Our Great Tchaikovsky

Hartford Stage, Hartford, CT

www.Hartfordstage.org

through August 27, 2017

by Rebecca Phelps

Hershey Felder had no trouble filling the house at Hartford Stage on a hot Tuesday night in late August for his performance of “Our Great Tchaikovsky.” Clearly many audience members had already encountered Felder from his previous plays and were primed for another impressive performance.

The show is a sensitive, informative, and at times humorous depiction of Piotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, the man and the musician. Felder not only performs many of Tchaikovsky’s most challenging pieces (a feat in itself), but, as Tchaikovsky, he is able to simultaneously speak in a perfect Russian accent to tell us about his family, his career and his romantic affairs at the same time. Steeping us into the atmosphere of mid-19th century Russia, Felder creates an intimate mood with a simple set comprised of a cozy collection of candles, rugs, and a small desk and chair where Tchaikovsky composed, all gathered around the centerpiece: a beautiful Steinway concert grand piano. In addition to the set, the sense of time and place is enhanced by projections of the various places that the story takes us: deep in the Russian woods, to various buildings in Moscow and St. Petersburg, ballet performers and theatre venues - all helping us live in the world that Tchaikovsky inhabited. 

Felder’s prowess as a pianist and musician is remarkable. The joining of his own arrangements of Tchaikovsky’s music (including many of his most famous pieces: the 6th symphony, “Nutcracker Suite,” “Swan Lake,” and “Romeo and Juliet”l) performed live, and with recorded accompaniment, is true genius.

There is no intermission in this 2-hour performance, but Felder creates a respite from Tchaikovsky mid-way through the show by suddenly breaking character to address the audience as himself. Here he makes an impassioned speech regarding today’s struggles for equal rights in Russia.

Hershey Felder generously stayed after the show for a talk-back in which he left us with the following tempting morsel: his next endeavor will be Debussy in Paris during La Belle Epoque. Sounds magnificent!

Wharton Comedies

Shakespeare & Company, Lenox, MA

www.shakespeare.org

through September 10, 2017

by Shera Cohen

“Roman Fever” is billed as a comedy. There is no sidesplitting laughter from the audience. Instead, comes inner smiles and soft chuckling – exactly as humor would have been expressed in the days of Edith Wharton a century ago. However, in the hands of director Normi Noel and adaptor Dennis Krausnick, this short story comes off the pages, into the psyches of its two female characters, and then to its receptive audience. The women have known each other for many years, yet each holds a secret crucial to the welfare of the other.

“The Fullness of Life,” the second play, also deftly written and designed by Krausnick and Noel, respectively, has an important title. It’s main character, newly deceased, enters heaven. She is posed with the question if she has had a full life. Woman (no names are given) professes every reason that she can think of, stating that, yes, her life has been miserable. And yet, perhaps not so terrible after all?

Common to both one-act plays are its three actors: Diane Prusha, Corinna May, and David Joseph; lithe and airy staging; crisp, no-nonsense dialog with not one word wasted; and a twist ending.

David Joseph, a young old-timer (he’s young, but old to Shakespeare & Co.) hones his acting, comedic, and singing skills with each role. He is a joy to watch. Corinna May, a S&Co. regular, has a smooth voice and statuesque demeanor, both perfect for her roles. In the first play, there’s just enough edge for the audience to question if her character is as hurt or as hurtful as she seems.

Photography by Olivia Winslow

Diane Prusha is the “star” of both plays. While her role as Grace in “Roman Fever” is often monosyllabic and without much movement (she sits and knits), it is her character who is literally center stage, quiet and commanding. Prusha speaks softly, her Grace is sweet and rather boring. Yet, her character saves her dialog for the point at which speaking the truth is crucial. Prusha’s ever present Woman gives numerous profound monologues she prepares her soul to enter heaven. We watch Prusha’s acting chops, slowly and assuredly give the meaning of life to her deceased character.

A Gilbert & Sullivan Convert

Berkshire Theatre Group, Stockbridge & Pittsfield, MA

www.berkshiretheatregroup.org

by Shera Cohen

I never enjoyed the music of Gilbert & Sullivan, or so I thought. You might feel the same? After last summer’s hit of Barrington Stage Company’s “The Pirates of Penzance,” and this season’s enormously fun Meredith Willson’s “The Music Man” at Berkshire Theatre Group, I have become a convert to the unique and quirky collaborative style created by G&S and later replicated by Willson.

