The Fab Marquee

The Fab Marquee Review by Preston Wise.

Something extraordinary is happening on 13th Street; Target Margin’s Old Comedy transcends what we think a play can do. Inspired by Aristophanes’ satire The Frogs, this adaptation doesn’t feel like the play is from old times, but a young art form. It has the unrefined rage of a brilliant teenager. This production takes so many risks, breaks so many taboos, challenges and inspires the audience so often that it seems absurd to compare it to a typical theater experience.

Pedro Pascal as Dionysus & Derek Lucci as Xanthias.
Photo Credit: Joe Dore

The play loosely follows the structure of The Frogs. Dionysus (Pedro Pascal), the god of Wine and Drama, and his slave Xanthias (Derek Lucci) travel to the underworld in search of a poet and preside over a verbal duel between Euripides (Purva Bedi) and Aeschylus (Anthony Mark Stockard). Xanthias begins with a razor-beautiful speech comparing the decline of ancient Athens and the end of the ‘American century.’ The play teems with images from throughout human history. A forest out of The Inferno is haunted by a Wendy bird. Heracles thinks he’s special because they changed his name and made him a cartoon. Charon makes a brutal prophesy that no checks and balances can save a government whose people have become corrupt.

As you may guess, the play is smart as it is fearless. As it is funny. While each actor has a standout moment, the comedy team of Pascal and Lucci ignite the show. Sometimes with a flamethrower. As they drop in and out of character, commenting on the action they drive, many of the laughs are of “I can’t believe they just said that” humor. Followed quickly by humor of recognition. The ensemble, working seamlessly as one, finds and discards caricatures by the second.

Somewhere between political commentary too angry to be called satire and a paean to writers who shaped the human soul, the play starts to be something more than play. It’s entertaining and thought-provoking and then it becomes something else. Maybe it’s a reminder that theatre can be a life-changing, not just a night out. Maybe it’s just an experience.

Early in the play, it’s pointed out that Xanthias is a literary first: the clever slave. He will be followed by any number of servants, slaves, and fools who are wiser than their masters and say to them what no one else would. That’s a good analogy for the play. Its production values, while clever, are not ornate. The musical numbers, whether through acoustics or conscious choice, often seem dampened. Sometimes one can see the outline of what a moment could be with stronger musical support. It doesn’t have the smooth polish of Broadway or the Off-Broadway subscription season.

(Front L-R) Purva Bedi, Davina Cohen,
(Rear L –R) Charles Hudson III, Michael Levinton & Anthony Mark Stockard
photo credit: Joe Dore

Like Xanthias, the production uses its humility to say what we don’t like to think, much less hear out loud. There are riveting indictments of our leaders, our art, and the populace that follows them. Rather than anger or defensiveness, they make us laugh or ruefully shake our heads. After the play, something has changed.

And that is a stunning achievement.

——————
Target Margin presents
David Greenspan’s
Old Comedy from Aristophane’s Frogs
directed by David Herskovit
Closing May 31st @ 8pm

The performance schedule for Old Comedy from Aristophanes’ Frogs is Tuesdays – Saturdays at 8:00 p.m. and Saturdays and Sundays at 3:00 p.m. Single tickets are $45 for weekday performances and $50 for weekend performances and may be purchased online at www.classicstage.org, by calling 866-811-4111, or in person at Classic Stage Company, 136 East 13 Street, between 3rd & 4th Avenue, Monday – Friday 12-6pm, or by visiting www.targetmargin.org.

Classic Stage Company | 136 East 13 Street, between 3rd & 4th Avenue | Manhattan.

The Fab Marquee review by Peyton Wise.

The marketing for Boxed In, a presentation of two one acts by Project Oriented Productions, describes it as ‘fighting against a stagnant country of 88 hour work weeks and $8 cups of coffee.’ That may have been the writers’ impetus, but the plays inspire questions more than they impose answers. In both plays, someone is crazy, but I honestly don’t know who, myself included.

