Birthday Candles

 
Birthday Candles
Roundabout Theatre Company
American Airlines Theater
March 29, 2022 

Photo courtesy of Roundabout Theatre Company

How do you measure a life?  Through its celebrations?  Its loses?  Its accomplishments?  Its hardships?  Noah Haidle ponders that question in his play Birthday Candles.  The action takes place on the many birthdays of his main character, spanning almost one hundred years.  Director Vivienne Benesch finds the pearls in each of Mr. Haidle’s tender moments, and this stellar cast string them together to deliver a stunning theatrical experience.

It is Ernestine’s (played by Debra Messing) seventeenth birthday.  Her mother, Alice (played by Susannah Flood), teaches her how to bake her special birthday cake so part of her will live on in tradition.  Ernestine is distracted by her dreams of finding her place in the cosmos and auditioning for the role of King (Queen) Lear in her high school play, but she does learn how to bake the cake.  The action flows seamlessly into her eighteenth birthday.  Her neighbor, Kenneth (played by Enrico Colantoni), surprises her by coming to her party two hours early.  Ernestine is baking the cake as her mother taught her.  Kenneth asks Ernestine to the prom.  She turns him down and tells him to go home and return in two hours.  When Matt (played by John Earl Jelks) shows up early, Ernestine does not send him home, and she does accept his request to take her to the prom.  In an instant, it is eighteen years later.  Ernestine and Matt’s two teenage children (played by Christopher Livingston and Susannah Flood) are celebrating Ernestine’s birthday.  Ernestine is preparing the cake her mother taught her how to bake.  The story continues to flash forward, celebrating the joys, disappointments, and turning points of the coming years on each birthday in Ernestine’s long and abundant life.

Debra Messing, Christopher Livingston, & Susannah Flood
Photo courtesy of Roundabout Theatre Company

The cast plays numerous roles throughout the story as Ernestine’s children grow up and have children of their own.  Each distinct character weaves a pattern of love and connection.  Each birthday repeats tradition, sayings, gestures, and sentiment as the characters face the challenges and truths of the present year.  Debra Messing grows and blossoms as Ernestine.  She captures your heart the minute she enters and does not let go throughout the action of the play.  Her physicality shifts as her character ages and her heart expands.  She creates genuine and endearing relationships with each character in the story.  Susannah Flood, Enrico Colantoni, John Earl Jelks, Chrystal Finn, and Christopher Livingston all deliver authentic, heart warning performances.

Birthday Candles is a much needed reminder of what is important on this journey we call life.  It is playing at Roundabout’s American Airlines Theatre through May 29.  Go see it! 

Domenick Danza

To My Girls

 To My Girls
Second Stage
Tony Kiser Theater
March 24, 2022 

Photo Courtesy of Second Stage

JC Lee’s play, To My Girls, is delivering a brilliant balance of laughter and poignant moments at 2^nd Stage’s Tony Kiser Theater.  The play serves up a subtle and thought provoking commentary on the cultural evolution of social engagement.  The writing is witty and biting.  The action is fast paced and colorful.  The performances are big and bold. 

Curtis (played by Jay Armstrong Johnson) rents an Airbnb in Palm Spring to reunite with his friends after a long separation due to the pandemic.  He has a wild weekend planned, which includes making a video of them performing one of their old drag routines to boost his social media following.  First to arrive is Castor (played by Maulik Pancholy), who is thrilled to be spending time with his friends, but not the least bit interested in Curtis’ social media plans.  Jeff (played by Carman Lacivita) travels from NYC to join the group.  He starts in on how Curtis continually leads Castor on in thinking there is a chance for a more serious relationship.  Leo (played by Britton Smith) and his long-term boyfriend are late to arrive, so Bernie (played by Bryan Batt) fills in on the drag number during rehearsal.  When the boys go out that night, Castor comes home with a young, hot hook-up, Omar (played by Noah J. Rickets).  After Castor falls asleep, Curtis and Omar connect, which ignites Castor’s insecurities.  When Leo finally arrives, he announces that he and his boyfriend are breaking up because of Curtis’ selfish behavior.  Before the weekend is over, Curtis faces the truth of his actions and the effect they have on his circle of friends. 