What do these two productions have in common other than the many obvious elements of this genre of music? Answer: The Patter Song. We have all heard it, maybe you have even sung it. For today’s generation, the tunes are like Rap. For Baby Boomers, remember Shirley Ellis’ “The Name Game”? For opera aficionados, think of Rossini’s “Barber of Seville.” And, Broadway lovers can attempt to sing Professor Harold Hill’s signature piece, “Ya’ Got Trouble.” More difficult yet from the same musical is “The Music Man’s” opening number “Rock Island” (aka “Ya’ Don’t Know the Territory”).

Patter is a song on speed; one that starts with fast music and lyrics, then notches it up even faster, eventually at lightning speed (yet never losing the quality of the fine music). The requirement of all light opera, like those typified by Gilbert & Sullivan, is the inclusion of at least one Patter Song. It is a feat of musical prowess and tongue twisting that challenges even the best (and fastest) of singers. Key to the Patter Song, and a component that makes it even more difficult, if that is possible, is precise articulation of the lyrics.

The Pirates of Penzance

The New York Gilbert & Sullivan Players’ “I’ve Got a Little Twist” are expert at Patter, as shown in “Pirates of Penzance’s” “Modern Major General” and other ditties. The troupe of six plus amazing pianist/arranger Mark York, took the Colonial Theatre’s stage this week, not only performing the best of G&S, but a smattering of Broadway as well. The singers mashed it up (their words) to create many clever and smooth medleys. The sextet sang as an ensemble, in trios, duos, and each was given the opportunity to shine in a solo. In total, eight G&S operettas were represented. Interspersed were short tutorials on G&S that added to the cabaret-type program; i.e. I never knew that Gilbert was the librettist and Sullivan the composer

The Tempest

Shakespeare and Company, Lenox, MA

www.shakespeare.org

through September 3, 2017

by Rebecca Phelps

Hats off to Shakespeare and Company as they continue to hold to their mission of bringing fine theatre to the Berkshires and of making Shakespeare authentic, yet accessible to modern audiences for over the past 40 years. And congratulations to Allyn Burrows, overall artistic director of Shakespeare and Company, and director of this fanciful production.

Photo by Olivia Winslow

The story of “The Tempest” takes place on an unnamed, uninhabited island. Prospero, the former Duke of Milan, and now its master, uses magic to create the storm that ship-wrecks his usurping brother and his entourage. They are washed up on the island; thus begins the plot of Prospero’s revenge. Treachery, comedy and romance ensue as these characters meet surprises, challenges, strange spells and forms of magic, always under the ever-watchful Prospero’s control.

Nigel Gore, a veteran actor of this company, brings urgency and power to the role of the lead character. Gore controls the elements, the spirits, the plot – the entire stage, as he depicts this many faceted individual: sorcerer, father, tyrant, match-maker, avenger and redeemer.

Ella Loudon’s Miranda is a feisty daughter, bringing a fresh interpretation to a character often portrayed as subservient to her all powerful father. Not Ella Loudon. Her earthy Miranda stands up to both her father and the monstrous Caliban. She meets her newly found lover Ferdinand (Deaon Griffin-Pressley) directly, frontally and without guile or shrinking.

Jason Asprey brings a riveting blend of brutishness and sensitivity to the abused/abusive Caliban, who serves Prospero as “a savage and deformed slave” and whose mother was the witch Sycorax. Asprey portrays menacing, disgusting, pitiful, and poetic and always captivating.

The actors in Shakespeare and Company always provide animated, full-throttle  performances filled with athleticism and well defined characters. The antics of Trinculo as played by Bella Merlin, and Stephano as played by Mark Zeisler, provide just the right amount of hilarity to this magical, mystical tale.

On the night we saw the show the clouds threatened rain, but the company was prepared, and so the first act was performed in The Rose Footprint Theatre. Luckily the weather improved over the course of the evening, and we were treated to a second act performed as in the round, with its full production values, including a huge white spirit hung from far above the garden, an inventive system of sound effects and a tree from which the agile and ever illusive Ariel appeared. The final magical touch of the evening was a rainbow, which appeared overhead during the wedding scene – as if on cue!

