Archduke

 Archduke
Roundabout at Laura Pels
Harold and Miriam Steinberg Center for Theatre
November 1, 2025

Photo courtesy of Roundabout Theatre Company

In his new play, Archduke, Rajiv Joseph takes a microscopic look at a crucial moment in world history.  The action is intellectually engaging and emotionally riveting.  His characters are all driven by strong, definitive urgency.  Their choice seems simple, yet they are constantly circling with questions.  Director Darko Tresnjak allows the rhythm in Mr. Joseph’s writing to soar, revealing the conflict and building the tension.  The characters continually poke at one another, giving each cast member equal opportunity to establish themselves while illuminating the laughs.  

The year is 1914.  Dragutin “Apis” Dimitrijevic, better known as The Captain (played by Patrick Page), is recruiting young men for a deadly mission.  He needs six men who desire meaning in their lives.  He only finds three: Gavrilo (played by Jake Berne), Nedeljko (played by Jason Sanchez), and Trifko (played by Adrien Rolet).  They are sent to him by a doctor who has diagnosed them with consumption.  They are lungers and have very little time left to live.  They are easily manipulated into The Captain’s murderous plan, including taking cyanide when the deed is done.  They are to board a train to Sarajevo, then kill the Archduke Franz Ferdianand and his wife, Duchess of Hohenberg.  That is, if they do not stop off for a sandwich along the way. 

Jake Berne, Adrien Rolet, & Jason Sanchez
Rehearsal photo courtesy of Roundabout Theatre Company

Jake Berne portrays Gavrilo’s meekness and intellectual curiosity the moment he enters at the top of the show.  In a short time, Jason Sanchez arrives as Nedeljko, who is brawnier and rougher.  They test and challenge one another, both knowing what is at stake if they falter.  They are equally matched, and it is through this persistent confrontation that the audience understands them.  They develop a palpable bond that is put to yet another test when Trifko shows up.  Adrien Rolet is militant and demanding in this role.  He is questioned to his breaking point by Gavrilo and Nedeljko.  These three actors are captivating.  They make bold choices that reveal their characters’ grit and gusto, which thrusts the action forward. 

Patrick Page takes command as The Captain in scene two.  He manipulates the three young men, playing on their weakness.  He fabricates a story about who caused their consumption, then identifies this as the enemy.  He tells tall tales of his bravery in the fight against that enemy.  Mr. Page works every tactic as the three recruits question every detail of his plan, compete for his attention, and defend their integrity. 

The Full Cast
Rehearsal photo courtesy of Roundabout Theatre Company

Kristine Nielson is mysterious and witty as Sladjana, The Captain’s cook.  She feeds the young men to get them on The Captain’s side, then disciplines them for their juvenile behavior.  As Mr. Page uses masculine force to show power, Ms. Neilson is like a cat, silently making her way into the minds of the recruits.  She is sly and has an agenda of her own.  She uses her signature comic timing to effectively embody this role.

The strong message of the play is to take action that gives your life meaning.  Since the recruits are all dying of consumption, they easily fall for that ruse.  It is not until they are on the train to Sarajevo to assassinate the Archduke, and inevitably start World War I, that they ask themselves another question that gives them pause.  Mr. Joseph examines this historic moment by simply asking an alternative question. 

Archduke is playing at Roundabout Theatre Company’s Laura Pels Theatre through December 21.  It is a brilliant production.  It will make you think, but more importantly, it will make you question. 

Domenick Danza

Jonah

 Jonah
Roundabout at Laura Pels Theatre
Harold & Miriam Stenberg Center for Theatre
January 20, 2024 

Photo courtesy of
Roundabout Theatre Company

The Roundabout Theatre Company production of Jonah is mesmerizing.  Playwright Rachel Bonds has skillfully crafted this piece to keep her audience fully engaged.  Each scene takes the characters through vital experiences that shape them, scar them, and propel them forward.  It is through the linking of these events that a tender story evolves.  Director Danya Taymor works with a phenomenal cast to convey this story clearly and truthfully. 

