Reviewed by Suzanne Angeo (member, American Theatre Critics Association; Member Emeritus, San Francisco Bay Area Theatre Critics Circle), and Greg Angeo (Member Emeritus, San Francisco Bay Area Theatre Critics Circle)

Photos courtesy of Avon Players

 

 

“Drinking Alone”: Laughter With a Shot of Angst

 

If you’re only familiar with American playwrights, you’re in for a pleasant surprise when you see “Drinking Alone”, a glowing comedy about a dysfunctional family, presented by Avon Players.

Norm Foster is Canada’s most popular comic playwright, and for good reason. He has been at it for over 40 years, with 80-plus plays professionally produced all over the world. You might call him Canada’s Neil Simon. His earliest successes were in the 1980s, with his off-Broadway hit “The Melville Boys,” and “The Long Weekend”.

“Drinking Alone” premiered in June 1998 at Festival Antigonish in Nova Scotia. It’s got lots of laughs, witty dialogue and quirky characters we can all relate to.

The play opens in the living room of the Todd family home. With its avocado-green walls and dark paneling, it apparently hasn’t been redecorated since the 1970s. Friendless Joe lives there alone – except for his painfully dated décor – bored and depressed. He’s got nothing going on in his life except managing a dry-cleaning business, and evenings spent watching TV and drinking beer.  A family reunion looms ahead. Joe wants to impress his successful, flashy sister and his estranged father. So of course he hires Renee, an escort, to pose as his fiancée. What could possibly go wrong?

Luigi Murri (“The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time”) plays Joe in a very dry and laid-back kind of way. The contrast between his soft-spoken dweeb and Marie Burchi-Skipinski (“Lend Me a Tenor”) as the gregarious first-time call girl is fun to watch (and hear). Joe’s snarky sister Carrie, a local newscaster and glamour-puss celebrity, arrives and the tension and hard feelings build. Hosanna Phillips (Night of January 16^th) expresses equal amounts of vanity, scorn and emotional pain that she tries to drown with liquor. When Ivan Todd, the type-A family patriarch, finally shows up, all hell breaks loose. Lee Davis as Ivan is vulgar, hostile and loud. But he has one redeeming quality – he tells jokes. Not always funny ones, but he tries. He also has some great lines. Example: Joe says, “I’m a good catch.” Ivan responds “Halibut is a good catch. You’re no halibut.”

Ivan has brought Phyllis, his new-ish wife, that he left Joe and Carrie’s alcoholic mother for 15 years ago. She is not exactly welcome, needless to say. Patty Hagel, another Avon Players veteran, infuses the role with kindness and affection, and soon begins to thaw the frosty atmosphere.

But the pivotal character, the one who ultimately brings everyone together, is warm-hearted Renee. Even though she suffers from chronic foot-in-mouth disease and doesn’t know how to dress, she is irresistable. Especially to Joe.

Direction by Joy Oetjens is subtle. At first there doesn’t seem to be any character or story development, just a series of funny lines and mugging throughout the first act. But the crux of the story sneaks up on you, and soon you see through the characters’ posing and defensiveness. A real crisis is at hand.

Costumes by Lana Hastings are decade-neutral but may be from the 1990s (Clue: no one has a cell phone, but there’s one reference to “the internet”). Sets by Jeff Stillman and Jonathan Farrell will make you yearn for reruns of “That 70’s Show”.

“Drinking Alone” offers lessons for those who have dealt with alcoholism and serious illness in their lives: forgiveness, patience and unwavering support are what matters most. And sometimes it takes a loving “outsider” to really see into the heart of a family, even one with a messy past, and to help it heal.

 

Now through March 23, 2024

Tickets $25.00

Avon Playhouse

1185 Washington Rd

Rochester Hills, MI 48306

(248) 608-9077

 www.avonplayers.org

Avon Players Theatre is a registered 501 ©3 non-profit organization. Founded in 1947, it is celebrating its 77^th anniversary.

 

 

Reviewed by Suzanne Angeo (Member, American Theatre Critics Association)

and Greg Angeo (Member Emeritus, San Francisco Bay Area Theatre Critics Circle)

Photos courtesy of Sean Carter Photography

 

Secrets Revealed in “A Little More Alive”

Meadow Brook Theatre’s latest offering marks the Michigan premiere of “A Little More Alive”, a 2014 musical dramedy about a family secret revealed at a mother’s funeral that could change forever the lives of two brothers and their father.

American actor/writer Nick Blaemire created “A Little More Alive” while he was still in his 20s, after the one-two punch of appearing in John Waters’ “Cry Baby” and his own one-night wonder, the rock musical “Glory Days”, in 2008. Blaemire went on to star in the 2016 revival of Jonathan Larson’s “Tick Tick…Boom” off Broadway (Larson had achieved fame in 1994 with his revolutionary musical “Rent”, transforming musical theatre, before his untimely death in 1996). “A Little More Alive” had its premiere in April 2014 at the Kansas City Repertory Company. Larson’s influence is everywhere throughout the show, from its non-rhyming lyrics to its contemporary free-form musical style to its creative storytelling that includes home movies projected onto an upstage wall.

Maggie, a wife and mother, has died too young, and her grieving husband, Gene, and their two twenty-something sons, Nate and Jeremy, gather with friends at the family home for her funeral. There’s tension in the air between the estranged brothers – rudderless Nate and workaholic Jeremy (nicknamed “Germ”). The opening number, “Pot at a Funeral”, pretty much sums up Nate’s attitude towards life. Jeremy can’t wait to get away, back to work and his girlfriend. But letters written by Maggie turn up and reveal something that rewrites every memory the boys have of their mother, all preserved in the home movies they watch after the funeral. This revelation ultimately brings everyone closer, and brings forgiveness and insight back into their lives.