Allyn Burrows and the company of actors at Shakespeare and Company make good use of “The Tempest’s” magic in every way – set, costumes, special effects and performances. A thoroughly entertaining and bewitching evening, and a perfect way to leave earthly cares and concerns behind.

Folk

Chester Theatre Co., Chester, MA

chestertheatre.org

through August 27

By Stuart  W. Gamble

Tom Wells’ U.S. premiere of his play "Folk" at Chester Theatre Co., is an absolute delight from start to finish. Consisting of only three actors and one set, running for 90-minutes (intermission-free), this poignant dramedy is a perfect ending to CTC twenty-eighth season of summer theater.

Directed with warmth and love by James Warwick, this new play offers compassion and insight into the lives of those who live on the fringe of society. "Folk" features Sister Winnie (Michelle Tauber) a cigarette smoking and Guiness guzzling nun who enjoys her Friday nights of singing and dancing with her guitar strumming mate Stephen (Michael Sean McGuiness). Stephen is socially awkward, but forgets his troubles when jamming with Sr. Winne. Into this duo’s revelry comes Kayleigh (Emery Henderson) a troubled teenager and former student of Winnie.

As the story progresses, the audience learns about each character’s personal anguish: Winnie’s serious health problem, Stephen’s personal and economic troubles, and Kayleigh’s life-changing dilemma. Throughout, the audience becomes enamored of this truly endearing trio.

Emery Henderson, Photo by Elizabeth Solaka.

The actors in "Folk" do outstanding work:  Michelle Tauber’s delightful Sr. Winnie shows life-affirming joy in everything she says and does; Michael Sean McGuinness as the introverted Stephen shows that still waters run deep; Emery Henderson is absolute perfection as young Kayleigh. Not only is Henderson’s acting first-rate, but also her singing voice is sweetly serene.

Set in the industrial city of Hull in East Yorkshire, England, Folk shows the need for human connection in a cold, harsh world where death and heartache constantly await us. As playwright Wells says in the show’s program: “I think maybe a sense of belonging to something—means a lot to the sort of characters I like to write about. That’s why I like theatre really, hopefully there’s room for everyone.”

Company

Barrington Stage Company, Great Barrington, MA

www.BarringtonStageCo.org

through September 10, 2017

by Jarice Hanson

Photo by Daniel Rader

The Boyd-Quinson Mainstage at Barrington Stage Company has been transformed into multiple New York apartments by Scenic Designer Kristen Robinson as the backdrop for one of this season’s most anticipated musicals. Nine exceptional musicians backed the fourteen vocal dynamos led by the very talented Aaron Tveit as Bobby, in what is generally considered Stephen Sondheim’s first major hit musical. With a book by George Furth, Sondheim’s lyrics and music epitomize the human angst that occurs in relationships, and explores the social meaning of marriage and the pressure to be married in the late 1960s, early 1970s.

Director Julianne Boyd has highlighted the fun and the physicality of the characters and though downplaying what was shocking on stage when the show first appeared, like smoking marijuana or talking about a gay exploration, and has cast a multi-racial group to make up Bobby’s group of friends. This too, is not shocking—in fact, what emerges is what we see has been normalized, juxtaposed against the beauty of the story and the social pressure that advocates for conformity.

Aaron Tveit performed at Barrington Stage ten years ago, and since then has gone on to star on Broadway and in the West End. His nimble voice has an impressive range and emotional depth. When he sings the iconic “Being Alive,” he sings it not an anthem. It’s a plea to the audience to experience everything, and life to the fullest. His connection to the audience is palpable and well deserving of the cheers and standing ovation.

Most people either love or hate Sondheim’s work, but it was clear that this was an audience of appreciative Sondheimites (thanks Cameron, from Modern Family for introducing this word). Several people were seeing the production for a second time, and rumor has it that the show will be extended. What is also worth mentioning is how many young folks were in the audience. In a season in which so many Berkshire theatres are trying to appeal to younger patrons, this is a tribute to the infectious music and themes of this show.

As we walked toward our car, one young man, probably about twelve years old, was loudly singing “Side by Side.” That was the topper on an exceptional evening of great theatre.

