A friendship between two actors is tested as they work together over a prolonged period of time in David Mamet’s “A Life in the Theatre.”
Robert (Sam Tsoutsouvas), an older actor, befriends John (Joseph McGranaghan) after a performance. The friendship waxes, and wanes over a series of sketches immersed in theatrical tropes. It’s not deep but it’s delightful.
They play soldiers, sailors, tinkers, and spies. There’s a Chekhovian moment when the actors stare out the window and contemplate the coming season. There’s a silly moment when both actors stare at the phone waiting for the sound cue (a scene written decades before “The Play That Goes Wrong”). At one point, they are literally ‘in the trenches’ together in a World War I drama.
Mamet known for his ribald language is restrained here. It’s not “Glengarry Glen Ross,” but it never tries to be. It is a romp with subtle explorations of character.
Spoilers beyond this point.
There is a subtext to the friendship. Robert seems too curious about John’s romantic phone call. John, in turn, masks the call by only revealing that he was talking to ‘a friend.’ If there is more between the two, it’s hinted, but never fully explored.
Robert (Sam Tsoutsouvas), and John (Joseph McGranaghan) stare off into the distance in “A Life in the Theatre.” Photo Credit: Rocky Raco
Both men are exceedingly talented.
Tsoutsouvas is wonderful as the crotchety older actor. Robert struts across the stage seemingly full of self-confidence, but, in reality, the character is vulnerable, frightened and insecure.
In this sly two-hander, the men battle wits in ways both furious and mild. McGranaghan matches his scene partner’s energy.
The assistant stage manager, Cameron Nickel, is almost a third character in the play, popping up frequently, dressing, undressing the set and the actors.
“A Life in the Theatre” is a showcase for the two actors, and Director Andrew Paul gives them a wide berth.
Johnmichael Bohach’s set is simple, but elegant and utilitarian.
“A Life in the Theatre” is a fun, little diversion for a summer evening.
-MB
“A Life in the Theatre” runs until June 30 at the Richard E. Rauh Theatre, Cathedral of Learning on the University of Pittsburgh campus, 4200 Fifth Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15260. For more information, click here.
A fractured family is forced to reconcile a myriad of issues in “The Animal Kingdom” by Ruby Thomas.
In an unnamed treatment facility, Sam (Greyson Taylor) meets with his therapist Daniel (Juan Rivera Lebron) prepping him for the inevitable, a group session with his mother (Daina Michelle Griffith), his father Tim (Darren Eliker) and his sister, Sofia (Alexandra Casey).
The five gather in a star-shaped circle of chairs, five points of light struggling in the darkness. Think of it as an Escape Room, but instead of puzzles and clues the only way out is through revealing the truest version of self.
Thomas lulls us into a false sense of complacency with some witty dialogue and then pounces on us with pathos.
The family therapy session gets complicated in “Animal Kingdom.”
The key descriptive word for this play is “intense.”
The intimate space is filled with intimate emotions, heightening every move and gesture. The upheavals of emotion are powerful, shocking. The pregnant pauses are disconcerting. When a droll remark, a witty anecdote or a funny personality trait arises, the laughter erupts. An escape valve letting out the pressure.
Director Patrick Jordan is also listed as the set designer, created a claustrophobic space for his actors, but gives them just enough room to move.
The acting is superb. “The Animal Kingdom” is a lesson in the craft. . The dialogue feels fresh and exciting as if the actors are saying the words for the first time. Every actor feels authentic and in-the-moment.
Taylor is exquisite as the young adult struggling with his psychological issues. He projects emotions with every withering look, heavy sigh, and controlled gesture. His best moment comes when Sofia shares her perspective on his monumental decision.
In a tense moment, Griffith makes asking for a glass of water hilarious. She is divine as Rita, the mile-a-minute talkative mom who more than makes up for her non-verbal ex-husband, Tim.
Even when appearing disengaged, Eliker incites tension. Tim is more nuanced, and Eliker plays him perfectly.
