The Skin of Our
Teeth
Theater for a New Audience
Polonsky Shakespeare Center
March 4, 2017
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| Photo courtesy of Theatre for a New Audience |
The
Theatre for a New Audience production of Thornton Wilder’s The Skin of Our Teeth is life affirming. This American Classic, written seventy-five
years ago, is fresh and alive. Thornton
Wilder’s themes and messages are as pertinent to our lives today as they were
in 1942, when he won the Pulitzer Prize for writing it. Arin Arbus’ direction is spot on and
clear. She opens the action of the play in
a way that pulls every audience member into the story. The production rings with vim and vigor due
to original music by Cesar Alvarez and choreography by Sonya Tayeh. The cast of thirty-six unite to create an
engaging experience that encourages deep contemplation.
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| Kecia Lewis, Kimber Monroe, & David Rasche Photo courtesy of Theatre for a New Audience |
Act I opens on Sabina (played by Mary Wiseman),
the housekeeper to the Antrobus family, preparing for Mr. Antrobus (played by
David Rasche) to return from work. We meet Mrs. Antrobus (played by Kecia Lewis) and their two children,
Gladys (played by Kimber Monroe) and Henry (played by Reynaldo Piniella). They are the perfect family, except for the
alarming secrets they keep hidden and their deep seeded resentment toward one
another. Their existence is threatened
by the ice coming from the north, moving everything in its path. They reluctantly open their home to a large
number of refugees in need of shelter and warmth. It is the ice age, and the world as they know
it will soon come to an end.
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| Mary Wiseman as Sabina Photo courtesy of Theatre for a New Audience |
Act
II find the Antrobus family in Atlantic City among mayhem and merriment. “Enjoy yourself” is the message of the day,
yet a Fortune Teller (played by Mary Lou Rosato) predicts destruction by a
great storm. As the rain begins, the
Antrobus family boards a huge boat with two of each animal species in order to
start all over again.
Act
III is dark. The great war has
ended. The Antrobus family and Sabina
have survived, and Gladys has a baby. It
is time to rebuild, yet Mr. Antrobus is tired and disheartened. He tells of the three thoughts that got him
through the war: the voice of the people, his home and family, and his
books. It takes community effort to
restore the safety of their home and, as in Act I and Act II, mankind endures.
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| Photo courtesy of Theatre for a New Audience |
Every
member of the cast and ensemble is skillfully precise. Mary Wiseman is vivacious as Sabina. Her comic timing is superb. Her Sabina plays amazingly well when juxtaposed
against Kecia Lewis’ Mrs. Antrobus.
Their rivalry is fierce and superseded by their bond of understanding. David Rasche grounds the action and keeps it
moving as Mr. Antrobus. Reynaldo
Piniella creates a multi-dimensional Henry who is plagued by anger and driven
by need. Kimber Monroe’s Gladys grows
and matures in the course of the three acts.
Mary Lou Rosato’s Fortune Teller is wild, crazy, and truthful.
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| Photo courtesy of Theatre for a New Audience |
The
hordes of refugees in Act I and rounding up of the animals in Act II harkens to
the political challenges we face today.
There is a seductive conversation between Mr. Antrobus and Sabina in Act
II about wealth and power that could easily be viewed as a (fictional) discussion
between Donald and Melania Trump. With
scenic design by Riccardo Hernandez and costume and puppet design by Cait
O’Connor, the production is astounding. The Skin of Our Teeth is running at the
Polonsky Shakespeare Center in Downtown Brooklyn through March 19. It is a mammoth play with timeless themes and
a stellar cast.
Domenick Danza