Actually

Williamstown Theatre Festival, Williamstown, MA

www.WTFestival.org

through August 20, 2017

by Jarice Hanson

There’s a new trend in pre-show music I’m not crazy about. I’ve attended three shows recently that envelop you in a barrage of techno-sound amped up to an annoying decibel level as you search for your seat and wait for the action to begin. I don’t think this is being done to please the hard-of-hearing. I suspect it’s a weak appeal to a younger audience. When Amber, the female half of this two-hander launched into non-stop chatter my annoyance meter started to peak into the red zone. Certainly, the play, “Actually,” reflects the lives of young people facing their first adult situation, but surely there must be more to a play than whiny people and loud music.

Fortunately, the script has much more going for it, and the two actors, Alexandra Socha (Amber) and Joshua Boone (Tom) are engaging, believable, and fully committed. The location is “Mostly Princeton University” and the time “the present and the past.” Tom is a handsome African American man from a modest background. He is the more charismatic of the two. Amber is a little harder to like. She’s the stereotypical privileged white girl who is a mediocre squash player, because she knows that even a mediocre squash player is an important slot to fill in college. She chatters non-stop and can’t decide whether her favorite book is “Gone Girl” or “The Iliad.” They meet in their first year at Princeton and what evolves is a “did they” or “didn’t they” have consensual sex? True of contemporary college life, alcohol plays a role in distorting their true accounts of what happened.

The set is spare and the movement sparer. Lines are primarily directed to the audience, but when the characters interact, the explosions compel you to watch. Despite the grim theme of the play, there are some genuine funny lines, like “Jews and Blacks have a lot in common. Neither like camping.”

Anna Ziegler is a young playwright who has already had a number of major successes. This show and cast will be headed to the Manhattan Theatre Club this fall, and while the show is ready for New York, I do question whether this is the type of play that will appeal to a younger audience. It may be too real for them.

Jerry Noble and Friends

Sevenars Music Festival, The Academy, Worthington, MA

www.sevenars.org

July 9-August 13, 2017

by Michael J. Moran

Even for this notably eclectic festival, the penultimate concert of its 49th season must have pushed the musical boundaries about as far as any other program in its first half-century.

Known as Clifton J. Noble in his day job as classical music critic for the Springfield Republican newspaper, Jerry Noble is also a skilled classical and jazz pianist and composer. In keeping with the family roots of Sevenars (it was founded by Robert and Rolande Schrade and named after the first letter of their names and those of their five children), Noble was joined on stage by his wife, Kara Noble, on bass guitar, and by members of the Biswas family from India.

But the concert opened with Noble accompanying Schrade family cellist Christopher James (his late mother was Robelyn Schrade-James) in Elgar’s own arrangement for cello and piano of his concerto for cello and orchestra. Written just after World War I, its four movements have varied tempos but reflect a predominantly elegiac mood. James gave a tight and focused performance, with Noble’s eloquent keyboard enhancing the music’s poignancy and power.

Noble then introduced Indian-born cellist, composer, and educator Anup Biswas, who was joined by his son Satyajit on mridangam, an Indian drum, and his daughter Geetanjali on vocals, in a mesmerizing rendition of Indian writer and composer Rabindranath Tagore’s song “Anondo Loke” (Abode of Joy). Along with Satyajit, Jerry, and Kara (everyone is on a first-name basis at Sevenars), Anup followed that with a joyful account of his own “Celebration,” from a longer ballet score.

Jerry Noble & Bob Sparkman

In yet another total change of musical focus, Noble was joined after intermission not only by Kara but by clarinetist Bob Sparkman in a series of “duo and jazz trio improvisations.” The Jerry-Bob duo swung mightily through a Fats Waller set, featuring a vivid “Jitterbug Waltz.” The trio romped through five more selections, including a Latin-style version of Ellington’s “Perdido,” before Anup and James, now on guitar, joined them for a rollicking take on “Sweet Georgia Brown” to end this all-embracing show on a high note.

This

Barrington Stage Co., St. Germain Stage

www.barringtonstageco.org

through August 27, 2017

by Jarice Hanson

Photo by Scott Barrow

When you first see the cluttered St. Germain Stage, you may think that all of This action takes place in one location. Within minutes you realize that Brian Prather’s set and Scott Pinkney’s lighting design offer multiple playing areas for the multi-talented ensemble cast that move through this one-act play with verbal lightning-speed. 