Kellie Arens as Roberta & Melissa Derfler as Fawn

The first piece, Cornered, portrays a manic first-day orientation of an artist-turning-checkout-girl at Cornerworld, a superstore for Styrofoam packaging corners. (The description of how Cornerworld replaced dusty old mom and pop corner stores is one of the many surprise laughs scattered through the piece). The orientation is driven by Roberta (playwright Kellie Arens), an obsessive employee-handbook thumper who argues with stuffed animals as she charges through a litany that includes requiring the applicant to change her hair color and lose her pregnancy. We begin to wonder, however, at the sanity of Fawn (Melissa Derfler), the Goth artist for sticking around. When Roberta breaks her to the point of forcing her to scream “art is useless,” the audience, clearly comprised of artists, can’t help shifting in their seats.Cornered has many surprises, both in the staging and the writing. Both set the groundwork early for punches that come around at the end of the play. If the intention is to build to a frenzy, however, it is sabotaged by the middle section. After the situation and tone are established, both continue without escalation. During this time, one can’t help but wonder why Fawn stays, despite having her hand on the doorknob while being insulted and why the lights keep changing so abruptly. Despite these limitations, the play has some interesting thoughts and Arens and Derfler find some fun comedic moments. At the performance I saw, Arens created from a prop problem one of the funniest moments in the play.

The second piece, Transit, is quite simply a remarkable piece of theatre. Everything is so tightly honed it was like watching the Marx brothers via Meyerhold. The simple tools offered by lights, two actors, and some boxes onstage were used to create fractal worlds. The actors were so in tune and the mime so sharp- at one point an actor picked up a discarded ‘prop’ from the exact place the other had thrown it- that I began to believe I must be crazy to not see props and scenery that were so clearly there.

Jonathan Albert as Sam & Anthony Crep as Pat

The play begins with two men in coveralls, waiting for a train to come. They play games waiting for it to come and as they do, we begin to realize this may not be the limbo of a train platform, but of some form of incarceration. Sam (playwright Jonathan Albert) is a Gump-like younger brother, deeply affected by the moods of the moodier and more sinister Pat (Anthony Crep). As the games merge with murkier aspects of their pasts, the actors play hide and seek on a dizzying path of tonal switchbacks. Albert and Crep execute the turns in perfect unison, playing off each other and in a Beckettian pas-de-deux. Either performance is impressive; together they are stunning.

Director Cristina Alicea keeps a sharp control of the reins, shaping pace and focus by eliminating any extraneous movement or element. The set of white boxes is used to shape movement without marking place. The lights change subtly to bring us into each world without defining what we’re about to experience. At one point, the exit light is put to the best use I’ve ever seen. (The performance of No Exit with a clearly marked upstage fire exit must now take second place.) The entrance of sound is so unobtrusive that it’s only noticed when it changes for a powerful final reveal.

Absurdism, like many 20th century isms, has often been remembered only for its repudiation of conventional structure. Transit is so successful because the playwright and director create their own structure, rather than justify whimsy with ‘carte absurde’. Audiences may not know the play’s rules, but can feel that they and the actors are supported by it. The actors are not trying to justify outlandish choices with mania and the audience can trust that the end will not betray what’s gone before. In fact, this hidden structure is a theatrical metaphor for the bastard existentialism that prompted Absurdism. Pat and Sam follow a track laid out according to rules they don’t know, vacillating from rage to joy to fear, with a predetermined ending, while we struggle to connect any clues to a universal picture that includes us.

—————–
Project Oriented Productions presents
Boxed In
May 1-18, 2008 (Thu-Sat @8pm; Sun@3pm & 7pm).
The Royal Theatre (The Producers Club).

Tickets: $18 available online at www.smarttix.com.

The Royal Theatre (The Producers Club) | 358 West 44th St. | Manhattan.

The Fab Marquee review by Antonio Miniño.

