‘Iago’ Looks at Play Behind the Play

Posted on September 14, 2016 by Karen Nowosad

Photo by SuzAnne Barabas showing a scene from ‘IAGO’ which includes Todd Gearhart, Liza Vann, Ezra Barnes, John Fitzgibbon

People who enjoy live theater usually love to learn about what goes on behind the scenes of a show. Seeing behind the scenes is considered by many to be a play within a play. That concept is what forms the story-line for a play that is having its New Jersey Premiere at the New Jersey Repertory Theatre in Long Branch.  Iago gives viewers a backstage look at a group of actors who are involved with a Shakespearean production and what goes on with them in their lives during the production.

Written by James McLure,  Iago, was developed at the Playwright’s Project in Healing Springs, North Carolina and premiered at the Alabama Shakespeare Festival.  This version in Long Branch is directed by NJ Rep’s own Artistic Director SuzAnne Barabas.

Iago explores what takes place off stage during rehearsals with an acting company as they prepare the Shakespearean classic Othello.  It centers on three extraordinary actors who are at the top of their game.  But the creatives are also represented by the well-known director who also gets involved.  There is intrigue, scandal, and of course romance as rehearsals take place. The romance involves the husband and wife actors along with another actor in the company. Are they acting or is it real life? You be the judge when you see this unique show.

Several of the actors from this show shared their thoughts on what audiences will enjoy about it.  Todd Gearhart said:

“If you love what’s theatrical about theatre you’ll love IAGO. The brilliance of Shakespeare, the romance of the real life lived backstage, the enormous egos and the huge stakes involved in creating a theatrical production. IAGO deals with fame, friendship, love, betrayal, and success. It’s a full-blown, theatrical evening of theatre.”

Photo by SuzAnne Barabas showing a scene from ‘IAGO’ which includes Ezra Barnes and Liza Vann.

Liza Vann said:

“Iago is about theatre royalty and Hollywood in its heyday, big people living big lives before the age of reality TV in the era of gossip columnists and newspapers. It’s the theatre world wrapped in a ‘Downton Abbey’ package: gorgeous costumes, wonderful dialogue, and one of those rare pieces that can be just so funny one minute and then so poignant the next. Add a sword fight to the mix, and I think Cousin Violet might be tempted to repeat one of her best lines, ‘I do hope I’m interrupting something.’ I promise you, she would be….”

In addition to Todd Gearhart and Liza Vann, the cast also includes Ezra Barnes and John FitzGibbon; all veteran actors who give performances that make this a very enjoyable play to see.

September is a beautiful time to be down the shore and luckily there are two weeks left to see Iago at the New Jersey Repertory Company located at 179 Broadway, Long Branch, NJ. The show is currently running through Sunday, September 25, 2016. Performances are given on Thursdays and Fridays at 8:00 pm; Saturdays at 3:00 pm and 8:00 pm and Sundays at 2:00 pm.

Tickets may be purchased by calling 732-229-3166 or at www.njrep.org.

 

 

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A Thought Provoking Look at Secrets Revealed: ‘Las Cruces’

Posted on September 8, 2016 by Karen Nowosad
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Brian Sutherland as Sheridan, Diomargy Nuñez as Soledad, and Charlotte Cohn as Jane in the Premiere Stages production of Las Cruces by Vincent Delaney. Photo by Mike Peters.

Starting a new life with a secret you are protecting can be a rough way to live. How long can you keep that secret and what happens when that secret is revealed? Those concepts form the basis of a new play, Las Cruces, now playing through September 18 at the Premiere Stages at Kean University.  The winner of the 2016 Premiere Stages Play Festival, Las Cruces was selected from over 400 submissions.

The play was written by Vincent Delaney who brings with him an impressive writing background including a number of awards such as recipient of the Actors Theatre of Louisville’s Heideman Award, McKnight and Bush fellowships, a Jerome Commission, the Reva Shiner Comedy Award, Core Membership at the Playwrights Center, and a residency at Seattle Rep.  Las Cruces is directed by Premiere’s founding producing director John J. Wooten who is in his twelfth season as Producing Artistic Director of Premiere Stages.  The combined experience and expertise of these two men has produced a show that provides suspense and a range of emotions intertwined with a superbly developed plot. It covers topics that are relevant in these turbulent times. As Playwright Delaney disclosed in the post show Talk Back, there is a basic question that surfaces: how well does a parent ever know their own child?

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Brian Sutherland as Sheridan and Diomargy Nuñez as Soledad. Photo by Mike Peters.