“This” is a play about words, memory, honesty, and dealing with the passage of youth to middle-age. All of those things comprise “This.” The double entendre is a metaphor for a stage in life that is inevitable, but still mysterious and frightening. The play is funny, sad, and very human.

There’s a character who is a mnemonist—a person with exact recall, who corrects the record when husband and wife argue, and who forces everyone to deal with the distortions of reality their minds trick them into believing. No one plays quirky characters with oddball traits better than Mark H. Dold, and in this group of players, his character, Alan, is the perpetually single gay friend who buffers the action among the trio of young widow, Jane (Julia Coffey), her best friend Marrell (Erica Dorfler) and Marrell’s husband Tom (Eddie Boroevich). The catalyst for much of the action is Jean-Pierre (Paris Remillard), an idealistic bisexual “Doctor Without Borders” (or boundaries) who comes to meet Jane, but stays to add an additional level of honesty to the group’s interactions.

Director Louisa Proske successfully finds the balance in the imbalances of relationships and gives every actor their moment to relate to the audience. The result is that we feel empathy for every character, and even more, we see our own illusions and delusions in their struggle to deal with life’s unexpected twists and turns. 

In her introduction to the play Artistic Director Julianne Boyd said that she was pleased to introduce audiences to the work of young playwright Melissa James Gibson.  I concur, and after full immersion in a play that Charles Isherwood called “beautifully conceived, confidently executed and wholly accessible” I look forward to more of Gibson’s written work.   BSC can be proud of the teamwork they’ve harnessed for This.

Every Brilliant Thing

Chester Theatre, Chester, MA

www.chestertheatre.org

through August 13, 2017

by Mary Fernandez-Sierra

Chester Theatre Company’s production of Every Brilliant Thing deserves to be in a catalog of brilliant things itself… and at the top of the list.

Beautifully crafted by director Daniel Elihu Kramer for performance in the round, the play lends itself to the setting of Chester’s intimate theatre. Each person in the audience can be touched by this engaging story of a young man’s journey to define and share exactly what makes life worth living.

Joel Ripka is brilliant himself as the narrator of the tale. He gently pulls audience members into his world, having them play improvisational roles in the story of his life, and in the creation of his magnum opus: the list of every brilliant thing.

Photo by Elizabeth Solaka

It is an unusual and delightful experience to attend this play, as so many of the audience members add their own gifts to the performance: simply reading a card with one of Ripka’s life-worthy items, offering a pen or book to help him enhance the story, or perhaps enacting the role of a teacher, girlfriend or even his dad.

Each performance is unique, truly created in tandem with whoever happens to be at the theatre on any given night.

That the interactions happen so comfortably and naturally are a testament to Ripka’s skill as an actor. This gentleman’s energy, subtlety and sincerity – also his joy in working with audience – make this unusual show happen. He beguiles theatregoers into participating in an effortless evening of improvisation with him, as though he had a magic wand.

Beautiful music is woven into the story, kindness of Sound Designer Tom Shread. A variety of jazz pieces reflect special moments in the creation of the brilliant things list: one of the most amazing events in the play happens when  Ripka plays and sings a Ray Charles number using a keyboard, with the assistance of two audience volunteers.

Lighting Design by Lara Dubin is stellar as always, incorporating the entire hall in this in-the-round production. Since the leading man performs throughout the house, lighting is bright making it easy to see all that happens, but soft enough to create a sense of encompassing warmth.

Chester Theatre has done it again…Every Brilliant Thing is a show everyone should experience to wake up to a new way of thinking about theatre, and to rise to life’s challenges through its uplifting and beautiful message.

A Legendary Romance

Williamstown Theatre Festival, Williamstown, MA

www.wtfestival.org

through August 20, 2017

by Michael J. Moran

Photo by Daniel Rader

This iconic summer festival is far more identified with straight plays than with musical theatre, but its winning world-premiere production of “A Legendary Romance,” with music and lyrics by British pop songwriter Geoff Morrow and a book by film and television writer Timothy Prager, suggests that it should venture into this genre more often.