First thing you think when you walk into the 3LD Art & Technology Center is, you are in for a hi-tech show, and then you notice you are in for a party. A party in a multimedia fire island, with two boardwalks, 4 ginormous screens, “all you can eat” hamburgers, hot dogs, and booze galore! You are surrounded by tempting buckets full of beer all over the “beach” floor, and there’s wine and soda if beer’s not your thing. Oh yeah, and a fantastic live cover band lead by Albert Kuvezi. You take a cushion, or a beach chair and pick a spot between the boardwalks and the screens, two hours later “the show begins” (doors open at 6pm so you can enjoy the bash).

Catherine Yeager, Gautham Prasad,
Allison Keating & David Tirosh

Charles Mee is best known for his plays of history and love, and I have to mention Big Love because you will be revisiting this masterpiece in Fire Island, just be sure to have a relaxed neck, you will be twisting left to right to figure out where the action is coming from. The actors are gliding through the crowd, they are part of the live band, they are… well, they are Fire Island. At first you are fully aware of what is going on, you are intrigued, engaged on the actions that happen on the screens, that are reenacted or completed by the actors around you. But the lack of narrative, of that ‘magic glue’ that puts all the pieces together in a play, was not there.

A cry to social love and understanding, a cry to things that must be left behind, or of moving on, but it might as well have been a night of monologues or scenes. I had a hard time trying to figure out if this was a play or not. Fire Island was missing Mee’s high stakes, battles of wit and bloody situations. Fire Island fell a little behind, but that didn’t stop it from being a memorable evening. This is a must for theatergoers that are more into the casual and free approach to the art form.

——————-
3-Legged Dog Productions presents
Charles Mee’s
Fire Island
April 10 - May 3, 2008
3LD Art & Technology Center
Tickets are $30.00 and $15.00 for Students, visit www.3ldnyc.org.

3LD Art & Technology Center | 80 Greenwich Street | Manhattan.

The Fab Marquee review by A.K. Gobble

I Have Before Me A Remarkable Document Given To Me By A Young Lady From Rwanda is a new play by the award winning playwright, Sonja Linden, making its New York premiere presented by the Phoenix Theatre Ensemble. This play follows the story of a young refugee named Juliet (Susan Hayward) as she struggles with her new life in a foreign country while dealing with her tormented past.

After witnessing her entire family’s execution and losing everything she owned, Juliet, a young survivor of the 1994 Rwanda massacre arrives in England under a refugee status and attempts to build a future for herself. Juliet’s dream of becoming a writer brings her together with an older gentleman, a burned out poet named Simon, (Joseph J. Menino) who works at the refugee center. Together they form an unlikely friendship of two people sharing their love for words and the healing powers they posses.

Joe Menino as Simon & Susan Heyward as Juliet
photo credit: Monte Stilson

Simon encourages Juliet to be brave, tell the stories of her painful past and confront her overwhelming emotions by putting them on the page. As Juliet attempts to oblige, we discover the unthinkable reality this young lady once lived and the extreme cultural differences she is currently experiencing.

This play is written in a very personal way; using much needed humor at times to relieve us from the horrors we are told.

I find it to be very hard to write a review on a personal and truthful story such as this. No matter what you see on stage you really want to root for these people! I was extremely moved by this play and found myself wanting to explore more on the subject beyond the night’s performance.
Linden, who wrote this play, based it on her own experience working at a refugee center as a resident writer and was inspired by her own encounter with a young survivor and her story.
Linden’s challenge was to transform these painful stories into a piece of theater that would engage an audience. A challenge, that was successful mostly in credit to her talented and wonderful cast.

The play is written as a series of memories recalled by Juliet, the young survivor. And although her stories are captivating enough on their own, I find that when actors are on stage they need actions to make the story come alive, otherwise there is no difference between watching a play and reading a book. A play needs tension, a conflict, an emotional peak to keep an audience interested and I feel that in this case it fell a bit short, mainly in the relationship between Simon and Juliet. The relationship was unclear and I didn’t see their need for each other. At the beginning their relationship seemed to be taking on a romantic turn, leaving the audience in suspense and wonder but it was quickly dropped with no explanations. I would have liked to see it play on some more; maybe even cross a line in order to bring Simon’s character more meaning.