Casey gets fewer moments than her castmates, but when she does it’s in an explosive revelation. It is heartfelt, touching and beautiful.
Rivera Lebron has to temper his performance as the therapist, but he does a marvelous job despite the restraints.
Andrew David Ostrowski illuminates the cramped office and throws the surroundings into pitch black.
Note: Spoilers are coming in the form of a warning, a trigger warning.
The show discusses suicide, and it can be disturbing.
If you are experiencing or contemplating suicidal thoughts, please call National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255. The Lifeline is available 24 hours a day and the help provided is free and confidential.
Pittsburgh theater is at its peak with a plethora of must-see shows. Add this to the growing list, but do not miss it.
-MB
“Animal Kingdom” runs from June 14 – 30, 2024 at the Bingo O’Malley Theatre, barebones black box theater, 1211 Braddock Avenue, Braddock, PA 15104. For more information, click here.
The Shakespearean tragedy of “Romeo and Juliet” is reimagined for the modern age (or, rather, a less distant past) and set to song in the iconic musical, “West Side Story, where the Jets and the Sharks are the Montagues and Capulets. The language isn’t Elizabethan, but it is archaic. You might have to decipher a little 50s street slang, but the underlying message is clear; love is love.
Two gangs on the West Side compete for the same territory in 1950s New York, the Sharks, led by Bernardo (Giuseppe Bausilio), and the Jets, led by Riff (Davis Wayne).
A Jet, Tony (Spencer LaRue), just met a girl named Maria (Sabina Collazo), and suddenly the name doesn’t mean the same to him. Maria is Bernardo’s sister, and everything is about to change for the Jets and the Sharks.
“West Side Story” premiered in Washington, D.C. in 1957, and, as mentioned, was a retelling of “Romeo and Juliet,” but there might be spoilers ahead.
The Jets get ready to rumble. Photo Credit: Matt Polk
Maria (Sabina Collazo) feels pretty after meeting an Italian kid. Photo Credit: Matt Polk
Collazo’s voice is fantastic, operatic. It’s easy to fall in love with this Maria.
LaRue is a likable leading man. As the gang’s lone goody-two-shoes, he doesn’t get any of the funny lines or angry diatribes, but he is solid. He projects kindness and politeness, characteristics the gang lacks.
Wayne’s Riff charismatic. It’s easy to believe that a gang would follow him into the gates of hell.
Action may very well be “psychologically disturbed (distoorbed),” because Harry Francis sure plays him that way. The man is seething with rage in every scene, except when he is dancing. He dances elegantly, beautifully.
Anita is one of the show’s best characters and Adriana Negron performs a marvelous rendition of the character. She aptly puts Rosalia (Joy Del Valle) in her place during “America.” Negron gets to show a gamut of emotions. Her scene in Doc’s drug store is powerful. It’s the scene where the Jets lose sympathy.
Side note: Del Valle sings “Somewhere” as a voiceover off stage, and its a shame she’s not on stage during her solo because she deserves the applause.
Ken Bolden’s Doc is the lone voice of reason in a horrific landscape of hate and perpetual violence. When Doc isn’t scurrying about his store like a mother hen, he pops out some droll one-liners, expertly delivered by Bolden.
Dixie Sherwood appears in one scene, but steals said scene as the over-the-top social worker, Gladhand.
Allan Snyder’s Lieutenant Schrank is menacing, but his sidekick, Officer Krupke (J. Alex Noble), is comic relief.
Leo Meyers scenic design, enhanced by video designer Brad Peterson and lighting designer Paul Miller, elevate the show to Broadway standards. The sets are magnificent.
While this production has great acting and singing, Baayork Lee’s choreography enlivens “West Side Story.” The choreographer mimics Jerome Robbins in all the best ways, with swift, graceful forms in colorful costumes by Robert Fletcher. While it would be unusual to see pirouettes and arabesques in a street fight, it is stunning on stage.