Flashing between 1950, when film director Joseph Lindy was making hit movies with love-of-his-life starlet Billie Hathaway, and 1994, when he must approve a younger producer’s revision of Lindy’s unfinished masterpiece, this story of the Hollywood blacklist era, when Senator Joseph McCarthy was leading anti-Communist witch hunts, explores how, as the show’s director, Lonny Price, told the Boston Globe, “we all reinvent our history to some degree…in a way to make peace with what’s happened to us.”

James Noone’s imaginative scenic design is dominated by a large screen, where the opening scene plays the dramatic close of Lindy’s “A Legendary Romance” as re-imagined 44 years later by another’s vision and viewed with consternation by an older but not yet wiser Lindy. Price makes smart use of the two-level set to reinforce the cinematic scope of this scene and to keep the audience on edge as live stage action alternates with big screen footage throughout both acts.

Silver-haired Broadway actor Jeff McCarthy, familiar to Berkshire theatergoers from his frequent Barrington Stage appearances, brings the perfect balance of gravitas, comic timing, and powerful singing to Lindy. Lora Lee Gayer gives Billie an intriguing mix of innocence and jadedness, adding a welcome touch of noir to “You Didn’t Call, You Didn’t Write.” Maurice Jones is effectively brash as the revisionist producer, and in a dual role Roe Hartrampf nicely connects the swagger of Vincent Connor with the guile of Seth Maurer.

On first hearing, Morrow’s full-blooded score serves the grand scale of the story and its larger-than-life characters by underlining the fast-paced action but staying out of its way. Tracy Christensen’s resourceful costume design, Robert Wierzel’s sensitive lighting design, and Charlie Rosen’s crack eight-piece band further enhance a strong ensemble that should give this impressive production a wide future life.

Orchestrating Elegance: The Clark’s exhibit of exquisite craftsmanship

Orchestrating Elegance: Alma-Tadema and Design

The Clark, Williamstown, MA

through September 4, 2017

 

For well over a decade, I have observed the splendor of the decorative piano at the Clark Art Institute. Admittedly, I had not taken a serious look at the details until last week.

-Shera Cohen

As resurgent interest in Sir Lawrence Alma-Tadema (British, born Netherlands 1836–1912) raises appreciation and interest in his work for a new generation, the Clark offers new insight into one of the painter’s most successful and distinctive artistic endeavors—the design of a music room for the New York mansion of financier, art collector, and philanthropist Henry Gurdon Marquand (1819–1902). Orchestrating Elegance: Alma-Tadema and Design reunites 12 pieces from the original furniture suite, along with paintings, ceramics, textiles, and sculpture from the room for the first time since Marquand’s estate was auctioned in 1903. The Clark’s ornately decorated Steinway piano, acquired in 1997, is the centerpiece of the exhibit which runs through September 7, 2017.

The music room acted as the Marquand mansion’s parlor and formed the social center of the residence. Marquand set no cost limit for the music room project, which was Alma-Tadema’s only commission of this type. The resulting furniture suite, extraordinary in every detail, created a sensation when it was displayed in London prior to shipment to New York. Acclaimed for its imaginative forms, the suite was painstakingly decorated with veneers of ebony and cedar accented with elaborately carved inlays of boxwood, ivory, abalone, and mother-of-pearl. Magazines and newspapers on both sides of the Atlantic featured extensive coverage of the furniture and the room, praising the design and craftsmanship, while marveling at the cost: an estimated $50,000 for the piano alone.

The piano has a rich history as a musical instrument. Its interior lid was fitted with parchment sheets so it could be signed by the musicians who played it. Over the years, a number of famous musicians signed it, including Walter Damrosch, Sir Arthur Sullivan, Sir William S. Gilbert, and Richard Rogers. The exhibition includes a room devoted to the musical history of the piano, featuring a video of the recent performances on the piano including music tied to its history.

The Clark galleries are open Tuesday through Sunday, 10 am to 5 pm. For more information, visit www.clarkart.edu or call 413 458 2303.

Arsenic and Old Lace

Berkshire Theatre Group, Stockbridge, MA

www.berkshiretheatregroup.org

through August 19, 2017

by Shera Cohen

Photo by Emma K. Rothenberg-Ware

The sweetest, most proper old ladies in the Berkshires reside at Berkshire Theatre. The mission of the duo, one in which they take great pride, is to bring happiness to lonely, senior, gentlemen. How? By murdering them with their home-made elderberry wine. One sip; out like a light…forever. With such a macabre story, based on a true-life serial killer from Windsor, CT in the early 1900’s, one could only expect a stage retell to be a comedy? True. In fact, playwright Joseph Kesselring’s “Arsenic and Old Lace” is easily one of the funniest plays (then movies) written for American theatre.