As wonderful as the actor was, I would have liked to see Simon’s character more extreme, more disheveled, bringing out more of his own demons. I felt he was somewhat unnecessary since this play would have easily functioned as a one-woman show with some subtle changes and would have been as equally interesting.

The story takes a twist when Juliet receives some exciting news from home regarding her youngest brother. This turn was also underplayed in my opinion and should have created more of an emotional peak; the big climax of the play was unfortunately not delivered. I believe it was outshined by the previously strong moments and the horrific descriptions of the killings; something I wish Elise Stone, the wonderfully sensitive director would have focused on. Her work on this piece was very creative and her use of the space was smart. With almost no set to back them up the transitions and locations were very clear.

With all that being said, I found myself to be very engaged and interested in this woman’s life. It has opened my eyes to a part of the world I rarely think about. I thought the actors were terrific and dedicated. It was hard not to fall in love with Hayward’s Juliet who captured both her sadness and her strength so perfectly and Menino’s Simon who was so warm and fatherly.

On a special not I would like to mention the lighting designer, Tony Mulanix whose work on this piece really contributed to my emotional involvement at times, especially the gorgeous setting of the church and candles.

Gadi at the Market by Jacqueline (age 8) 2000.
Through the Eyes of the Children: The Rwanda Project

This play is performed in conjunction with the award-winning exhibit “Through the Eyes of Children- the Rwanda Project”. These photos taken by the young survivors of the 1994 genocide make perfect setting to the show as you make your way to the theater and again once out.

If you get a chance, go see this play! I promise it will touch your heart.

——————
Sonja Linden’s
I Have Before Me a Remarkable Document
Given to Me by A Young Woman From Rwanda
April 12-May 4, 2008
Tuesdays & Saturdays @ 8pm
Sundays @ 1:30pm & 7:30pm
Theatre at Saint Peter’s

• Tickets: $20.00; 212-352-3101 or www.PhoenixTheatreEnsemble.org

Theatre at Saint Peter’s | 54th Street just East of Lexington Avenue

The Fab Marquee review by David Stallings.

Nicu’s Spoon Theatre Company is an inspiring group with a unique message all theatergoers in NYC should learn from. They pride themselves in working with talent of varying “colors, ages, genders, abilities, and talent.” The diversity of the company is literally heart-warming as the casting always seems organic to the piece and never forced. That being said, I attended Nicu’s Spoon’s production of Elizabeth Rex by Timothy Findley this past week. The play fits into the mission perfectly as it explores gender roles in a surprising context. Unfortunately, the charismatic ensemble could not save the piece from its unfocused overwriting and inattentive direction.

Findley’s play has a fascinating premise. It set’s us in the England of Elizabeth I and Shakespeare, and supposes what would happen if the two spent an evening together. The evening is filled with drama, as it is the night before Elizabeth executes her former lover, Essex. She chooses to find the company of Shakespeare and his players rather than dance the evening away with her obsequious court. What Elizabeth finds is a hostile bunch of actors who challenge her decision to execute her lover, claiming that Elizabeth has forgotten how to be a woman in assuming the role of a man. Her primary opposition is actor Ned Lowenscroft who plays all the female leads in Shakespeare’s plays. He contrarily seems to have forgotten how to be a man in affecting always the part of a woman.

