Gabriel: A Polemic

Gabriel: A Polemic

The Drilling Company

North of History

March 10, 2018

Photo courtesy of The Drilling Company

In her play, Gabriel: A Polemic, playwright C. Denby Swanson exuberantly explores the concept of free will.  The Drilling Company production, now running at North of History, invites the audience into Ms. Swanson’s well developed debate by gathering us around the dinner table with the characters.  The intimate setting, honest performances, and precise direction beautifully blend to make a highly engaging experience.  Director Hamilton Clancy builds the conflicts in Ms. Swanson’s skillful writing with the volatility, faith, and genuine affection that the characters have within their hearts.

Susan (played by Jane Bradley) invites her sisters in faith, Brenda (played by Rachel A. Collins) and Jennifer (played by Brandi Varnell), to Christian Sabbath dinner.  Her topic for discussion is free will.  More specifically: Did the Virgin Mary have free will when Angel Gabriel announced to her she was with child?  Jennifer adamantly quotes the bible to answer Susan’s question.  Brenda has a naive faith in Jennifer’s citations.  Susan is clearly experiencing a crisis of faith.  Six month earlier, she had a miscarriage and continually brings up the hurtful fact that all three of them are unable to bear children.  When Louise (played by Elaine Ivy Harris) arrives, who has been absent from their sisterhood for a number of months, she is pregnant and unmarried.  The four women face their fears, doubts, and resentments as their debate gets personal and heated.

Jane Bradley, Brandi Varnell, Rachel A. Collins, & Elaine Ivy Harris
Photo courtesy of The Drilling Company

Jane Bradley portrays Susan with a dexterous balance of cynicism and hope.  Her actions are fueled by a deep longing for support, understanding, and forgiveness.  The reveal of the specific cause of her crisis is genuine and heartbreaking.  Elaine Ivy Harris is honest and open as Louise.  She is vulnerable in her opening monologue, then skillfully transitions her demeanor when confronted by her sisters at the dinner table.  This creates a clear and emotional arc for her character.  Brandi Varnell’s Jennifer is resolute and impassioned.  She vehemently takes on Susan’s challenge and has no trouble judging Louise’s situation.  Ms. Varnell takes the character to her breaking point.  She finally waivers, but never fully relinquishes her point of view.  Rachel A. Collins’ portrayal of Brenda is fresh and trusting.  When the character finally breaks out of her passive exterior toward the end of the play, we see the depth of her optimism, dedication, and true belief. 

Playwright C. Denby Swanson
Photo courtesy of C. Denby Swanson

C. Denby Swanson wrote four extraordinary characters.  They are intelligent, zealous, and complex.  Mr. Clancy keeps the action focused so you can appreciate the polemic (a passionate, strongly worded, and often controversial argument) from all sides.  Gabriel: A Polemic is playing through March 26 at North of History (445 Columbus Ave., between 81^st and 82^nd St., NYC).    Get your tickets on smarttix and be prepared to have your point of view challenged.

Domenick Danza

Twelfth Night

Twelfth Night

The Drilling Company

Bryant Park Shakespeare

July 29, 2017

 

Photo courtesy of Bryan Park Shakespeare

The Drilling Company’s production of Twelfth Night fills Bryant Park with laughter and frivolity.  Director Jane Bradley sets her groovy rendition amid the 1960s free-loving sexual revolution.  Her eye for detail brings out the romantic comedy in Shakespeare’s bawdy, error filled, classic tale.  Her staging and timing keep the action flowing smoothly and the laughs erupting spontaneously.  According to her program notes, Ms. Bradley’s goal was to create a setting that is “peculiar, outrageous, and above all else, a delightful escape,” and she gallantly succeeds.  

Viola (played by Natalie Smith) washes up on the shores of Illyria after her ship is lost at sea.  She disguises herself as a man, Cesario, in order to present herself to Orsino (played by Emmanuel Elpenard), the Duke she remembers as a friend of her deceased father.  Orsino takes her in his service and sends her to deliver a message to his love, Countess Olivia (played by Kathleen Simmonds).  Olivia, uninterested in Orsino, is madly attracted to Cesario, and begins to pursue him, not realizing he is a she.  Meanwhile, her loyal steward, Malvolio (played by Lukas Raphael), is taunted by adversaries in courts, causing him to make a fool of himself to the Countess.  When Viola’s twin brother, Sebastian (played by Brandon Reilly), arrives in Illyria, he is mistaken for the disguised Viola, adding mayhem to the identity confusion. 

The cast of Twelfth Night
Photo courtesy of The Drilling Company

This cast builds relationships that make the production ring true on many levels.  Emmanuel Elpenard is romantic, beguiling, and commanding as Duke Orsino.  He creates a strong bond with Natalie Smith’s Viola.  She is charming and resourceful, and keeps the audience absorbed and engaged throughout the show.  Kathleen Simmonds shines in her interpretation of Olivia.  She is dark, sexy, and bold, and equally matched by Lukas Raphael as Malvolio.  His skill gives him the range to play Malvolio’s serious, egotistical side and then effortlessly hit the comic timing in the later scenes.  Jack Socket (Sir Toby), Jarrod Bates (Sir Andrew), Haylee Louise Simmonds (Maria), and Rachel A. Collins (Fabian) deliver the laughs with warmth and heart by building honest camaraderie among their characters.  Rachel A. Collins’ physical characterization of Curio, a small role in two short scenes early in the play, is superb.  Brandon Reilly and Arif Silverman have a strong chemistry as Sebastian and Antonio that heightens the humor in the final scene as true identities are revealed.

Unfortunately, Twelfth Night only ran for one weekend in Bryant Park.  You will, however, have three weekends to see the upcoming production of The Tempest.  It opens August 25 and runs Fridays and Saturdays at 7:00 PM through September 9.  It will be directed by Lukas Raphael, and is sure to be captivating.

Photo courtesy of The Drilling Company

In addition, be sure to see The Drilling Company’s Shakespeare in the Parking Lot production of Henry VI Part 3, directed by Artistic Director Hamilton Clancy.  It runs Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays at 7:00 PM through Aug. 12 at the Clemente Cultural & Educational Center Parking Lot.  Check the website for directions (shakespeareintheparkinglot.com).  All these shows are FREE.  You have no excuse not to attend. 

Domenick Danza