Review of the world premiere of ‘Home of the Brave’ at Merrimack Repertory Theatre

John Gregorio and Karen MacDonald courtesy MRT

The world premiere of Lila Rose Kaplan’s hilarious farce ‘Home of the Brave’ is the perfect show to end a stellar season of shows brought to us by Merrimack Repertory Theatre. The play focuses on Senator Bernadette Spence who has recently taken over her late mother’s Senate seat and longs to live up to her mother’s legacy. Inspiration strikes when Adrian walks into the Senator’s office on Christmas Eve offering to be her campaign manager if Bernadette would run for president. With new found purpose, she heads home to Iowa to convince her family to support her run for the Presidency. They are less than thrilled, but as chaos ensues, the family rallies together and makes their holiday one to remember.

(from left to right) Veronika Duerr, Jordan Brodess, Cheryl McMahon & Joel Van Liew courtesy MRT

When performing a farce, comedic timing is essential for success and this perfectly cast group of actors skillfully brought every ounce of comedy from the page to the stage. Bernadette Spence is splendidly played by Karen MacDonald, whose portrayal is strong and heartfelt. Adrian, a multi-faceted Englishman of questionable intent, is impeccably played by John Gregorio. Veronika Duerr, last seen in MRT’s production of It’s a Wonderful Life earlier this season, humorously plays Marianne, Bernadette’s college age daughter. Marianne’s enlightened partner from college, Val, superbly played by Jordan Brodess, joins her in Iowa with high expectations of an old fashioned family Christmas. Rounding out the cast is Joel Van Liew, amusing as Bernadette’s husband Owen, and Cheryl McMahon who nicely plays the witty Dora. The cast as a whole does a fantastic job with the various elements of physical comedy.

The set, designed by Randall Parsons, is realistic and detailed. It seamlessly transforms from the kitchen of the family home in Iowa to the beautiful barn built by Bernadette’s husband Owen. Lights, designed by Brian J. Lilienthal and sound, designed by David Remedios, work together perfectly to magnify the many comical elements of the production.

'Home of the Brave' Cast (photo courtesy MRT)

Lila Rose Kaplan’s play is fresh, relevant and incredibly well written. Brought to life by Sean Daniels’ brilliant direction it is one of the best farces I have ever seen and it surpassed my expectations.

‘Home of the Brave’ is 90 minutes of pure fun, but it only plays at Merrimack Repertory Theatre until May 15^th so don’t hesitate to get your tickets. The full house responded with a standing ovation and you will too. Tickets range from $60-$23. To purchase tickets or find more information check out www.mrt.org or call 978-654-4678.

Review of the National Premiere of ‘Tilting Ground’ at Winnipesaukee Playhouse (Meredith, NH)

For one weekend only, The Winnipesaukee Playhouse presents the National Premiere of ‘Tilting Ground’ by Guy Hibbert. This powerful drama, directed by Neil Pankhurst and featuring a cast of three terrific actors, is a compelling story of happiness found and happiness lost.

After not hearing from her son for over a year, Nancy, played by Pat Langille, is thrilled to have him back in her life.  Jack, played by William Vaughn, returns to his mother’s home in Escondido, Mexico to find that he is no longer the only man in her life. This is something he does not easily accept even when Charles, Nancy’s new husband, played by Richard Brundage, demonstrates kindness towards him. It is soon clear to Nancy that she cannot have both her husband and her son in her life and is forced to choose who stays and who goes.

The set, designed by Dan Daly, is simple, featuring sand and seashells and is nicely complimented by soothing lighting, designed by Becky Marsh. The subtle sound of splashing waves upon a shore, designed by Neil Pankhurst, completes the idyllic scene. The three elements work nicely together to transport the audience to the beachfront property.

Langille’s portrayal of Nancy was well done, though her interactions with Charles seemed more authentic than those with Jack. Both Langille and Vaughn jumped each other’s lines throughout the production; however, their commitment to their characters was unquestionable. Though Jack was my least favorite character, Vaughn’s captivating portrayal made me hope everything would work out for him in the end. Brundage grabbed the audience’s attention from the start and his heartfelt portrayal of the compassionate and sensitive Charles was outstanding.   