The world of the play is marvelous, ingenious, and delightful in concept and synopsis. In execution, Findley fails. From the moment Elizabeth enters the stage, the actors are blatantly rude to her. It is not the charming difference of class, but a violent seeming attack on her from the start. This immediately takes the viewer out of the piece. No one can understand why Elizabeth would allow such an attack. If the opposition only came from one character—Lowenscroft—then the play would make sense. Lowenscoft is dying and has nothing to lose. To the viewer’s dismay, Findley chooses that everyone has a beef with the queen and makes little to no attempt to hide it. Shakespeare doesn’t like her because she put his lover—according to this play anyway—in the tower. Beddoes doesn’t like her seemingly because he doesn’t like anyone. Jack Edmond doesn’t like her because he is Irish and of course opens up that can of worms as well. After half an hour, the play turns into a screaming match that lasts for another two… When Findley finally focuses on the main argument between Elizabeth and Lowenscroft, he gets caught up in a conversation that seems extremely repetitive and never ending—not allowing a single statement to stand on its own.

The leading actors took their rich and layered historic roles and made the best of them. Stephanie Barton-Farcas delivers with her Elizabeth. She has created a woman who is believable as a queen, and yet we understand why she would be drinking ale in a barn. Ms. Farcas is genuine in her grief for Essex and her meltdown at the end of the piece is honest, vulnerable, and human. Ms. Farcas does everything right in a role that seems impossible to play. It is not her fault that Findley has the character talk in circles. She attempts to make sense of the writing with beautiful acting choices.

Likewise, Michael DiGiogia is a vision in the role of Ned Lowenscroft. From entrance to curtain, Mr. DiGiogia captures the stage and the heart of everyone in the room; then never lets go. His ability to play the diva-like character with genuine realism is commendable.

Kudos should also be given to Bill Galarno as the light of the play in his portrayal of aging actor Percy Gower, Merle Louise as the marvelously stoic Lady Henslow, Andrew Hutchenson as the brooding Jack Edmund, and Melanie Horton for her subtlety as Lady Stanley. Fitting in with the mission of Nicu’s Spoon, actor Sammy Mena plays the character of an abused bear taken in by Lowenscroft in a lovely moment of metaphor. Each time Mena entered as the bear, his honesty brought tears to my eyes. The way both Ms. Farcas and Mr. DiGiogia treated the bear proved to be the standout moments of the evening.

Director Joanne Zipay failed in unifying the text and making sense of the problem spots. She focused each character’s argument in a bold way rather than allowing one argument to stand on it’s own. If she had directed her cast to be more honestly reverent to their queen and let their frustrations be a bubbling undercurrent, the play would have faired better. Attacking the play’s arguments too early and with such force abandoned her actors and highlighted the textual faults.

The aesthetic of the set (John Trevellini), costumes (Rien Schlect), and lighting design (Steven Wolf) were all of the highest quality, truly unified in their world.

A play with several beautiful moments, I do not wish to leave unsaid that Findley’s use of language is mesmerizing and his concept unique. The cast fares well and the company is commendable. I would be a bitter man indeed to not say that I leave Nicu’s Spoon always learning a powerful lesson in humanity.

——————

Nicu’s Spoon presents
Timothy Findley’s
Elizabeth Rex
April 2nd-19th, 2008
The Spoon Theatre

Tickets are $18 and are now available online at www.theatermania.com or by calling 212-352-3101. Tickets may also be purchased in-person at the Spoon Theatre Box Office, 1 hour prior to showtime.

The Spoon Theatre | 38 West 38th St, 5th Floor | Manhattan.

The Fab Marquee review by David Stallings.

It is a testament to Henrik Ibsen’s Ghosts, that two productions of his play are being performed for New York audiences this month. One is the Off Broadway production at the Pearl Theatre and the other is the Off-Off Broadway production at the Beckmann Theater at the American Theatre of Actors. I had the pleasure of seeing the latter this week.

Jean Walker as Mrs. Alving &
Alan Altschuler as Pastor Manders

Ibsen is known for writing book-end plays that discuss two sides of the same issue. Ghosts is paired with A Doll’s House. Where A Doll’s House explores a young woman’s journey to making the then unheard of decision of leaving a bad marriage, Ghosts explores what happens when a woman compromises herself and does not escape. The results are tragic, but Ibsen tells the story in such a wickedly humorous way, that the play is addictive.

