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Review: Two dramas and one comedy showcase the excellence of local theater
Category: Government & Organizations
Duration: 00:00:00
Publish Date: 2024-04-05 18:45:11
Description:

Wolf Play – Wilbury Theatre Group – through April 7th

Jeff Ararat as Peter, Sara States as Wolf (background: Teddy Lytle as Ryan) in “Wolf Play” at Wilbury Theatre Group Credit: Erin X. Smithers courtesy Wilbury Theatre Group

Wolf Play tells the story of a 6-year-old Korean boy, who is an international adoptee in America and has been rehomed from one family to another. The boy, Jeenu, is played by an adult using a puppet. I talked with director Marcel Mascaró about the use of the puppet in the play. “To me, the reason why there’s a puppet in this play is because that’s how people are treating Jeenu,” Mascaró said. “That’s how people are treating this adopted 6-year-old child. A puppet to me is something that we put an image on, that we put our impressions on, and we make in our own image to control them as much as possible.” It’s a moving, beautiful story of families forming and coming apart. Wolf Play ends on Sunday, so you’ll want to see it right away.

Fences – Trinity Rep – through April 28th

From left: Martinez Napoleon as Gabriel, Rodney Witherspoon II as Lyons, Nicholas Byers as Cory, Dereks Thomas as Jim Bono, and Jackie Davis as Rose. By August Wilson; Directed by Christopher Windom; Set Design by Lex Liang; Costume Design by Kenisha Kelly; Lighting Design by Marika Kent; Sound Design by Elton Bradman; Fight Choreography by Mark Rose. Credit: Marisa Lenardson courtesy Trinity Repertory Company

Fences is part of August Wilson’s Pittsburgh Cycle of plays. It follows an African American family in 1950s segregated Pittsburgh. There are barriers between the father, Troy, and all of his family. Troy is fixated on being a provider and making his son be a responsible provider. But in secret, Troy is not so responsible. Jackie Davis really shines in the role of Rose, the mother in the family holding everything together. The set design stands out in an interesting way. The floor of the stage is very minimal. There’s just a door, a table and chairs, but in the air above the stage there’s this swirl of household objects: lamps, tree branches, broken chairs. It’s like there’s chaos looming just over the heads of this family.

Twelfth Night – Gamm Theatre – through April 14th

Deb Martin steals the show as Malvolio. background L to R: Kelby Akin as Sir Toby Belch, Jason Quinn as Fabian. Credit: Cat Laine / courtesy Gamm Theatre

This is classic Shakespeare comedy: a gender switching, romantic, screwball comedy. Usually when I go to see Shakespeare, I have to translate it in my mind as I’m watching. The language is 400 years old, and it’s elevated language at that. But I found that I was completely swept away by this production. That’s because the Gamm emphasizes the broad and bawdy nature of the comedy of Twelfth Night. For example, one of the famous lines in the play is “Be not afraid of greatness. Some are born great, some achieve greatness, and some have greatness thrust upon ’em.” Jeff Church as Sir Andrew really emphasizes the “thrust” of the line by using his hips. The production also features fantastic sets by Patrick Lynch and costumes by David T. Howard that evoke an 1800s British Naval theme. Another standout is the fun original music from Nora Eschenheimer as Feste, the court jester. Excellent performances all around, but Deb Martin steals the show as Malvolio, who starts out as an uptight, prim character but transforms into a lusty knave by the end of the play. Twelfth Night is a must-see in my book. I don’t often say that about Shakespeare, but this was just so much fun.

Disclosure: Wilbury Theatre Group, Trinity Repertory Company and The Gamm Theatre are business supporters of The Public’s Radio. Coverage and editorial decisions are made independently of business support.

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