Anna (played by Gabby Beans) meets Jonah (played by Hagan Oliveras) outside her dorm room one night.  He follows her.  He waits for her.  Their connection is visceral and mutual.  We later meet Danny (played by Samuel Henry Levine), Ana’s step-brother.  After Ana’s mother passes away, Danny protects her from his father, but never comes to terms with the abuse he experienced.  When Ana meets Steven (played by Jon Zdrojeski) years later at a writers’ retreat, she faces her past, the harm inflicted upon her by Danny, and the joy and intimacy she only dreamed about with Jonah. 

Photo courtesy of
Roundabout Theatre Company

Gabby Beans is remarkable as Ana.  Her character shifts in age from scene to scene, and Ms. Beans fully embodies each phase of this character’s experiences.  She portrays different aspects of Ana in the way she relates to the three male characters in the story.  All are genuine and grounded relationships.  There is an innocence shared between her and Hagar Oliveras’ Jonah, a strong bond, based on fear and need, between her and Samuel Henry Levine’s Danny, and a vulnerability that connects her to John Zdrojeski’s Steven.  These relationship are powerful, and the performances are riveting. 

It is in the final moment of the play that everything pulls together.  It is satisfying and healing.  It is a beautifully written moment, succinctly directed, and perfectly performed.  

Jonah is playing at the Laura Pels Theatre through March 10.  Don’t miss it!  

Domenick Danza

Trouble in Mind

 Trouble in Mind
Roundabout Theatre Company
American Airlines Theatre
December 26, 2021 

Photo courtesy of Roundabout Theatre Company

Roundabout Theatre Company’s production of Alice Childress’s Trouble in Mind is a revelation.  The play received high acclaim when it was first produced Off-Broadway in 1955.  It was scheduled to move to Broadway, but was cancelled when Ms. Childress refused to make significant changes.  She chose not to soften the story that illustrated the racism in the theatre and film industry.  After sixty-six years, Trouble in Mind has received it’s well deserved Broadway production.  It is a well crafter play with strongly developed characters that make a powerfully clear statement about the untruths depicted in American entertainment.

Wiletta Mayer (played by LaChanze) enters the theater for the first rehearsal of a play she is working on.  She meets the doorman, Henry (played by Simon Jones), who remembers her from a production he set the lights for a number of years prior.  He treats her like a star.  She meets John (played by Reynaldo Piniella), an up and coming, young actor.  She schools him on how to behave when in rehearsal with a white director.  Millie Davis and Sheldon Forrester (played by Jessica Frances Dukes and Chuck Cooper) join the rehearsal.  They are old friends with Wiletta.  When the director, Al Manners (played by Michael Zegen) arrives, he is a no-nonsense task master.  He pushes Wiletta and the rest of the cast to find the truth in their acting, yet the material they are working on does not contain truths worth their effort.  The cast all works at giving the director what he asks for during rehearsal, but when a scene where the character played by John Nevins is going to be dragged off and lynched, Wiletta pushes hard to make changes in the play that are more truthful for the characters. 

LaChanze as Wiletta Mayer
Photo courtesy of Roundabout Theatre Company

LaChanze portrays Wiletta with grace, poise, and zest.  The character is an experienced performer with a yearning to play a serious role.  When the conflict erupts, LaChanze plays the moment with strength, wisdom, and conviction.  Michael Zegen’s character of the director, Al Manners, comes back to her logically and rationally.  These two actors skillfully play this scene, keeping their composure to the very last moment.  This is an amazingly written scene and LaChanze and Mr. Zegen do it supreme justice.  

Michael Zegen, LaChanze, & Chuck Cooper
Photo courtesy of Roundabout Theatre Company

Chuck Cooper has a riveting monologue in Act II.  The action stops as his character tells of a lynching he witnessed as a young boy.  Mr. Cooper takes the audience deep into his character’s traumatic childhood memory.  It is a powerful moment and brilliantly delivered.

Jessica Frances Dukes is feisty as Millie Davis.  Reynaldo Piniella is charming as John Nevins.  There are also strong performances from Simon Jones, Victoria Oliver (u.s.), Alex Mickiewicz, and Don Stephenson. 

Trouble in Mind is playing at the American Airlines Theatre through January 9.  The performances are powerful and the writing is magnificent.  Don’t miss it.  

