…what the end will be

 …what the end will be

Roundabout Theatre Company

Laura Pels Theatre
June 10, 2022

Photo courtesy of
Roundabout Theatre Company

Playwright Mansa Ra’s …what the end will be is a tender story about family love, acceptance, and letting go.  His characters are truthful, honest, and relatable.  Under the direction of Margot Bordelon, poignant moments blossom out of stressful confrontations.  The Roundabout Theatre Company production is perfectly cast and beautifully realized.

Maxwell Kennedy (played by Emerson Brooks) spared no expense preparing his home for his father, Bartholomew Kennedy (played by Keith Randolph Smith), to move in as he faces the final stages of his cancer diagnosis.  Max’s partner, Charles (played by Randy Harrison), is not there to welcome him, but his son, Tony (played by Gerald Caesar), is overjoyed to see his grandfather.  Max and Tony realize what is ahead for them when the visiting nurse, Chloe (played by Tiffany Villarin), reviews Mr. Kennedy’s medication schedule.  When Tony’s boyfriend, Antoine (played by Ryan Jamaal Swain), is caught sneaking out of Tony’s room, he realizes it is time to come out to his father and grandfather.  “Well the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree,” proclaims Mr. Kennedy, who is deeply missing his partner, who passed away recently.  The fears and deep issues of these three men start to surface, yet due to the aggressive progression of Mr. Kennedy's illness, their time to face and resolve them is limited.  

Gerald Caesar & Emerson Brooks
Photo courtesy of Roundabout Theatre Company

Mansa Ra sets up a unique premise with three generations of gay, black men.  The characters 
are all very well drawn out, with rich family histories and cultural roots that both unite and divide them.  They clearly share great love, yet their sense of acceptance is urgently put to the test.  Mr. Ra takes these characters to the breaking point, then creates a clear path for them to travel forward. 

Gerald Caesar & Keith Randolph Smith
Photo courtesy of
Roundabout Theatre Company

Emerson Brooks is stubborn and set in his ways as Maxwell Kennedy.  As his son, Tony, Gerald Caesar is both optimistic and aware of the limitations of his father’s expectations.  The scenes between these two gifted actors are complex and captivating.  Keith Randolph Smith is funny, free, and determined as Bartholomew Kennedy.  The character has accepted his fate, and Mr. Smith plays every moment with joy and conviction.  Randy Harrison portrays Charles as the voice of reason, wanting so much to keep the family together, yet has serious challenges to face in his relationship with Max.  Randy Jamaal Swain is a blast of vivid color and fresh air as Antoine.  He also shows the character’s serious, no-nonsense point of view.

…what the end will be is playing at the Laura Pels Theatre through July 10.  It is a poignant and touching story, well directed, with a superb cast.  It will truly move you! 

Domenick Danza

A Delicate Ship

A Delicate Ship

The Playwrights Realm

Peter Jay Sharp Theatre

August 28, 2015

Photo courtesy of The Playwrights Realm

A Delicate Ship, a new play by Anna Ziegler, is playing at the Peter Jay Sharp Theatre on 42^nd Street (Playwrights Horizon on Theatre Row).  It was developed and produced by The Playwrights Realm.  The script makes a strong statement about memory and how certain events can change the course of your life, when proper attention is paid.

Sarah (Miriam Silverman) and her boyfriend Sam (Matt Dellapina) are spending a romantic Christams Eve together, when there is a knock on the door.  Enter Nate (Nick Westrate), a childhood friend of Sarah.  After reminiscing, smoking a joint, drinking some wine, and playing a parlor game that cuts deep, Nate opens up to why he dropped in.  The discomfort comes to an end when Nate is finally asked to leave.  “What if we just hadn’t opened the door?” ask Sarah and Sam a few times during Nate’s visit, but they did.  The bigger question is, “Which event of the evening will affect them the most?”

Nick Westrate, Miriam Silverman, & Matt Dellapina
in A Delicate Ship
Photo courtesy of The Playwrights Realm

All three actors create characters that grab attention.  Their portrayals are realistic and charming.  Ms. Ziegler’s script and Margot Bordelon’s direction breaks the fourth wall intermittently throughout the play.  This is an intriguing convention that suspends time and strengthens the script’s commentary on memory, yet becomes a hindrance to the development of deeper, revealing relationships between the characters.

The set, designed by Reid Thompson, is an interior living room, sparsely and tastefully furnished, surrounded by a lane of gravel on all four sides, which serves as the sidewalk surrounding the exterior of the apartment building.  This is a clever and well-defined way to utilize the space, since in some scenes two characters are inside the apartment at the same time that one of them is outside.

The Playwrights Realm was founded in 2007 and is “dedicated to serving early-career playwrights.”  A Delicate Ship is well produced and the playwright’s voice is strong and distinct.  This is a company worth checking out and supporting.

Domenick Danza