 21. Tickets are $28-$68. Call 351-4242, or visit trinityrep.com.