Domenick Danza

Caroline, or Change

 Caroline, or Change
Roundabout Theatre Company
Studio 54
November 9, 2021 

Photo courtesy of Roundabout Theatre Company

Roundabout Theatre Company’s production of Caroline,or Change is bold and glorious.  The book and lyrics by Tony Kushner tells a very personal and intimate story, while the music by Jeanine Tesori exaggerates the emotional impact.  Director Michal Longhurst pulls very powerful performances out of the seventeen skilled cast members, who fill the stage of Studio 54 with energy, authenticity, and joy.  

Photo courtesy of Roundabout Theatre Company

Caroline (played by Sharon D Clarke) is the maid for the Gellman family in Lake Charles, Louisiana.  The year is 1963.  Caroline spends most of her time underground, in the basement doing laundry.  Eight year old Noah (played by Jaden Myles Waldman) visits her after school.  He misses his mother, who passed away from cancer.  Caroline is a strong link for Noah to his mother.  To teach him a lesson, Noah’s step mother, Rose (played by Caisie Levy), tells Caroline to keep any money she finds in Noah’s pockets when she does his laundry.  At first Caroline returns the spare change to Noah, unable to take money from a child.  Then Noah deliberately leaves coins in his pockets for Caroline to take home to her children.  When Noah accidentally leaves his twenty dollar Chanukah gelt given to him by his grandfather (played by Chip Zein), Caroline decides to keep it.  Noah demands its return, and Caroline voices hate in words she cannot take back.  She does not return to work for a week.  Caroline must come to terms with her inner struggle in order to heal herself and improve the relationship with her own children.  

Sharon D Clarke & Jaden Myles Waldman
Photo courtesy of Roudabout Theatre Company

Sharon D Clark is a powerhouse as Caroline.  This story hinges on the character’s inability to let go of hurt, and Ms. Clark is tenacious and immovable in this role.  When her backstory is revealed in Act II, all of what she portrayed in Act I comes into focus.  When she faces her truths, the release and healing is genuine.  Also vital to this story is the attachment Noah has to Caroline.  Jaden Myles Waldman is honest and truthful as Noah.  He and Ms. Clark are in sync and truly connected. 

Caisie Levy & Sharon D Clarke
Photo courtesy of Roundabout Theatre Company

Caisie Levy portrays dual sides of Noah’s stepmother, Rose.  On the outside she is perky and polite.  On the inside she is scared and frustrated.  Her performance is riveting, and adds some most needed humor to the storyline.  Tamika Lawrence is tough and vulnerable as Caroline’s friend, Dotty Moffett.  Samantha Williams is brave and rebellious as Caroline’s daughter, Emmie.  Her character grows throughout her journey.  She leaves us with the concluding moment of the play, which is poignant and relevant.

Here is a quote from the program by Director Michael Levy:  “This show is about how we all exits together – how we should share and acknowledge our privilege, not avoid it, in order to exist in greater peace.”  Caroline, or Change is playing at Studio 54 through January 9. 

Domenick Danza

Toni Stone

Toni Stone

Roundabout Theatre Company

Laura Pels Theatre

June 8, 2019

Photo courtesy of Roundabout Theatre Company

Lydia Diamond develops a captivating storytelling style in her new play Toni Stone.  Director Pam MacKinnon collaborates with choreographer Camille A. Brown to generate momentum and build a tight and unified ensemble.  April Matthis is mesmerizing and genuine in the title role.  The audience gets to know this character through Ms. Diamond’s prolific and humorous writing.  Ms. Matthis delivers a superb portrayal.

Toni Stone (played by April Matthis) is the first woman to play professional baseball in the Negro League.  The opening of the play is her onstage alone, telling how natural the weight of the ball feels in her hand.  As she is growing up, nothing gets in the way of her pursuing her interest in the game of baseball.  Her naiveite about social interaction is overcome by her extreme focus on the art of the game.  She memorizes stats of players from their baseball cards and repeats them over and over as she faces the challenges of playing in the Negro League.  The sexism and racism on the road during her playing career are rough, yet even more shocking is the jealousy and resentment from her own teammates.  Her story is found between, as she says, “the weight of the ball and the reach.”  It is an inspiring story of perseverance, determination, and self-awareness. 

April Matthis as Toni Stone
Photo courtesy of Roundabout Theatre Company

Surrounding the main character throughout the show is an ensemble of her eight teammates.  These eight men play numerous characters in Toni Stone’s life.  These characters vary in race and gender.  This brilliant choice by Ms. Diamond illustrates the strength of a team and the value it played in building Ms. Stone’s integrity, both on and off the field.  These eight actors are all magnificent, creating distinct and complete characters.