While the language is dated, “West Side Story” still resonates. It’s a story star-crossed lovers whose misadventures are caused by racism, fear and paranoia, and, unfortunately, we still have too much of that.
-MB
“West Side Story” runs from June 11 to 16 at the Benedum, 237 Seventh Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15222, For more information, click here.
Sister’s (Kimberly Richards) task is to conduct a summer school catechism class for those “students” who need that extra push and attention and sit in a classroom when others are on holiday. The audience is willing (sometimes not) participants in this summer class. They are called on to answer any questions she throws at them, and, of course, how their answer is delivered is critiqued as well.
Gum chewing is not allowed as Sister passes a tissue to a woman sitting in the top row. An older man in the front row is told “to sit up straight” and he obliges. A young girl’s cleavage is a bit much for Sister’s eyes and she’s given a bib to cover up.
Note: The bib wearer leaves the covering on for the entire show.
Kim Richards plays the irascible nun.
This is an interactive show whose audience plays a key role in its execution. Many of the stories Sister tells are helpful with a Biblical twist, although she often adds verbiage to a story that most likely never occurred. Pondering on Christ’s occupation as a carpenter, she wonders if as a youth he might have created a bird house possibly made of popsicle sticks!
Richards is serious and funny, imaginative and to the point. Much of her delivery and adlibs are spontaneous as she never knows what questions or answers the audience will throw at her. It is evident that no two performances are the same as the audience is always different and their responses trigger a totally different comeback from Richards.
Tony Ferrieri’s creation of a school room is authentic, complete with two rows of arm desks facing the stage. (Note: Audience members are encouraged (and do) sit in those seats, facing Sister.) Every conceivable Catholic statue, religious picture, or rosaries are everywhere, even in the lobby of the theater.
Richards has starred in all seven installments of the Late Nite Catechism comedy series. This production is delightful, full of fun and it’s apparent from their reaction that she has a huge following here in Pittsburgh.
“Sister’s Summer School Catechism: God Never Takes a Vacation!” was written by Maripat Donovan.
-CED
“Sister’s Summer School Catechism: God Never Takes a Vacation!” is a production of City Theatre. Performances run from June 6th – June 30th at The Lillie Theatre. For more information, and tickets click here.
It’s not easy to tackle Tony Kushner’s Pulitzer Prize winning play, “Angels In America: Part One: The Millennium Approaches,” but in his directorial debut, Tucker Topel pulls it off with aplomb.
In 1985, a disparate group of men and women face the AIDS crisis each in their own way. Prior Walker (Sam O’Neill) develops KS lesions on his arm, back and chest. His lover, Louis (Ben Nadler), is so distraught he can’t function. Infamous lawyer and former Red Scare McCarthyite Roy Cohn (Nick Mitchell) denies he has a ‘gay disease.’ Cohn is too busy trying to convince a young Mormon attorney, Joe Pitt (Hunter Ventura), to go to Washington to become his inside man. “Inside Man” has as many insidious connotations as you could imagine. Pitt’s wife, Harper (Jamie Rafacz) is busy going insane. She says, quite nonchalantly, “I never imagined losing my mind was going to be such hard work.”
Meanwhile, an Angel (Amari Mae Shakir) has a message to deliver.
While the show is decades old, and has been an HBO movie, there are no spoilers here.
Kushner’s script is acerbic, bright, brilliant, terrifying and sad. It’s easy to see why it was Pulitzer Prize-worthy. The play is almost three hours, but it zips along. Stand up, do squats at the two intermissions or bring a cushion.
The cast of “Angels in America: Part 1, Millennium Approaches”
Elsewhere Theater’s production of “Angels In America: Part One: The Millennium Approaches” has some of the finest acting anywhere (not just in Pittsburgh). The men and women of the shows are phenomenal.
O’Neill shines as Prior. He is marvelous. Every line, every gesture is meticulous.