The Cast of To My Girls
Photo courtesy of Second Stage

Jay Armstrong Johnson’s character of Curtis is the glue that holds this group of friends together, as well as the bomb that destroys them.  He creates a charming and flawed character, driven by the need to be the center of attention.  Maulik Pancholy delivers the laughs as Castor, yet also pulls the more serious scenes into focus.  All eyes are on him as he skillfully creates these distinct moments.  Carman Lacivita commands the stage from his first entrance, and does not drop his energy for a second.  He plays Jeff as an observer of the group, sharing his insight throughout the action of the play.  Bryan Batt brings an older perspective with his character of Bernie, making the other characters laugh, as well as think deeply about their choices.  Noah J. Rickets’ character of Omar bring the younger perspective to the story.  He infuses the action with envy, yearning, and an interesting sense of absurdity.  The character of Leo enters later in the course of the play.  Britton Smith rises to the challenge of making this character a part of the already established action, and brining it to the next level.

Playwright JC Lee has represented three generations of gay men from various ethnic background to show the progression of change in the gay culture.  The play takes place present day, so the post-Trump and post-pandemic perspective of these characters adds a significant layer of awareness to their encounters.  Social media has created a new level of shallowness to the way they relate.  It takes earnest effort for them to connect on a sincerely personal level.  Mr. Lee offers a powerful sense of optimism as the characters acknowledge the bond in their friendship, despite the fact that they are seeing one another in a different light.  Even though their relationships are harmed by selfishness and insolence, they choose to not allow their hurt feelings to take control. 

The 2nd Stage production of To My Girls is playing at the Tony Kiser Theater through April 24.  It is full of laughs while delivering a strong dose of truth with a powerful punch. 

Domenick Danza

Garbageman

 Garbageman
Chain Theatre
March 17, 2022 

Photo courtesy of Chain Theatre

Keith Huff’s play Garbageman, now running at Chain Theatre, is packed with twists, turns, and unexpected surprises.  Director Greg Cicchino keeps the bold action moving at a brisk pace.  Each scene builds to a high point, propelling the action into the next unanticipated moment.  Set design by Richard Hoover and Kis Knekt is visually impactful, creating a bold metaphor for the boggled and cluttered minds of the characters.. 

Buddy Maple (played by Deven Anderson) needs to get his hands on a gun, so he drops in on his old friend from high school, Dan Bandana (played by Kirk Gostkowski).  Dan asks for an explanation.  Buddy tells the whole story, which starts with his becoming a Garbageman straight out of high school, and continues to when he was hired to work at a recycling plant.  It is there he finds a severed head, which he keeps in the trunk of his car.  Buddy goes on to tell of when he backed up his work vehicle and crushed the skull of a red headed little boy, whose father took revenge by putting Buddy’s son in a coma.  Buddy wants the gun so he can kill the red headed boy’s father.  This story motivates Dan to admit he wants to kill his ex-wife.  The two men become entwined by their rage and need for vengeance, but don’t seem to be able to follow though with their plans.  When Dan gets severely depressed, Buddy grows concerned he might be suicidal, or worse.  To cheer him up, Buddy suggests they drive to Washington DC for a rally on January 6.  What ensues is recorded and broadcast to the entire country. 

Deven Anderson & Kirk Gostkowski
Photo courtesy of Chain Theatre

Playwright Keith Huff offers a gripping perspective on the causes for rise of violent behavior in America.  He creates two characters drowning in despair and desperately seeking a way out.  The humor keeps the audience connected to the characters, yet allows them to distance themself from the action.  This gives them a chance to absorb the events that lead to the January 6 insurrection.  The final scene makes a strong statement on the harsh realities of America’s present state of mind.

Deven Anderson and Kirk Gostkowski develop an intriguing relationship between Buddy Maple and Dan Bandana.  The severity of their emotions becomes almost absurd at times, yet these two actors stay grounded in each moment, drawing the audience deeply into their reality.  They skillfully play the timing of the dark humor in Mr. Huff’s writing, keeping the action connected and the audience alert.

The Chain Theatre production of Garbageman has been extended through April 16.  The play delivers a bumpy ride, yet definitely one worth taking.  Visit their website (chaintheatre.org) and get a ticket today.  

Domenick Danza