The Actors

 The Actors
Theatre Row
May 25, 2024 

Photo courtesy of The Actors

The Actors is an amusing comedy filled with poignant moments that touch the heart.  Playwright Ronnie Larsen sets up a peculiar premise, then skillfully explores every conceivable occurrence, making it fully believable and entertaining.  Director Stuart Meltzer allows the emotional moments of truth to land gently, then bounce back into the rhythmic comic timing.

Ronnie (played by Ronnie Larsen) misses his parents, who died a few years ago.  His desperation motivates him to start a project.  He hires actors to play his mother, Jean (played by Jeni Hacker), and his father, Clarence (played by Allen Lewis Rickman).  The plan is for them to visit Ronnie a few hours a week to improvise scenes from his childhood so he won’t feel so alone.  When the actor playing Clarence is thrown out of his apartment by his jealous girlfriend, he decides to move in with Ronnie, and become his full time Dad.  This motivates the actor playing Jean to recruit her real son (played by Gabriell Salgado) to play Ronnie’s brother Jay.  It’s more than Ronnie bargained for, yet part of him is happy for the company.  When Ronnie’s real brother Jay (played by Jason Guy) shows up unexpectedly, Ronnie is forced to face the truth. 

Gabriell Salgado, Allen Lewis Rickman,
Jeni Hacker, & Ronnie Lrsen
Photo courtesy of The Actors

Ronnie Larsen is truly at home playing the lead character.  The absurdity of his “project” is juxtaposed by the honesty of his grief over the loss of his parents.  He revels in the scenes he enacts with the actors playing his parents, yet he has complete control of the fact that they are totally fake.  It is the actors who get carried away, and Jeni Hacker, Allen Lewis Rickman, and Gabriell Salgado play the over the top situation with honest conviction. 

The Actors played numerous cities around the country, including Provo, Utah, and Miami, Florida.  The Off Broadway production is running at Theatre Row through June 1.  It is funny, touching, cleverly written, and delightfully performed.  Go see it! 

Domenick Danza