In the past, Nadler has played a series of walk-on roles. He’s stood in the background of a lot of plays. No more. He exudes a star quality here. He and O’Neill carry a lion’s share of the three act play, and they excel at it.
Cohn is a force of nature, a cankerous wound on Democracy, and Mitchell plays him with zest and verve. The affable actor normally plays bartenders and everyday shlubs, is a powerhouse in the villainous role. His posturing and preening is a controlled rage. It’s an over the top character but the performance is nuanced, filled with subtext. His performance is outstanding.
Kathy Hawk plays Hannah Pitt, Joe’s Mormon mom. Though she’s only in a few scenes, she makes great use of them. Zachariah Washington also manages to deliver some great lines as Belize, a former-maybe-current drag artist.
Matt Henderson takes on a variety of roles and appears and sounds differently in each. His Trick in the Park is frightening and funny at the same time. At one point he becomes Prior Walker’s great ancestor and it’s a much-needed release of hilarity.
Jesse Chovanec gets dolled up in a great costume and delivers some hilarious lines as well.
The props are sparse and the scenery is spartan, but Topel proves that you only need a good script and good actors to make art, and he has a great script and great actors.
“Angels In America: Part One: The Millennium Approaches” is a must-see Pride month production.
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“Angels In America: Part One: The Millennium Approaches” runs until June 15 at the Carnegie Stage, 25 W. Main Street, Carnegie, PA 15106. For more information, click here.
Dig your Hawaiian shirt out of mothballs and get on Island Time. We are flying off to “Jimmy Buffett’s Escape to Margaritaville,” a jukebox musical set to the tropical rock tunes of the late King of the Parrotheads, Jimmy Buffet.
Tully Mars (Gavin Calgaro), a stand-in for the infamous Gulf and Western crooner, lives on an unnamed island and likes playing the field (or, in this case, the beach) wooing tourists one vacation at a time. His best buddy, Brick (Andy Coleman), a bartender in the Margaritaville Hotel and Bar where Tully sings, makes sure the girls don’t miss their plane back to the U.S. by shouting about the shuttle to the airport on cue when anyone says, “Let’s keep in touch.” After each dalliance, Tully pops them on said shuttle and sends them back home, because he’s got a “License to Chill.”
Meanwhile, in the cold winter climes of Ohio, maid of honor and environmental scientist, Rachel (Tiffany Meyers), is picking up bride-to-be Tammy (Katy Chmura) and whisking her off on a bachelorette vacation and getting her away from her fiancé (Eric Molina), the annoying man-child Chadd (yes, with two D’s). Chadd has Tammy on a strict diet of carrot juice and sunflower seeds, in hopes that she will slim down into her bridal gown.
Once the girls get to the island, Rachel and Tammy meet Tully, Brick, Marley (Cecelia Staggers),the bar owner, J.D. (Andy Cornelius), the beach bum, Jamal (Harry Hawkins), the bar back, and a cast of tourists and regulars. The regulars consist of a a large ensemble of actors, and there are a bunch of fresh faces in the group.
Rachel wants to collect soil samples at the mouth of the volcano, but Tammy wants to party the day away, because, after all, it’s five o’clock somewhere. The boys take them up the slope of the volcano and romance ensues.
The writers Greg Garcia and Mike O’Malley conveniently wrap the plot around the myriad Buffett songs, including songs about alcohol, cheeseburgers and – just for funsies – an active volcano. They try a little too hard to wedge every single Buffet song into the show and it’s a bit overstuffed. The show is a little long for a musical comedy, but it is laugh out loud funny.
While downing shots, the cast sings, “Its Five O’ Clock Somewhere” in “Jimmy Buffet’s Escape to Margaritaville.” Photo Credit: Hawk Photography and Multimedia LLC
Calgaro is an affable Tully and a likable leading man. He has a terrific voice.
Coleman gets some of the best lines and delivers them flawlessly. His comedic timing is pure perfection here. He even gets the best slapstick and visual humor (I dare you not to laugh when he reveals his tattoo).