Ghosts follows Mrs. Alving’s torment at realizing that her only son, Oswald has somehow inherited his fathers disease of “dissoluteness”, which we assume is syphilis. Mrs. Alving always lied to Oswald about his father’s character and sudden demise in order to shield him from disillusionment. She has also hidden the fact that her ward, Regina, is the illegitimate daughter of her husband and an early housekeeper. The ghosts of her lies come back to haunt her as she learns of Oswald’s illness, his newfound love of his half-sister Regina, and even contemplates allowing their marriage to occur despite her secret. Paired with the re-entrance of the true object of her affection—a pretentious pastor, the play is a fast paced drama that keeps audiences gasping.

Essentially, the play is about a woman who is a coward. Mrs. Alving is progressive in thought and much sharper and well read than any one else in her town. But her need to fulfill her duty as a wife compromises her ideals and brings about her ruin. There is no need to do this piece unless the actress playing Mrs. Alving has the ability to hold the empathy of the audience and convey the intensity of the moment. In Phare Play’s Production, Jean Walker delivers and then some. Ms. Walker was charming and captivating in her role. From the moment she walked on stage, the audience believed every word she uttered, and was concerned for her fragile self. The character’s arc worked well under this actress’s command. At times, the audience forgets she is an actress, as she affected no airs, but rather played the part with heart. It is always a relief when the lead proves to be the scene-stealer, for no one could take their eyes off of Ms.Walker.

Laurence Waltman as Jacob Engstrad &
Alan Altschuler as Pastor Manders

Alan Altschuler fared well in his role as Pastor Manders. His naturalism in the role and ease with environment made the pivotal arguments between his character and Mrs. Alving come to life. Laurence Waltman was also enjoyable and garnered many laughs as Jacob Engstrand (think a darker version of Eliza Doolittle’s father).

Unfortunately the younger members in the cast struggled more with the text. Yury Lomakin had a commanding voice and presence as Oswald, but his handling of the difficult task of playing the disease was unsuccessful. Oswald is certainly a troublesome part, as he is quite confident in his language at the top of the play, and by the climax (which occurs in the same day) he can barely string together a sentence. Lomakin handled the task by suddenly playing the pain in fitful moments, but seemed more upset than anything else. Playing against the pain and trying to conceal his hardship throughout would have gained him more ground. As Regina, Sarah Schmidt seemed uncomfortable on stage. Her stiff body and frustrated sighs strangled the fluidity of many scenes.

Director Kymm Zuckert staged the play seamlessly and seemed to have a good grasp of the subtext in the piece. Her infusion of humor into the play is to be commended. The audience even laughed throughout some tense moments, due to Zuckert’s highlighting of the provincial attitudes of Pastor Manders. It was a successful turn.

Overall, the evening was quite enjoyable. The mature choices of the lead actors, humor filled directing, and rich text proved a delight for the audience. If young theatergoers have not had the opportunity of seeing Ghosts staged, I recommend they see this light and laugh filled production.

——————–
Phare Play Productions presents
Henrik Ibsen’s
Ghosts
directed by Kymm Zuckert
March 26-April 6
Wed-Sat @ 8pm; Sun @ 3pm (no show March 29)
American Theatre of Actors

Tickets $ 20.00; Call (646)241-0823; online purchase direct link: http://www.ovationtix.com/trs/pr/37831

American Theatre of Actors | Beckmann Theatre | 314 West 54th St | Manhattan.

Phare Play Productions presents
Henrik Ibsen’s
Ghosts
directed by Kymm Zuckert
March 26-April 6
Wed-Sat @ 8pm; Sun @ 3pm (no show March 29)
American Theatre of Actors

Henrik Ibsen’s 1891 play is startlingly modern even today, with its frank defense of free love and condemnation of the power of the church, there is nothing quaint or old-fashioned about it. Directed by Kymm Zuckert, Phare Play’s new production stars Jean Walker as Mrs. Alving, Yury Lomakin as Oswald Alving, Alan Altschuler as Pastor Manders, Sarah Schmidt as Regina Engstrom and Laurence Waltman as Jacob Engstrom.