The play opens when we watch a home video of a little boy playing and rolling on the grass of a home in a middle class looking neighborhood.  It abruptly shuts off as the action begins with Sheridan sneaking into a parked trailer in the middle of the wilderness.  The occupant inside, Soledad, manages to get out without his realizing that she was in there. The next day, the two meet and begin a series of encounters where they learn about each other.  There is a bit of cat and mouse going on as neither one will tell their story to the other; and yet they get along and develop something resembling a friendship.  A third person, Jane, furthers the plot by doing flashback scenes about her life as a mother and wife.  We later learn that she is Sheridan’s wife and mother of the little boy who we later see as a teenager who appears to be a rather unhappy person.  What is hiding below the surface is the death of Sheridan and Jane’s son. To say how or why their son died would be giving away too much of the plot. Suffice it to say that learning the circumstances will rivet you and leave you feeling a bit shaken. Unhappy circumstances also surround Soledad who is only 17 and yet living on her own earning money as a card player at a nearby casino. By the time Jane comes out to Las Cruces to find her husband, Sheridan, Soledad’s need to be included in a family is vividly showing. There appears to be hope for some future for these three together as the show closes.

Audiences are sure to appreciate the fine acting of the cast which includes  Broadway veterans Brian Sutherland and Charlotte Cohn, and newcomer Diomargy Nuñez. They will also enjoy seeing the trailer that is parked onstage. It is an authentic 1960’s style mobile home equipped with original paneling, stove, and other era pieces.

Audience members are invited to further engage with the issues raised by Mr. Delaney’s thought-provoking play through Premiere Stages’ 2016 Talk-Back Series, which offers free post-show discussions with community leaders and local experts after select matinee performances. A featured topics yet to come is Grief and Bereavement with Dr. Norma Bowe, a professor in Kean University’s College of Education and co-founder of The Center for Grief Services (Sunday, September 11 following the 3:00 pm performance). Premiere will also offer a series of informal pre-show talks every Saturday evening 35 minutes prior to performance in the lobby of the theatre. Please call 908-737-4092 for information on additional talk-back speakers.

My friend who attended the performance with me said to mention that even after attending the Talk Back, we still had a lot we wanted to discuss about the play. It is both thought provoking and discussion generating. Rather than just jumping back onto to the Garden State Parkway to head home, we stopped at the Mark Twain Diner on Morris Avenue in Union. They have a lovely bar seating area where we sat and enjoyed a beverage, a marvelous appetizer of fried calamari, and a continued lengthy discussion about the show.

About the Show:

Running Time:  90 minutes (approx.) no intermission

Location: Zella Fry Theatre on the Kean University main campus, Morris Avenue, in Union, NJ.

Performances: September 1-18 – Thursdays and Fridays at 8:00 pm, Saturdays at 3:00 pm and 8:00 pm, and Sundays at 3:00 pm

Contact for Info and Tickets: Tickets are $30 standard, $20 for senior citizens and Kean alumni, and $15 for students and patrons with disabilities. Significant discounts for groups of 8 or more apply. To make reservations or to order a season brochure, please call the Kean Stage Box Office at 908-737-SHOW (7469) or visit Premiere Stages online at www.kean.edu/premierestages.

Suggested Audience: After seeing this show, I would suggest that mature theater goers will find this a good play to attend.  Note: Subject matter might be difficult for younger children and early teens.

Additional Information: Premiere Stages offers affordable prices, air-conditioned facilities, and free parking close to the theatre. Premiere Stages also provides free or discounted tickets to patrons with disabilities. All Premiere Stages facilities are fully accessible spaces, and companion seating is available for patrons with disabilities. Assistive listening devices and large print programs are available at all times; publications in alternate formats are available with advanced notice. Please call 908-737-4092 for a list of sign-interpreted, audio-described or open-captioned performances. For more information, visit Premiere Stages online at www.kean.edu/premierestages.