Chmura gets some great moments. Her comic timing rivals Coleman’s. The two of them have a sweet chemistry that brings their character’s romance to life.
Cornelius gets an iconic moment singing a ‘sort of’ love song. Though the song is more about love-making than love. It stands out and up (that’s a Viagra pun).
Jamal (Harry Hawkins) offers his leg in lieu of his hand to those customers seeking a masseuse. Photo Credit: Hawk Photography and Multimedia LLC
In a sequence near the end, you will want to get up from the audience and punch Chadd in the face. Molina is delightfully cruel in the most nonchalant way.
“Jimmy Buffett’s Escape to Margaritaville” is expertly directed by Patrick Cannon. There are a lot of newbies in the cast, and Cannon does a great job giving each of them a moment in the sun.
The band, mostly hidden in a cabana and porch swing, are terrific. Ben Brosche leads Chad Dougherty, Kamran Mian, Alex Kendrick-Kupiec and Aldo Dilani. They effortlessly capture the island sound that made Jimmy Buffett famous.
Grab a wedge of lime, and pack an extra a shaker of salt. The show doesn’t always make sense (a tiny one-jet engine flies nonstop from the tropics to Ohio, and the heroes mysteriously know where to find their love interests), but the songs and snappy patter are enough to keep you humming and laughing. You will want to book your own Escape to Margaritaville.
It is going to be a hard ticket to get. The first five performances are sold out! But if you’re as persistent as Rachel with a soil sample, you should have no trouble.
-MB
“Jimmy Buffett’s Escape to Margaritaville” runs from June 6 to June 23 at t Little Lake Theatre, 500 Lakeside Drive South, Canonsburg, PA 15317 For more information, click here.
Lauren Gunderson’s 2017 play The Revolutionists assembles the female Avengers of the French Revolution – and South Park Theatre casts them perfectly.
Weaving together a quartet of badass women circa 1793, Gunderson’s play is a what if and a homage rolled into one. The play’s girl power squad of contemporaries include 1.) playwright Olympe de Gouges (Amanda Weber), 2.) Haitian revolutionary Marianne Angelle (Olivia Long), 3.) Marat’s assassin Charlotte Corday (Elizabeth Glyptis), and 4.) the queen herself, Marie Antoinette (Stacey Rosleck). Angelle’s essence is real, but she’s a composite character, whereas the other three are all based on individuals.
The play is reminiscent of watching Titanic. You know the ship will go down, yet you stubbornly cling to the hope that somehow won’t be the outcome. In this case, the guillotine is the foregone story ender. In both cases, it’s the people we meet, their stories, and our desire for their stories to continue that make us hope for alternate outcomes.
Set designer Sabrina Hykes-Davis works miracles with South Park Theatre’s compact stage. Her guillotine looms large both literally and metaphorically. Hykes-Davis creates a raised platform that dominates upstage. Atop the platform is a towering guillotine. Its perpetually raised blade hovers high, nearly grazing the theatre’s rafters. These stacking elements create an ominous, persistent visual threat of the repercussions of disobedience for these four women.
Stacey Rosleck & Amanda Weber Photo credit: South Park Theatre
Instead of bookcases, props designer Alex Keplar has piles of books carelessly shoved under a period couch in Olympe’s apartment where the play takes place. It’s a visual metaphor for the value assigned to women’s stories – hidden. However, the white brocade couch they rest under is luminous, so it’s also a beacon of light foreshadowing the emergence of these stories.
Director Jeff Boles finds balance among these four stellar actresses. Marie Antoinette is immediately the least sympathetic with her “let them eat cake” reputation, which is referenced when she’s condescendingly called “Citizen Cake.” However, we immediately question our perception of her when Marie enters the room and demands from Olympe that she’s “here for a rewrite.” After all, if history was written by men, why should we assume the accuracy of Antoinette’s representation?