MBT veteran Ron Williams delivers a powerful performance in song and movement as Gene, a father in denial. Newcomer Noah Barnes possesses an outstanding voice and real authority in the role of hard-driving Jeremy. Liam Fennecken as the depressed and aimless Nate infuses his character with likeability and empathy. Rounding out the excellent cast is Amber Hurst Martin as hospice worker Lizzie, Melanie Frasca as Molly and last but not least, Katie Johnson as the vivacious Maggie (as seen in the home movies).

Director Travis Walter puts all of his creative talents to work in keeping the 95 minutes (no intermission) moving along. There are nice touches in staging, with moveable set pieces forming different rooms, a basement and even another house.

Even with all this amazing talent assembled and brought to the fore, it struggles to overcome the inherent weakness in the material. The plot seems thin and undeveloped, and the music is repetitive, with many songs sounding almost the same. This show could possibly be more effective as a shorter one-act, with the running time and musical numbers cut in half.

It’s a pleasant enough show, well-executed and worth seeing for the marvelous cast, director and stagecraft.

 

When: Now through March 10, 2024

Tickets $37 to $46

Where: Meadow Brook Theatre at Wilson Hall

Oakland University

378 Meadow Brook Rd

Rochester Hills, MI 48309

(248) 377-3300

www.mbtheatre.com

Special Note: As COVID-19 is a constantly changing situation, MBT will be monitoring and adhering to the guidance given by the CDC, the State of Michigan, the Actor’s Equity Association, and Oakland University. Check the Meadow Brook Theatre website for the latest information on efforts to keep everyone safe.

This production is made possible through the generous support of the Michigan Arts and Cultural Council, the National Endowment for the Arts, the Fred and Barbara Erb Family Foundation, the Shubert Foundation and the Meadow Brook Theatre Guild.

Meadow Brook Theatre is a professional theatre located on the campus of Oakland University in Rochester, Michigan. MBT is a nonprofit cultural institution serving southeast Michigan for more than 56 years.

 

Reviewed by Suzanne Angeo (member, American Theatre Critics Association; Member Emeritus, San Francisco Bay Area Theatre Critics Circle), and Greg Angeo (Member Emeritus, San Francisco Bay Area Theatre Critics Circle)

Photos by Bryan Clifford

 

 

 

Captivating and Inspiring Whodunnit

 

What better way to enjoy Avon Playhouse’s snazzy new seating than to come see their newest presentation, the Tony award-winning play “The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time”? This uniquely brilliant show offers a glimpse of the world through the eyes of a courageous 15-year-old math genius named Christopher, who just happens to be on the autism spectrum. He finds himself in the middle of a (canine) murder mystery that leads down a rabbit hole of secrets held by those around him, including his family.

“The Curious Incident…”, by noted British-Irish playwright Simon Stephens, premiered in August 2012 at the Royal National Theatre in London, winning seven Olivier Awards. It went on to Broadway in October 2014 and ran for two years, winning multiple awards, including the Tony award for best play.

Christopher lives with his father in the southwestern English town of Swindon. It’s obvious the youngster has issues: He is an excellent student but can’t look people in the eye, cannot relate to others on an emotional level. When someone touches him, he reacts violently, sometimes striking out, sometimes collapsing on the floor in a fetal position. Despite these challenges, he is interested in the world and the universe beyond, determined to learn all he can. Then, suddenly his life is changed forever when he discovers his neighbor’s beloved dog has been killed, impaled by a very large garden fork. He is suspected of killing the dog but embarks on his own investigation to find out who did it, and clear his name.

The story is presented in such an original and disarming way that you will be drawn in immediately, starting with the opening sequence featuring a backdrop of streaming projected images from the James Webb telescope, courtesy of projectionist Bryan Clifford. These images change dramatically during the course of the show and help tell the story, almost like another character. Christopher’s teacher Siobhan, played by Caitlin O’Brien with lyrical concern, serves as de facto narrator by reading from Christopher’s own writings about the mysterious happenings. You can see that Christopher (a remarkable Robert Carrigan) refuses to allow his so-called disability to limit his progress or stifle his bold curiosity. His father Ed (Luigi Murri in a strong performance) is trying to protect his son from the world, and from the truth. Joy Oetjens, as the wayward mother Judy, effectively shows the anguish and conflict in her own hidden life that leads Christopher on a dangerous journey in search of answers.

Six precisely positioned actors, identified only as Voice 1, Voice 2, etc, bear witness to Christopher’s strained interactions with his parents, teacher and neighbors. These Voice actors serve as inanimate objects (a microwave oven, a door, train station signs), and are also characters within the story, creating vignettes and pantomime in between various roles. Several black cubes, each about two feet square, serve as key set pieces that are moved around by the Voice actors into various configurations, depending on the scene.

Lighting by JD Deierlein is stark and crisp, like the mind of the young protagonist. Lia DiFonzo’s precise, steady direction keeps the energy focused and keeps us fascinated from beginning to end. Under her guidance, the cast (as ensemble, and as individual actors) works with harmony and purpose.

Besides being a wonderful and entertaining mystery, this is a truly inspiring show for those who know anyone on “the spectrum”. Even in a world where people and objects are interchangeable, experiences are compartmentalized and comfort comes from mathematical calculations, there is great joy in achievement and discovery.

 

Rated R for language and mature concepts

 

Now through February 3, 2024

Tickets $25.00

Avon Playhouse

1185 Washington Rd

Rochester Hills, MI 48306

(248) 608-9077

 www.avonplayers.org