Photo courtesy of Roundabout Theatre Company

Toni and the players tell about the entertainment component of the Negro League, how they had to purposefully lose games when playing against white teams, and how they were refused rooms in hotels after spending long, tiring hours on the bus.  The final scene in Act I, choreographed by Camille A. Brown, depicts the team playing a game while clowning and performing as if in a minstrel show.  It is a stunning and effective way to show the degradation they all experienced in order to participate in a sport they were dedicated to play.  It is an impactful ending for Act I.

Toni Stone is a little-known American hero.  She broke barriers in professional baseball and lived life on her own terms.  Lydia Diamond does a spectacular job dramatizing her story.  The Roundabout Theatre Company production of Toni Stone is playing at the Laura Pels Theatre through August 11.

Domenick Danza

Apologia

Apologia

Roundabout Theatre Company

Laura Pels Theatre

September 29, 2018

Photo courtesy of Roundabout Theatre Company

Stockard Channing is brilliant in Apologia, Alexi Kay Campbell’s play presently being produced Off Broadway by Roundabout Theatre Company.  The theme of self-forgiveness is prominently explored as a mother faces the feelings she kept buried deep within herself for decades, caused when her children were taken from her by their father.  Mr. Campbell has written rich, complex characters.  Through skillful dialogue and a precise structure, the story unfolds to reveal their unspoken truths.  Director Daniel Aukin masterfully builds the tension to a stunning climax.

Peter (played by Hugh Dancy) brings home his girlfriend, Trudi (played by Talene Monahon) to meet his mother, Kristin Miller (played by Stockard Channing), during her birthday celebration.  Kristin is 

The cast of Apologia in rehearsal
Photo courtesy of Roundabout Theatre Company

a world renowned art historian and political activist with an intimidating demeanor.  She is of American descent and has lived in England since she was twenty-two.  She is taken back by the discovery that Trudi is not only American, but enlightening Peter to be a born again Christian.  Her sons, both Peter and Simon (also played by Hugh Dancy), cannot live up to her highly idealistic expectations.  This includes her disappointment that Simon is dating Claire, a materialistic soap opera star (played by Megalyn Echikunwoke).  When conversations opens about Kristin’s newly published memoire, Peter attacks her because she did not mention him or his brother in the book.  The basic core beliefs of everyone are brought into question, and Kristin unearths and faces her deepest sense of loss and failure.

Stockard Channing & Director Daniel Aukin in rehearsal
Photo courtesy of Roundabout Theatre Company

Stockard Channing creates a monumental character in Kristin Miller.  The stories she tells are mesmerizing and moving.  She has a genuine chemistry with the four other actors with whom she shares the stage.  Hugh Dancy is charming and personable as Peter, then dark and introspective as Simon.  The character of Peter has a powerful moment of confrontation with his mother toward the end of Act I.  Mr. Dancy flows into that moment and delivers it with sincere force that raises the stakes for all the characters.

John Tillinger, Talene Monahon, Stockard Channing, 
Playwright Alexi Kay Campbell, Hugh Dancy, 
Megalyn Echikunwoke, & Director Daniel Aukin
Photo courtesy of Roundabout Theatre Company

In the opening of the play Talene Monahon portrays Trudi as meek and polite when she meets Kristin Miller.  Ms. Channing plays these scenes with high self-esteem and graceful condescension.  Ms. Monahon’s Trudi does not flinch.  She firmly holds her ground while being highly impressed by Kristin’s intelligence and self-assurance.  In the second Act, Ms. Monahon reveals the source of Trudi’s strength.  We see her as an equally powerful woman to Ms. Channing’s Kristin.  There is a tender moment of bonding between the two women at the end of Act II, which pushes Ms. Channing’s character to brutally face her truth.

Playwright Alexi Kaye Campbell’s most skillfully crafted dialogue is in the opening scene of Act II, between Simon and Kristin.  The scene has a rhythm and tone that draws the audience slowly and deeply into the emotional depth of both characters.  The connection between Ms. Channing and Mr. Dancy in this scene is sincere and caring.  All the action prior to this scene pours into this important interaction, then magnificently flows forward to the end of the play.