Lorraine Mszanski Photo credit: South Park Theatre
With strongly asserted lines, Rosleck finds Antoinette’s humanity. Yet, costumer designer Darien O’Neal’s lacy pink dress with a hoopskirt acknowledges the inherent frivolity of royalty. Like an 18th century fidget spinner, Marie nervously strokes ribbons in the colors of the French flag, but the separated colors suggest an already fractured nation.
As Olympe de Gouges, Weber is the play’s keystone. Each woman seeks her out with a writing request. Boles has Weber enunciate crisply and speak deliberately, befitting a writer. Olympe wants her unfinished play to be the “voice of revolution without hyperbole.” She knows didacticism will repel her audience, yet she is desperate for her work to incite action, and negotiating the paradox is paralyzing.
Elizabeth Glyptis vibrates with urgency as Charlotte Corday on her quest to murder Jean-Paul Marat. While Corday seeks de Gouges’ help to craft her last words, she’s also there to psych herself up for the act. Glyptis is almost prayer-like as she asks for “enough guts and cuteness to pull this off.” She’s self-aware that her gender will not only mask her intent but allow her access to commit the deed.
Olivia Long is forceful and commanding as Haitian revolutionary Marianne Angelle. She is the first woman to approach de Gouges to seek her help writing a pamphlet. None of the trio of literary requests correlate to de Gouges’ profession of playwright. As a female writer in a male-dominated world, de Gouges represents a safe haven for women seeking to have their story told, regardless of the form.
On opening night of The Revolutionists, former president Donald Trump had just been found guilty on 34 felony counts. Watching four women of the French Revolution face the guillotine, there was a sense of poetic justice floating across the centuries. Olympe declares, “Theater is democracy” as that’s where one gets to craft righteous endings, particularly for women. Yet, that night, the attempted suppression of a woman triumphed over a man in power. Seeing democracy reign within the legal system is a satisfying complement and a testimony to progress over time.
-TKR, Ph.D.
The Revolutionists runs through June 15, 2024 at South Park Theatre. Purchase tickets online here.
Kate Gordon (Jaime Slavinsky), a university ethics professor, opens the play by addressing the audience as though they are students in her class. She demands one thing of her students–that they tell her only the absolute truth. She asks the provocative question, “Is your highest ethical responsibility to yourself or to other people?”
(Nietzsche versus Confucius) This thought-provoking theme weaves itself throughout the play.
Ben (Joseph Martinez) is Kate’s underemployed husband who is currently working at Best Buy after losing his former engineering job.. The couple have devised a silly game that they call “Secret Hour,” in which they reveal somewhat silly secrets about themselves. The purpose is to pledge their undying love for each other, even after they’ve shared embarrassing secrets, and feel somewhat shamed by them. Example: Ben reveals that he didn’t know that wreath was pronounced differently than reef. This exercise is a way of connecting to each other.
An automobile accident exposes some big secrets that lie between them. The exposure of these secrets has a great impact on them and upsets the previous tranquility of their marriage. The changing dynamic between them reveals more and more about their formerly unspoken deepest thoughts and desires.
From left to right: Jordan Moore, Jaime Slavinsky, Joseph Martinez, Photo credit: Pittsburgh Performance Photography
Slavinsky has a powerful stage presence. Her Kate, among other things, is an engaging, inspirational lecturer. She effectively shows a wide variety emotions through her body language and facial expressions. She runs the gamut of emotions— vulnerable, defiant, angry, regretful, loving, humorous, and hopeful, Her portrayal is genuine throughout. She delivers incredibly real monologues —her face flushes pink and her eyes well up with tears in one of them. There is stunning depth and nuance in her performance.
Martinez and Slavinsky share an intimate moment on the sofa.
Martinez portrays a lovable Ben. His quiet strength and wry humor later devolve into anger, confusion and despair– all done with complete authenticity. The love he feels for Kate is palpable. Martinez makes Ben a sympathetic character that the audience cares about deeply. He demonstrates a skillful shading of Ben’s subtleties. Well done.