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‘A Day by the Sea’ is Superb Play Writing for a Winning Production

Posted on September 2, 2016 by Karen Nowosad
Photo: A Day By the Sea By N.C. Hunter Directed By Austin Pendleton; presented by The Mint Theater Cast; Curzon Dobell; Julian Elfer; Katie Firth; Philip Goodwin; Sean Gormley; Polly McKie Kylie McVey; George Morfogen; ?Athan Sporek?; Jill Tanner Dress rehearsal photographed: Thursday, July 21, 2016; 4:30 PM at The Beckett Theatre at Theatre Row 410 West 42nd Street; NYC; Photograph: © 2016 Richard Termine PHOTO CREDIT - Richard Termine

Photo: A Day By the Sea By N.C. Hunter Directed By Austin Pendleton; presented by The Mint Theater now playing at The Beckett Theatre at Theatre Row 410 West 42nd Street; NYC. Photograph: © 2016 Richard Termine PHOTO CREDIT – Richard Termine

There are times when one sees a play so well put together that you say to yourself “now that’s how it should be done.”  A Day by the Sea by N.C. Hunter is one of those plays. The production now running in New York City is presented by the Mint Theater Company and directed by Austin Pendleton. It marks the Mint’s first production as a resident theater company at Theatre Row and it is a perfect spot to see this show.  A Day by the Sea flows beautifully and keeps the audience interested throughout the entire production.  A main plot and several subplots develop through the two hours and 40 minutes of the three acts. The plots are not really intertwined, but they run quite seamlessly beside each other.

Upon entering the theater, the set for Act I, the garden of Laura Anson’s home in Dorset, is on display.  Lovely soft piano music especially written for this show plays in the background and the occasional sound of seagull can be heard. It creates a very relaxing feeling and reminds one that the home is close to the English seaside. With the very warm August weather, such a setting was a welcome relief to the heat outside the Beckett.

The main plot for A Day by the Sea centers on Julian Anson, a once promising Foreign Service employee, who has allowed his career to become the center of his life.  These days we might call such a man a “workaholic” but by many, he was revered as trying to make a name for himself and establish a brilliant record of service.  His mother, Laura, has tried to encourage him to have a life outside of work. But Julian persevered in his career landing himself in a plum position in Paris. This visit to the seaside is one of the few times that he has allowed himself some sort of break.

Photo: Curzon Dobell; Julian Elfer; Katie Firth; Philip Goodwin; Sean Gormley; Polly McKie Kylie McVey; George Morfogen; Athan Sporek, Jill Tanner Dress rehearsal photographed: Thursday, July 21, 2016; 4:30 PM at The Beckett Theatre at Theatre Row 410 West 42nd Street; NYC; Photograph: © 2016 Richard Termine PHOTO CREDIT - Richard Termine

Photo: Curzon Dobell; Julian Elfer; Katie Firth; Philip Goodwin; Sean Gormley; Polly McKie Kylie McVey; George Morfogen; Athan Sporek, Jill Tanner Photograph: © 2016 Richard Termine PHOTO CREDIT – Richard Termine

Julian is middle aged, somewhere in his 40’s, not married, and not concerned about having a life until his work supervisor comes to visit him. The news the man brings is life changing for Julian. Next, he learns that another guest at the house, Frances, has kept a secret that involved him for many years. His decision to confront this situation sets the second part of the play in motion.

Along with Julian’s dilemma, there are also subplots involving other members of the household including the governess Miss Mathieson and her attraction to the alcoholic Doctor Farley, the declining health of David, and the needs of Laura to maintain order all around.

Sounds confusing? It’s not. All of these plots and subplots play out quite easily and very nicely due to Playwright Hunter’s skillful creation of dialog and progression of the story line. Some situations are resolved and others show hints but not resolutions.

So, in the grand scheme of life, events like these become a part of life and definitely a reason one needs a day by the sea.

Fine performances are given from a cast that features Curzon Dobell, Julian Elfer, Katie Firth, Philip Goodwin, Sean Gormley, Polly McKie, Kylie McVey, George Morfogen, Athan Sporek, and Jill Tanner.

For theater goers who can’t get enough of well written shows, this is a must see.

About the Show:

Running Time: The play is in three acts which gives the entire play a run time 140 minutes plus two intermissions.

Artistic Staff:  Scenic design by Charles Morgan; costume design by Martha Hally; lighting design by Xavier Pierce; and sound design by Jane Shaw.

Location: Main Stage: The Beckett Theatre at Theatre Row, 410 West 42nd Street between 9th and Dyer Avenues, New York City.

Performances:  A Day by the Sea is currently running through September 24, 2016.  Performances are on Tuesday through Saturday evenings at 7:30pm with matinees Saturday and Sunday at 2:30pm. Special Wednesday Matinees on August 24th at September 21st at 2:30 PM.

Contact for Info and Tickets: For more information, visit minttheater.org. Tickets for all performances are $57.50 (including $2.25 theater restoration fee) and can be purchased online at Telecharge.com, by phone at 212-239-6200 or in person at the Theatre Row Box Office.

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