Tickets $ 20.00; Call (646)241-0823; online purchase direct link: http://www.ovationtix.com/trs/pr/37831

American Theatre of Actors | Beckmann Theatre | 314 West 54th St | Manhattan.

Reviewed by David Stallings

There is no such thing as a perfect play. Any good play has its problem areas that a talented director knows how to turn into a beautiful moment. Things are left unsaid—or are repeated—or at times seem messy. Look at Measure for Measure, Hamlet, The Three Sisters, or Hedda Gabler to understand how rough—imperfect scripts are actually fine masterpieces. Any play that is so finely focused, tuned, and wrapped up that there are no rough edges, does not lend itself to being performed more than once. Don’t we as theatergoers get excited as to how a production will handle the messiness of a good play? That being said, I feel that Jonathan Wallace’s ShapeShifter is a good play—and would look forward to seeing other productions in the future. The story is wonderfully human and expressed with much poetry so that reminded me of a modern retelling of The Seagull. Wallace bravely allowed his play to be rough and cracked, without ever letting it feel like it came out of the machine of typical playwriting structure.

V. Orion Delwaterman & Shelly Virginia
photo credit: Ellis Gaskell

The plot follows three siblings: Liam, Aidan, and Dierdre through a decade of evolution. All three are goofy, bright, and well educated with promising futures ahead of them. All three are also enamored or in love with the same woman, Darcy. As malleable as the siblings are, Darcy cannot change with the tides, but breaks apart as weathered stone. The play opens on a beach in front of the home in Montauk where Dierdre plans on living and working with her new lesbian lover, Victoria. Victoria has an angry streak in her and would gladly beat up anyone who rubs her the wrong way. Dierdre has begun to quell that fire within and Victoria realizes that love is changing her. This play covers ten years in three acts. Each act represents a moment when the characters must either grow or change, but status quo cannot be an option. ShapeShifter is about those special moments when we must transform our shape or be swept away.

Shelley Virginia heads the cast as the demure and mousy Dierdre who proves to be the most resilient character in the play. Ms. Virginia captivates the audience from the moment when you first enter the space and witness her bobbing to music—to the curtain, when she struggles over a decade of losses and compromises. Ms. Virginia never missed a moment in the play and filled her character with every human emotion. Likewise, V. Orion Delwaterman as the sweet and nerdy Aidan delivered a delightful performance filled with pathos. Shane Jerome Colt seemed to be caught up in the negatives of the eldest brother, Liam—a troublesome role. Liam is often called names and is berated by his siblings, and Mr. Colt seemed to play the role as seen through the other character’s eyes rather than for his own merit.

Jennifer Boehm shined as the vibrant Darcy—a struggling actress who searches for fulfillment in Liam—a man who only disappoints her. The role was so similar to Nina from The Seagull; that at times I wondered if the parallels were purposeful. Boehm truly shined in the second act, when her illusions are shattered and she grabs onto the affections of Aidan to sustain her. Boehm’s journey is commendable and based in honesty. Yvonne Roen delivers an equally balanced performance as Victoria and found a fierceness that held the play together and pushed it at the same time.

Glory Sims Bowen directed the play with an attentive eye for emotion and detail. At times, the detailed awareness of the period (the 80’s) seemed to distract from the honesty of the moment. It was most evident in the first act—the second act quickly alleviated that feeling. Playing at the nostalgia of youth is a difficult hurdle trapped with sentimentality and an over-all pushed feeling. The over-detailing was also the primary drawback in the dialogue—which got so caught up in early computer cyberspace terminology that the audience is left with their head spinning. When the author and director allowed the play to simply sit with its well-conceived characters and rhythms, the play soared. The poetry and theatricality of the piece would have fit better in a larger space—but who doesn’t want that? The play seemed suited for an Off-Broadway run and would definitely grow best in that kind of venue.