Overall, the actors did a great job with this very intense drama; however I do think this play is best appreciated by a mature audience. ‘Tilting Ground’ plays at the Winnipesaukee Playhouse until April 24^th. For additional information and tickets to visit www.winnipesaukeeplayhouse.org

William Vaughn, Pat Langille, Richard Brundage (photo courtesy Winnipesaukee Playhouse)

Review of ‘That Time the House Burned Down” presented by Fresh Ink Theatre (Boston, MA)

(from left to right) Ally Dawson, Noah Simes, Marc Pierre. Photo courtesy Fresh Ink Theatre

MJ Halberstadt’s newest play ‘That Time the House Burned Down’, currently playing at Boston Playwrights’ Theatre, mixes a family’s complex history and relationships with much needed humor. The family includes two adopted pre-teen children whose parents refuse to tell them the truth and instead shelter them from any outside influence that may push them to question their parents and the past. But with the help of an American Girl doll and the continuously reincarnated soul of the family pets, truths are revealed that allow this family to connect like never before. Featuring a cast of six wonderfully dynamic actors with direction by Stephanie LeBolt, this play offers the audience a unique and modern theatrical experience.

The show opens with And a half, the soul, fantastically portrayed by Noah Simes, explaining to the audience the story which is about to unfold before them. From then on the audience was not only intrigued but amused at the real-to-life dramatic comedy played out before them. The aforementioned Noah Simes did a superb job bringing the five pets of the story to life by using nicely crafted puppets, by Marc Ewart, and differentiated vocals. The relationship between him and Karma, Daughtery’s favorite doll played by Lizzie Milanovich, was interesting to watch. Karma pushes Daughtery, played by Ally Dawson, to ask her mother the hard questions, like why don’t we [the members of their family] look the same? Milanovich did a great job portraying her multidimensional character, while Dawson brought both strength and innocence to hers. Her playful fights with younger brother Sonny, wonderfully played by Marc Pierre, were entertainingly realistic. Mommy, played by Karina Beleno Carney, and Daddy, played by Scot Colford, complimented each other’s characters very well. While Mommy was overbearing and fiercely protective, Daddy was more reserved but clearly wanted to keep his family happy.

The set designed by Ryan Bates featured lots of colorful child toys. The most inventive use of the toys was as a stage curtain of sorts. The subtle use of lighting, designed by Gifford Williams, allowed the colorfulness of the toy room set to stand out. Andrew Duncan Will, sound designer, added nicely placed ethereal echoing into various scenes that added to the overall production quality. 

Though the play took a few unexpected turns which further complicated the plot, the basis of the play is well developed.  In my opinion, however, it could use some revisiting to smooth out some of the unexpected and not fully completed story lines and overall themes. That being said, the play overall was well-received by the audience who seemed to thoroughly enjoy it.

The play runs one hour and forty-five minutes with no intermission. This production runs until April 23^rd with performances at Boston Playwrights’ Theatre. For tickets and more information visit http://freshinktheatre.org.

Review of ‘ART’ at Hub Theatre Company of Boston (MA)

(from left to right) Bob Mussett, John Geoffrion, Victor Shopov (Photo courtesy of Hub Theatre Company)

The multi-awarding winning play ‘ART’ by Yasmina Reza, having premiered on Broadway in 1998, is currently being performed by Hub Theatre Company of Boston. The play takes place in Paris in the mid-1990’s and through the eyes of three best friends who attempt to answer the question:  “What is art?”.  In the small theatre space with an audience on three sides, they invite us into their living rooms, their friendship, their beliefs and conflicting ideas as to what art is. Their varying opinions make this colorful play a highly amusing night at the theatre.

Fantastically directed by Daniel Bourque, the perfectly cast trio was dynamic, humorous, and played off each other very well throughout the production.  John Geoffrion as Marc, Bob Mussett as Yvan, and Victor Shopov as Serge were captivating from start to finish. The audience was immediately engrossed in the play and the characters before them. The trio had wonderful chemistry and their lively banter was naturally believable and not over-rehearsed. They were comfortable in their space, in their characters, and in their story so much so that the continued laughter of the audience mere feet from them was never distracting. At the core of this play are three friends who don’t know exactly what holds them together; yet, they decide after much fighting, that art will not tear them apart.

The lighting, designed by Christopher Bocchiaro, and sound and music composition, by Kyle Lampe, blended exceptionally well and led to seamless transitions. The effects of lighting and sound aided in the amplification of the emotional changes experienced by the characters and the ever-increasing tension between them.

This 90 minute, immensely enjoyable production of ‘ART’ is being performed through April 23^rd at First Church Boston located at 66 Marlborough Street, Boston, MA.  For more information and tickets visit http://www.hubtheatreboston.org/. Tickets for all shows are set as “pay-what-you-can”; therefore there is no reason not to go see this production!