Three R’s: Reunite, Regroup, Reconnect – Review of “Three Blind Mice”

By Claire DeMarco

Three friends meet at a funeral for a high school classmate.  They haven’t seen or been in touch with one another for years.  They are now middle-aged.

Seth (David Nackman) is Jewish and a previously successful novelist.

African American William (Sheldon Ingram) is an attorney.

Latino and former financial expert, Javi (Enrique Bazán-Arias), is a stay-at-home dad.

Their initial conversations are the usual small talk in an attempt to catch up with one another.  That’s a shame about our classmate?  What have you been doing?  It’s been a long time since we’ve seen each other.  Typical small talk, very conversational, not real depth.

Their reunion continues after the funeral home in a bar/restaurant where each extract more detail about each other’s lives.

William is being considered for a judgeship that would be the culmination of a successful career.

Since Javi’s wife is a doctor, Javi left his finance job and takes care of his autistic son.

One of Seth’s two sons is transitioning.

After this initial meeting, they continue to meet and the layers of their emotions and feelings start to peel back.

Over time William is faced with failure, Seth with possible renewed success and Javi with personal loss. But with every crisis or possible opportunity that each man faces, the threesome is there to support, advise and even verbally challenge one another.

None of the three men are perfect.  They are flawed, vulnerable, normal people who have decided that they (after many years apart) with all their unique and distinctive characteristics have an unbroken bond.

This is an excellent play about male relationships and the need for men to have those deep connections with other men.

Bazán-Arias inserts humor into much of his conversations but he easily pivots to anger and frustration in some discussions with William and Seth. His emotional range is phenomenal as he delivers a eulogy at his wife’s funeral.

Nackman shines as the more quiet member of the threesome.  He struggles with his son’s transition, woefully attempting to understand it.  At the same time, he is wrestling with his writing career which is in a downward spiral.  Nackman is so believable as the gentle soul of the three and one who lacks confidence.

Ingram dramatically transitions from the strait-laced attorney to an angry man when a series of situations put his career in peril.  His lawyer-like speech and stature quickly dissipate into his neighborhood lingo. There are times when he doesn’t need to vocalize – his dead pan facial expressions and double takes speak for themselves.

Bazán-Arias, Nackman and Ingram’s performances compliment and reinforce one another.  They are excellent individually and collectively.

The set is minimal with limited movement of set pieces to indicate scene changes.

Wonderful direction by Art DeConciliis.

The world premiere of “Three Blind Mice was written by Darrin J. Friedman with Heather P. Friedman.  Darrin is a Pittsburgher!

-CED

“Three Blind Mice” runs from January 23 to the 26 at the Carnegie Stage, 25 Main Street, Carnegie, PA 15106. For more information, click here. 

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