Thursday, September 9, 2010

Theatre Gym "Duty" review by broadwaysinger

It is your DUTY to see this new play!
Rating: 5

Duty
The Theatre Gym

Duty, a new play written by playwright Hal Parrott, is a stirring piece of theatre that is very relevant to today's political, social, and spiritual climate in America.

The play, directed by Art Suskin for the Theatre Gym, follows a family dealing with the choices they make and the consequences of their actions. The struggles that are seen bring focus to the thoughts and fears of every parent who has a child old enough to serve: Do we let them or not? Should we try to dissuade or revel in the fact they want to do their duty? Do we have moral obligations to our family or to our country? At what length do we go to keep them from serving? And is it ultimately their decision?

David (played by Allen L. Boardman) and Ellie (Kathy Kane) Crenshaw are a couple as normal as your next door neighbors, your parents or your friends. They deal with everyday life but have a very difficult situation presented to them when Adam(Matthew Griggs)their 22y/o son, comes home and says he wants to enlist in the Marine Corp. David and Ellie enlist the help of David's former Marine buddy from when they served together Roger Melnick(Kevin Fewell) who tries the calm the situation. But when minds are made up by youth it is hard to turn back the hands of time, and Adam decides to join after consenting with his fiancée Jane (Courtney Stephens)

David decides that he has an obligation to his son and creates a Marines for Peace effort by getting his old Vietnam War buddies together to make friends with Muslims. Roger meets one of them Ali Bin Nousef (Bradley J. Thomas) and a friendship begin. David Roger and Ali go on a radio show to promote their organization and are ripped to shreds by Robert Williams (Scott Shaw) as a right wing political pundit who personifies the view that so many Americans have of other faiths and cultures. I won't go into detail of the end but it is as powerful an ending as I have ever seen in a piece of theatre!

Allen Boardman gives one of the best performances of his career as David, showing both strength and weakness, seeming both powerful and then at the end so beaten and frail. It is a performance worthy of praise. Boardman is sometimes understated in scenes but keeps crispness to himself; you can see how his character loves his family, his honor and his duty. I have seen Boardman in many things at the Metropolitan Ensemble Theatre, his last two roles in "Time of your Life" and "Mappa Mundi" in particular were wonderful pieces to me but this role is so complex and meaty it seems written just for him. From the start you feel for Boardman as a man conflicted by duty to family versus duty to one's self. His shining moment is a speech that makes you feel his pain that would rival some of the best monologs of this time, and it is done with such pathos and care that it just breaks you down with him.

Kathy Kane as the frantic Ellie is captivating and brusque. Her absolute resolve is so gut-wrenchingly heartbreaking yet understandable at the same time that you feel for her yet almost dislike her at the same time. I was there on a night where there was a talk back and that made it seem as if Ellie were selfish...but I say what mother wouldn't want to keep their child safe from harm? Kane hits an emotional heartstring with her words and actions and holds her own with Boardman and Fewell in a gripping performance that could be compared with many a character from Tennessee Williams or Arthur Miller. Kane calls forth every piece of the heart you can find and at certain times breaks them into even smaller pieces. With real tears, and real fears that play out Kane has the ability to either make you love Ellie or hate her, and that is the sign of a true performer from start to finish. Her character is strong willed and smart, and Kane plays that to the hilt, an amazing piece for such an accomplished actor.

Kevin Fewell as the wise cracking yet caring Roger is so entertaining you think he stepped out of the pages of a Mark Twain book. His voice is commanding yet filled with thought and mirth. Fewell has a way of lightening the mood in scenes as well as lending them a sharp heavy quality that leaves you really enjoying him. My favorite scene for his character is the Radio scene in which Fewell's character gets into a "disagreement" with the host...it is both tense and funny at the same time, a good change up in this show that could have been marred down if not for Fewell. Great comic timing, great look and a wonderful dichotomy to Boardman and Kane, the strong trifecta of these three performers carries this piece. Fewell has a flair and wit with an ease and comfort that you don't see in a lot of performers, reminding me of Henry Fonda or Will Rogers for his ability to speak his mind and make it believable. His Roger was my favorite character of the show because he wasn't stilted or jaded by war but embraced the things that happen and can move on, I wish we could all had that ability.

Bradley J. Thomas as the Muslim Ali is absolutely mesmerizing. There is intensity to his Ali that burns just under the surface, yet has a calmness that is just breathtaking. Thomas is nuanced and controlled, breathing new life into something that could have been very stereotypical and almost insulting. I have seen this young man in several pieces to date (mainly musicals) and he can really play anything at all, his look is utterly amazing, his voice is clear and with this wonderful accent that he uses (which reminds me of a character from the TV show LOST) I would say that this is the break out performance of this show, if not of his career. So far Thomas has yet to disappoint and he deserves much praise for playing this type of role in our social climate. I will be personally be voting for him in the Pitch Best of 2010 awards as best actor and I encourage anyone who has seen his work to do it as well!

Matthew Griggs as Adam is strong, watching him with the other characters who are trying to dissuade his Adam; you can see his resolve as you watch him perform. Griggs takes a hold of the role and goes from wanting to doing and there is a physical change as well from first act to second act. I don't know if he has had any military experience but he made a believable Marine. You can also see the love that Griggs' has for his family as well as his girlfriend Jane. My only wish is that that relationship would have been developed more, but that is more of a playwright note than anything else. I look forward to Griggs getting more roles where he is in very good company and shining just as much as he did in this piece. Very good work for such a fine, upcoming actor.

Courtney Stephens as Jane is a small but solid role yet she stands on a level playing field with Kane as the two females in the lives of this family, Stephens' Jane is just as strong willed as Kane's Ellie and butt heads in a very tense and interesting scene. I found Stephens to be bubbly at times but it really worked for her. I saw her in "Big Love" during the Fringe Festival and with this show added on; she is having a very good year in very tight and strong pieces. Excellent work for the amount of stage time.

Scott Shaw as the blustering and brutal Williams is just a character you love to hate. Shaw plays the pundit so well you almost want to strangle him with his tie! Shaw is just so strong and imposing compared to the other three men that when he swells on Williams' high horse it makes the room crackle with anticipation, if I had a second favorite character if the show it would be him, and he only has one scene...just a great piece of theatre for Shaw to really sink his teeth into. Like I said he plays the guy you either love to hate or the one you listen to everyday, either way he brings so much out in each of Boardman, Fewell and Thomas's characters that if this scene wouldn't have been in the second act, the play would have felt incomplete in my opinion...just one of the best performances of shock jock value I have seen since TALK RADIO at The Living Room.

All in all the show was an entertaining and engaging. Some scenes in my opinion were a little long while others could have been developed a wee bit more. The set was very simple and I wish there had been more color or balance in the play space, and that the furniture and decor had a theme to them rather than being disjointed, but the aesthetic of "Shabby chic" that other companies have been making their own is alive and well here. Again I didn't have a problem with it, just wish it would have been more realized. Lighting was understated and well done, if a little dark and high in certain scenes, and the staging of the radio part on the ground was a somewhat poor choice as I had to rise up to see the action.

I recommend that anyone who loves theatre, great performances, has family in the service, or really anyone with a free night to come to this thought provoking piece of theatre that is tight, concise and enjoyable.

read the review at KC Stage

No comments:

Post a Comment