This play is amazing!  The word “apologia” is defined during the play and on the program cover as meaning “a vindication, a justification, an explanation.”  It is said that it is very different from an apology.  Apologia is running at the Laura Pels Theatre though December 16.  You must see it!

Domenick Danza

Bernhardt/Hamlet

Bernhardt/Hamlet

Roundabout Theatre Company

American Airlines Theatre

Photo courtesy of Roundabout Theatre Company

In Bernhardt/Hamlet playwright Theresa Rebeck debates the power of women to transcend societal expectation.  The play portrays the legendary actress Sarah Bernhardt as she takes on the monumental role of Hamlet.  She is the first woman to take on this role.  Since the men around her are unable to picture it, they are therefore incapable of supporting her in her quest.  Ms. Rebeck weaves the poetic texts of William Shakespeare and Edmond Rostand into her well-crafted play.  Director Moritz von Stuelpnagel explores the classically stylistic recitations of the period and allows them to evolve into deep, meaningful moments of discovery for the characters and the audience. 

The year is 1897.  In Paris the great Sarah Bernhardt (played by Janet McTeer) is rehearsing the role of Hamlet.  She is struggling with the character’s inability to take action amid Shakespeare’s lengthy and poetic soliloquies.  When her lover, Edmond Rostand (played by Jason Butler Harner), returns after working on his new play, they discuss her taking on this colossal project.  No one, including theatre critic Louis (played by Paxton Whitehead) thinks it is a good idea.  Alphonse Mucha (played by Matthew Saldivar), the artist who paints all her theatre posters, struggles to find the proper perspective for her portrait.  Sarah is determined to make Hamlet her own, which includes having Rostand rewrite it for her.

Dylan Baker, Janet McTeer, & Jason Butler Harner
Photo courtesy of Roundabout Theatre Cmpany

Janet McTeer captures a poetic panache and egotistical command that grounds her embodiment of Sarah Bernhardt.  As she struggles to find the essence of Hamlet, Sarah waivers in indecision.  This causes the same incapacity to take action that Hamlet suffers from.  Ms. Rebeck skillfully draws this parallel between the true Sarah Bernhardt and fictional Hamlet.  Ms. McTeer plays this quandary perfectly.  As Sarah Bernhardt speaks passionately about what she wants to achieve in the role of Hamlet, her doubts rise to the surface making the rehearsal process slow and laborious.  Ms. McTeer has scenes where she technically recites Shakespeare’s lines, then brilliantly sinks into a rhythm that unearths the soul of Hamlet.  These scenes ring with truth and discovery.

Sarah Bernhardt as Hamlet

A woman taking on this classic role written for a man is seen as preposterous in Sarah Bernhardt’s time.  This judgement is juxtaposed with the fact that Shakespeare’s women were traditionally played by men.  Not only that, but many of Shakespeare’s female characters disguised themselves as men to achieve objectives they were unable to even attempt as women.  As all of this historic and literary fact is debated in this play, the male characters reveal their honest thoughts of what they expect when they contemplate a woman, especially one as strong as Sarah Bernhardt.  While projecting these expectations, they define her power, consequently confining her with limitation.  Sarah Bernhardt’s journey of surpassing these expectations is fascinating.  In this play, as in Shakespeare’s works where women disguise themselves as men, the characters who take the boldest and bravest action to achieve their desired outcome are the women. 

This Roundabout Theatre Company production is as grand as the legend herself.  Set design by Beowulf Boritt is lush and full of significant detail that grabs the audience’s attention and draws them into the time period.  The performances from the stellar cast of eleven are intelligent and truthful.  Bernhardt/Hamlet is playing at the American Airlines Theatre through November 11.

Domenick Danza

Skintight

Skintight

Roundabout Theatre Company

Laura Pels Theatre

June 2, 2018

Photo courtesy of Roundabout Theatre Company

Joshua Harmon’s new play, Skintight, is currently being produced by Roundabout Theatre Company.  The play makes profound statements about beauty, aging, and acceptance.  The characters are uniquely drawn and skillfully developed.  By creating characters in a wide range of ages, Mr. Harmon is able to present multiple points of view on his theme.  Director Daniel Aukin finds the rhythm of each character and uses the variations to build the conflict in the story.