Set in the home of the Brewster sisters are the numerous comings and goings of family members, most of whom are strange, to say the least – lots of antics with doors and the all-important window seat. To quote one of the actors, “Instead of a farcical sex romp [a common theatre plot], this is a farcical death romp.”

At the center of the large cast are Mia Dillon and Harriet Harris (the sisters) who portray sincere, well-meaning partners as they knock off a dozen visitors at their boarding house. Dillion, who plays naivete with aplomb, and Harris, who plays intelligence with bravado, are perfect in their roles and make a flawless team. The sisters show mutual respect to each other, as do the actresses.

The Brewster nephews, each a bit daft in his own way, populate the house. Timothy Gulan lovingly depicts a wannabe Teddy Roosevelt, forever “charging” upstairs to San Juan or digging in the basement for the Panama Canal. Matt Sullivan sternly portrays a Frankenstein look-alike with a twinkle in his eye. Graham Rowat creates a befuddled, extremely funny Mortimer. While no one, past or present, can compare himself to Cary Grant (see the movie), Rowat excels at slow burns, dead pan, and quick reactions to others.

Between scenes, at intermission, and background turn-of-the-century ragtime music provides a whimsical and literal tone to “Arsenic.” Lighting, too, is important, foreshadowing and accentuating the ghoulish, yet hysterically amusing, plot elements.

In addition to the marvelous acting of Dillon and Harris, the “stars” are Randall Parsons’ flawlessly designed set, and director Gregg Edelman’s spot-on pacing and timing.

Raging Skillet

TheaterWorks, Hartford, CT 
www.Theaterworkshartford.org 
through August 27, 2017
by Shera Cohen 

You might wish to attend “Raging Skillet” just a little bit hungry. Why? This semi-biographical play, subtitled “The True-Life Adventures of a Punk Rock Caterer,” not only serves up lots of laughs, but actual food to many in its audience. In fact, the sizzling logo of the play is crisp bacon in the design of the Jewish Star of David. That item, like many others throughout the story, is passed among the “guests,” only this time as a special treat dipped in chocolate. Like a restaurant menu, “Raging Skillet” offers something different for each person to enjoy. 

Based on the career of Chef Rossi and her recipe book/memoir, area playwright Jacques Lamarre gives Rossi heart and warmth as a woman attempting to learn, then survive, and ultimately succeed in a very difficult career. What keeps this somewhat oddball gal working are two things: humor (often self-deprecating) and loud rock music.

Photo by Lanny Nagler

Situated in a studio kitchen – picture Rachel Ray without the exhausting cuteness – Dana Smith-Croll (Rossi) speaks directly to her audience at first. The actress creates a brassy, no nonsense, somewhat world-weary, humorous woman. Her initial one-dimensional personality soon changes as she interacts with her long-time departed mother who returns for an unwanted visit. The reincarnation of Marilyn Sokol (Jewish mom) sparks a repartee of anecdotes, one-liners, and sweet walks/talks down memory lane for both women. In a smaller role, George Salazar (DJ) dishes up the amps while playing Rossi’s confidante/wait staff. Each actor comes with enthusiasm and energy. 

Smith-Croll’s makes her role (roll?) look easy. However, cooking up various foods in a real on-set kitchen, and at the same time delivering lines, is far from simple. Director John Simpkins arranges people and props onstage so that dialog and noshes are both delicious. 

The biography is strewn with Yiddish jargon; some common to anyone who has ever been to a bar mitzvah and/or New York City, others a bit more obscure. While I “got” them all, I wondered if some people in the audience could appreciate the slang. 

There is no skimping on set designer Michael Schweikardt’s large kitchen – if only that was my kitchen. As mentioned, music is a prominent component; Julian Evans is an accomplished sound designer. 

Note: Please, for the sake of your neighbors in adjacent seats, the actors onstage, and the many who have worked hard to create theatre – do NOT talk during the performance.