Shelly Virginia & Yvonne Roen
photo credit: Ellis Gaskell

Stephanie Tucci’s well-ordered set seemed like a revelation in the second act when it appeared to be the visual personification of the major metaphor in the play. The play talks about two types of people: “dolphins” and “stones”. The dolphin-like blue set—walls to floor—is highlighted by a seemingly stone floor that cracks and breaks apart during the act changes. Ian Marshall handled the fight choreography magnificently—a difficult feat in such a small space. Ryan Metzler’s lights and David B. Thompson’s costumes added to the sophistication of the evening.

Seeing ShapeShifter was an affirmation of what a good play’s elements should hold, and I look forward to seeing it picked up and developed further.

——————–
Howling Moon Cab Company presents
Jonathan Wallace’s
ShapeShifter
March 9-29th, 2008
Monday, March 10th @7pm
Fridays & Saturdays @8pm
Sundays @ 3pm & 7pm
Tickets: $ 18.00; www.smarttix.com
The Studio Theatre at The Barrow Group
312 West 36th St. 3rd Floor (between 8th and 9th Avenues)

Howling Moon Cab Company presents
Jonathan Wallace’s
ShapeShifter
March 9-29th, 2008
Monday, March 10th @7pm
Fridays & Saturdays @8pm
Sundays @ 3pm & 7pm
The Studio Theatre at The Barrow Group

“Deirdre Molloy, disregarded younger sister, is a software genius. Liam Molloy, the eldest, is a brutal entrepreneur. When Deirdre gets rich, and Liam stands on the edge of a business decision which will make or break him, their battle for respect and dominance draws in their middle sibling, Aidan, and all of their spouses and loved ones.”

SHAPESHIFTER

Howling Moon Cab Company presents ShapeShifter by Jonathan Wallace, directed by Glory Bowen. Starring: Jennifer Boehm, V. Orion Delwaterman, Shane Jerome, Yvonne Roen and Shelley Virginia. ShapeShifter will be playing a 3-Week limited engagement from March9th through March 29th, 2008, at The Studio Theatre (The Barrow Group, 312 West 36th St. 4th floor).

Scenic Design by Stephanie Tucci; Lighting Design by Ryan Metzler; Costume Design by David Thompson; Fight Choreography by Ian Marshal; Assistant Direction and Stage Management by Amanda Adili and Amber Gallery.

Tickets: $ 18.00; www.smarttix.com

The Studio Theatre (at The Barrow Group) | The Barrow Group, 312 West 36th St. 3rd floor

Sonja Linden’s
I Have Before Me a Remarkable Document
Given to Me by A Young Woman From Rwanda
April 12-May 4, 2008
Tuesdays & Saturdays @ 8pm
Sundays @ 1:30pm & 7:30pm
Theatre at Saint Peter’s

Gadi at the Market by Jacqueline (age 8) 2000.
Through the Eyes of the Children: The Rwanda Project

Phoenix Theatre Ensemble will be presenting the NY premiere of Sonja Linden’s celebrated play I Have Before Me a Remarkable Document Given to Me by A Young Woman From Rwanda in conjunction with a photo exhibit “Through the Eyes of the Children: The Rwanda Project.” Performances will run from April 12 through May 4. (www.PhoenixTheatreEnsemble.org)

Selected performances will include talk backs with cast members and representatives of NGOs and humanitarian, and non-profit organizations. A portion of all proceeds will benefit The Rwanda Project, the children of the Imbabazi Orphanage and carefully selected nonprofit organizations. This event is a collaboration of Phoenix Theatre Ensemble, Saint Peter’s Church, The Rwanda Project, Middle Collegiate Church, and The York Theatre.

Tickets: $20.00; 212-352-3101 or www.PhoenixTheatreEnsemble.org

Theatre at Saint Peter’s | 54th Street just East of Lexington Avenue