Idina Menzel & Eli Gelb in rehearsal
Photo courtesy of Roundabout Theatre Company

Jodi (played by Idina Menzel) makes a surprise visit to her world famous fashion designer father, Elliot Isaac (played by Jack Wetherall), on his seventieth birthday.  She knows her father does not like surprises, but she is in need of quality family time because her ex-husband just became engaged to a twenty year old.  She proclaims her disgust in his obsession over youth and beauty.  She then meets her father’s twenty year old boyfriend, Trey (played by Will Brittain).  The conflict rises when Jodi’s twenty year old son, Benjamin (played by Eli Gelb) arrives.  At first his spoiled, privileged attitude puts everyone on edge, until his attraction toward Trey creates a bigger problem.

The character of Elliot Isaac has a beautifully written monologue near the end of Act II that speaks of love and his attraction to Trey.  Jack Wetherall openly delivers it with sincerity and heart.  Idina Menzel portrays his daughter Jodi’s unacceptance of this explanation of “love” with powerful passive resistance.  She calls it “lust” and speaks of seeking the deeper joys in life.  Her character’s inability to accept her own aging is clearly reflected in her distaste for her father’s choices.

The Director, Cast, & Playwright of Skintight
Photo by Walter McBride
Courtesy of Roundabout Theatre Company

Will Brittain plays Trey as a man comfortable in his own skin.  This is beautifully juxtaposed by Eli Gelb’s portrayal of Benjamin’s awkward self-consciousness.  These two actors build the multilayers of their characters through Mr. Harmon’s well-crafted dialogue, revealing their intention and desires.  Act I ends with a cliff hanger as these two actors create a true moment of connectedness that is interrupted by the character of Elliot Isaac.

The split level set by Lauren Helpern is elegantly designed.  It illustrates the heightened sense of style on which the main character built his empire.  It also enhances the theme of the power in the attraction to beauty.  Jess Goldstein further carries this ideal in her costumes, which magnificently complement the color and line of the set.

Skintight is playing at the Laura Pels Theatre through August 26.  The writing is excellent.  The characters are intriguing.  The themes are clear, bold, and relevant.

Domenick Danza

John Lithgow: Stories By Heart

John Lithgow: Stories By Heart

Roundabout Theatre Company

American Airlines Theatre

December 23, 2017

Photo courtesy of Roundabout Theatre Company

Why do we love to listen to and tell stories?  This is the questions John Lithgow asks during the opening section of his one man show presented by Roundabout Theatre Company.  In John Lithgow: Stories By Heart the well-known actor and storyteller reveals all the sides of his personality we have come to admire over the years.  He is warm, funny, tender, boisterous, genuine, and daring.

Mr. Lithgow shares with his audience the story of his father, an exuberant man, full of life.  His father produced and directed all of Shakespeare’s plays in the course of his career.  He founded Great Lakes Theater in Cleveland, OH.  Mr. Lithgow and his three siblings had a rough childhood, changing school often, yet it was full or stories, joy, and enthusiasm.  He shares two stories his father told during their childhood.  They are not age-appropriate bedtime stories, but when acted out with imagination and characterization, they become stunningly memorable.  The Haircut by Ring Lardner takes up most of the first act, and Uncle Fred Flits By by P.G. Wodehouse is performed during the second.  The poignant part of the performance is when Mr. Lithgow returns the recitation of the stories to his aging father during a period of poor health.

Photo courtesy of Roundabout Theatre Company

John Lithgow’s skills are masterful.  His vocal and physical characterizations are distinct and change instantaneously.  His heart fills the American Airlines Theatre and touches everyone in it.  The show, directed by Daniel Sullivan, is simple and touching.  John Lithgow: Stories By Heart is playing through March 24.  It is a unique and personal experience.      

Domenick Danza

The Robber Bridegroom

The Robber Bridegroom

Roundabout Theatre Company

Laura Pels Theatre

March 20, 2016

Photo courtesy of
Roundabout Theatre Company

Roundabout Theatre Company’s revival of The Robber Bridegroom is creative and vivacious.  Director Alex Timbers and Choreographer Connor Gallagher have invigorated this “Mississippi Fairy Tale” with traditional story telling practices, flawless comic timing, and footstomin’ rhythmic patterns that make this show ninety minutes of high energized fun.  What they do on the small stage at the Laurel Pels Theatre is amazing. 