Slavinsky at the white board.
Leaf (Jordan Moore) provides comic relief. He’s the handyman who came and is still there four months later. (Think of Eldin, the painter, on the television show “Murphy Brown”). Leaf is an eccentric, enigmatic man who oddly lives in a tree house. We learn that he, too, has some secrets of his own. His comedic timing and frequent jokes are delivered so well that he could give some stand up comedians a run for their money. Jordan’s portrayal of Leaf, the life coach is sweet and funny.
This deeply thought provoking script (Jenny Stafford, playwright) is layered with intricacy and filled with smart, witty, insightful dialogue. Chris Clavelli, award winning director, is a resident instructor at Ensemble Actors Studio. Kudos to him for this wonderfully directed show that uses each of the actors to their fullest.
The lovely Javo Studios in Lawrenceville is a good choice of venue– intimate, yet spacious. The beautifully designed set (Jaime Slavinsky) gives the audience the illusion that they are inside Kate and Ben’s living space.
This top rate show is not to be missed. It’s thought provoking on a deeply philosophical level as it addresses ethics, truth, authenticity and our relationships with ourselves and others. It is, entertaining, quirky, engaging and extremely funny at times.
A truly auspicious start to the Ensemble Actors Theater. They deserve congratulations on this, their debut production!
-LtTL
Ensemble Actors Theater’s “The Secret Hour,” runs through June 8 at Javo Studios, 5137 Holmes Street, Lawrenceville. For more information, click here.
Six debutantes are presented each year by the Nacirema Society to enjoy and be exposed to a world of culture, class, and privilege. In 1964 in Montgomery, Alabama the Society is celebrating its 100th anniversary. As a driving force within the Society, Grace Dubose Dunbar (Jeannine Foster-McKelvia is particularly excited about this year’s event since her granddaughter, Gracie Dunbar (Shakirah Stephens) is one of the six debutantes coming out.
Note: Nacirema spelled backwards is America!
As matriarch of a well-to-do black family in the South, Grace is aware of the civil rights movement but concentrates more on her upper-class status and her involvement in the Nacirema Society.
Not as enthusiastic as Grace or her mother, Marie Dunbar (Angelique A. Strothers), Gracie has plans of her own that do not include the traditional roles the Dunbar family has always supported. Nor is she interested in the matchmaking Grace and her friend Catherine Adams Green (Brenda Marks) are concocting to connect her romantically with Green’s grandson, Bobby Green (Nickolas Page).
Visitors to the Dunbar home prior to the big Nacirema Society event add some additional excitement (Alpha Campbell Jackson (Karla C. Payne) and her daughter Lillie Campbell Jackson (Tajionna Clinton). Reporter Janet Logan (Dominique Briggs) is also on site to write an article about the upcoming society event.
Before the evening ends and after several rounds of sherry, grievances rise to the surface.
It seems that not only is Gracie coming out but also several long-hidden family secrets are, too!
And maid Jessie Roberts (Cheryl El-Walker) is oblivious to all the drama, intent on collecting all the empty sherry glasses.
Foster-McKelvia rules! And her scepter is the ever-present handkerchief she wields in her right hand. Like Naval flags used to communicate at sea, the handkerchief’s position and movement indicate her mood and level of pleasure or displeasure. Foster-McKelvia’s comedic timing is perfect and her facial expressions and movements add to her delivery.
Marks is delightful as Grace’s best friend. Introduced as slightly “excitable”, Marks graduates to a full blown “ditz,” not quite in control as a participant in a scheme that goes awry. This accelerates her continuous need for another glass of sherry. Marks facial expressions and general movement are top notch.
Payne is believable as the passionate, working-class mom who wants only the best for her daughter. Her envy of Grace and her family’s fortune is palpable but at the same time we understand and sympathize with her.
Bubbly, enthusiastic, independent and ready to take on the world! Stephens expertly interprets her character’s youthful exuberance.
