“Another Opening, Another Show…”
This searing comedy about theatre folks is written by
Terrence McNally and directed by Jason A. England. It is playing at their space, 7515 N, Brandon
Ave. (upstairs), just off Lombard (small parking lot across the street),
through May 13th. For more
information, go to their site at www.twilighttheatercompany.org
Theatre folks are, indeed, a strange lot. I should know, I’ve been involved in all
aspects of theatre arts for over 40 years and, I must confess, as disjointed as
the characters are in this play, it is a true portrait of us in the artistic
fields. And, like a rubber ball, no
matter the set-backs, we always come bouncing home. We are the dreamers for a world that may have
lost their imaginations. We are the
deed-holders to a land of possibilities.
We are the trailblazers for Truth (for that is an artist’s ultimate
goal) in a “swamp” full of lies and deceptions.
I envy those Young people who are testing the waters in the Arts and
finding, with support, they will not sink.
May you ever keep those passions burning, for you are the future, you
are our “sticking place” for hope and better tomorrows.
Okay, I admit, a bit flowery but that is the curse and
blessing of artists, to wear their heart on their sleeves. And, keep in mind, that as sad or funny as
these characters are, they all had those kinds of drives, at one time, and
still have them within. The setting is a
swanky party of Julia (Jennifer Logan), the novice and not-too-bright producer
of the budding playwright, Peter (Rick Barr), once a semi-darling of
Broadway. The real gathering of the
intimate ensemble is upstairs in a bedroom of her house, where folks are
awaiting the outcome of the reviews.
Also included, in this merging of spirits, are the author’s
best friend, James (Jeff Gibberson), a gay, conceited actor who has deserted
the “boards” for the safety of the “boob tube” in a TV series. Also, on hand
for the waiting game, is the leading lady, a refugee from the silver screen,
and jail, the drug-addicted, Virginia (Deone Jennings), still wearing an
ankle-bracelet as part of her monitoring.
Of course, the director is here, too, Frank (Conor Nolan), a very
eccentric young Englishman who seems obsessed in deliberately creating chaos
onstage and yet the critics love him.
And then we have the (uninvited) critic, Ira (Stan Yeend),
that has crashed the party, who has a love/hate relationship with all of them,
but also has an ulterior motive for being here.
And, finally, there is the star wanna-be, Gus (Adam Randall), who is
posing as a coat-check employee just to rub shoulders with the celebs. They will all collide, crash, make-up and
then start all over again. Beneath it
all, there is a rather serious message about the state of theatre nowadays and
the loss of theatrical heritage with the destruction of theatre spaces to build
just one more condo or parking lot for this concrete and electronic jungle
we’ve all created. Developer, One,
History, Zero. “When will we ever
learn…!”
There are some moving speeches by Ira, Peter and James, well
done, as to the state of the Arts. And
McNally, a die-heart playwright himself, has tapped into that secret world of
performers and given us a searing, moving, humorous portrait of a resillent
band of survivors. And England certainly
has a good eye for casting, as well as a keen understanding of the play’s
material.
And the actors are all first-rate in their performances,
tackling the complex roles with a humorous sincerity. Special notice to the egocentric actor,
James, played to perfection by Gibberson, who balances his character between droll
farce and woeful insight. Jennings was
equally as good as the burned-out actor who must evoke sympathy from an
audience and yet be a warning against indulgence in false
accolades. Both these performers, as
well as the others, do an exceptional job of bringing this story to life.
I highly recommend this production. If you do choose to see it, please tell them
Dennis sent you.
--DJS
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