When the Bandit in the Woods, who “steals with style,” robs from Rosamund (played by Ahna O’Reilly), her father (played by Lance Roberts) asks his trusted friend, Jamie Lockhart (played by Steven Pasquale), to find the Bandit and restore his daughter’s honor.  Little does anyone know (except the audience) that the Bandit and Jamie are one in the same.  The plot thickens.  Rosamund realizes she has fallen in love with the Bandit.  Little Harp, a rival bandit (played by Andrew Durand), wants Jamie out of the picture.  Rosamund’s evil step mother (played by Leslie Kritzer) wants Rosamund dead.  After much expected Natchez-style mayhem, love wins out in the end.

Ahna O'Reilly & Steven Pasquale
Photo courtesy of Roundabout Theatre Company

The ensemble is strong and unified.  Their timing and vigor are impeccable.  Steven Pasquale is suave and commanding in the lead role.  Ahna O’Reilly’s singing voice is sultry and captivating.  Lance Roberts is endearing as father, husband, and wealthy land owner, Clement Musgrove.  Leslie Knitter is cunning and over the top funny as the envious step mother, Salome.  There are additional outstanding performances from Andrew Durand, Greg Hildreth, Evan Harrington, Nadia Quinn, and Devere Rogers.

The cast of The Robber Bridegroom
Photo courtesy of Roundabout Theatre Company

The set design by Danyale Werle extends out into the audience, creating a welcoming atmosphere that beckons involvement.  The lighting design by Jake DeGroot and Jeff Croiter effectively transforms the space moment by moment.  The costumes by Emily Rebholz are simple and effective.

If you are a believer in love, passion, and happy endings then this show is for you.  If you are not, then you really need to see this show.  Just go and have fun!  The Robber Bridegroom runs at the Laura Pels Theatre through May 29.

Domenick Danza

The Humans

The Humans

Roundabout Theatre Company

The Helen Hayes Theatre

January 31, 2016

Photo courtesy of The Humans

The Roundabout Theatre Company’s production of The Humans has moved to Broadway’s Helen Hayes Theatre.  The script, written by Stephen Karam, is brilliantly crafted with strong dramatic action that keeps the audience riveted.  Director Joe Mantello directed a seamless ninety minutes of action that enthralls, entertains, and excites.  The cast of five naturalistically delve into the underlying issues that bubble beneath the surface of continuous holiday conversation.  They then boomerang back with understanding that tenderly defines the family network that the play so aptly and realistically portrays. 

Brigid (played by Sarah Steele) invites her family for Thanksgiving dinner.  She has just moved into a new apartment in lower Manhattan that she shares with her boyfriend, Richard (played by Arian Moayed).  Her mother, Deirdre (played by Jayne Houdyshell), is constantly dropping remarks about Brigid and Richard not being married.  Her father, Erik (played by Reed Birney), has been having trouble sleeping and shares one of his disturbing nightmares.  Her sister, Aimee (played by Cassie Beck), is suffering from gastric colitis, has recently broken up with her longtime partner, and is being let go from her law firm.  Momo, her grandmother (played by Lauren Klein), is suffering from dementia and violent outbursts.  The “normal” family holiday stress drives the dinner conversation, revealing a few serious emotional scars.  The evening culminates in an announcement that shakes the foundation and security of this close family unit.

Sarah Steele, Arian Moayed, & Jayne Houdyshell
Photo courtesy of The Humans

This is a true ensemble piece with five strongly developed characters.  Each one carries a storyline of their own.  It is their careful and deliberate intertwining that makes the play engaging.  All the actors are fully committed and create a web of complex relationships that are realistic, truthful, and endearing.  The set, by David Zinn, is an ingenious split level design that effectively allows action to be viewed simultaneously.  The lighting, by Justin Townsend, and sound, by Fitz Patton, create an atmosphere of mystery and suspense that builds as the play reaches its climax.  

Photo courtesy of The Humans

The Humans is performed without an intermission.  There is no late seating and the notice in the program says, “If you leave your seat for any reason during the performance, you will not be permitted to return.”  Rightly so.  The action of this play should not be interrupted once it begins… and should not be missed.  Get a ticket today!

Domenick Danza