Clinton as Lillie is convincing as an intelligent and confident woman who plans to attend medical school and also maintain a romantic relationship.
This is a funny, laugh-out-loud play with a very talented cast!
The set by Herbert Newsome is detailed with contents typical of a wealthy family home. Part of the stage is elevated to handle scene changes in the home. When the scene demands a location change, the set is darkened and a table and two chairs are placed in front of the stage.
Great direction by Eileen J. Morris
“The Nacirema Society” was written by Pearl Michelle Cleage.
-CED
“The Nacirema Society” is a production of New Horizon Theater, Inc. Performances run from May 31st – June 16th in Pittsburgh Public Theater’s 3rd floor Helen Rauh Rehearsal Hall at the O’Reilly Theater. For more information, click here.
June 1st is the official start of Pride Month, and this year the LGBTAI+ celebration started off with a bang with the premiere of Monteze Freeland’s “Fishy Woo Woo.”
In Atlanta, GA, Shawn (Jason Shavers) recruits his besties, Cordero (Mils James) and Char (Cheryl Bates-White) to help him haul his stuff out of his ex’s apartment, but when a young man named Kaden (Royce Jones) shows up at the front door, the fireworks are lit.
Cordero and Char go into overdrive to protect Shawn from learning Kaden’s real identity. Lies, Alcohol and a little bit of blood is spilled.
“Fishy Woo Woo” is a farce with mistaken identity, slapstick, and slamming doors. Take one cup of “Golden Girls” a cup of “Girlfriends” a dash of “Will & Grace,” a soupcon of “Three’s Company” and stir vigorously and voila…you have the frothy “Fishy Woo Woo.”
Freeland is giving off big Susan Harris and Mara Brock Akil energy.
Sidenote: This reviewer saw a snippet “Fishy Woo Woo” during it’s incubation in 2019 and has been chomping at the bit to see the full production since.
Trust and believe, you will want to see the show – spoiler-free. What’s a Fishy Woo Woo? Two Gays, A Girl, and possibly a pizza shop, a group of closely bonded friends who breathe drama and hijinks galore.
The Fishy Woo Woo’s (from left to right): Jason Shavers, Mils James, Cheryl Bates-White and Royce Jones.
Shavers, who has already played Dorothy Zbornak (in a gender-swapped “Golden Girls”), is channeling Bea Arthur in Shawn. Jonathan is his Stan, the cheating ex. Shavers gets to emote. His character goes through all of the Kubler-Ross’s Seven Stages of Grief in the first five minutes of the show, and Shavers cycles through them effortlessly.
In a solo play, Char would be the wacky one, but here, she’s the pragmatic member of the group. Bates-White is superb portraying the off-kilter character.
James is dynamic. His character Cordero is used to the spotlight and he chews on the scenery and spits it back out. The movements are swift and broad. Every line of dialogue punctuated with a bold gesture. He puts the flame in flamboyant. His every gesture is out of the Bob Fosse playbook.
Jones’ Kaden is sweet, even when causing chaos. Kaden is completely unaware that his mere presence is stirring the pot, but he is guileless.
Each cast member gets their moment and it is, literally and figuratively, laugh out loud funny. You may LOL or even roll into the aisles laughing.
There are two unseen players in this story, Shawn’s ex, the elusive Jonathan and Shawn’s mom, Denise (Brenda Marks in voiceover). Marks even gets a few laughs in a short convo with Shawn via cellphone.
Director Lovell McFadden (an original Fishy Woo Woo alongside Freeland and distaff member Brittany) infuses with verve. He keeps the characters moving around the set constantly. The four cast members could power Pittsburgh with their kinetic energy.
“Fishy Woo Woo” is unapologetically Black and Queer and it’s about damn time for Pittsburgh.
Celebrate Pride with the cast of “Fishy Woo Woo.”
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“Fishy Woo Woo” runs until June 15 at the Madison Arts Center, 3400 Milwaukee Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15219. For more information, click here.
