Airport and the Strange Package

 Airport and the Strange Package
Great Cannonball Productions
Gene Frankel Theater
August 14, 2024 

Photo courtesy of Great Cannonball Productions

What if a package was handed to you by a stranger at the airport?  What do you do?  What happens next?  In Airport and the Strange Package, playwright Sean King dives into all the possibilities of that event.  The humor builds until the action turns serious.  In that moment the entertaining “what ifs” that Mr. King had been exploring shift to a darker, more dangerous outcome, which makes a clear and relevant political statement.

The digital clock on the wall of the airport terminal flashes 9:11.  An announcement is heard loud and clear to NOT leave your luggage unattended, and to NOT accept packages from people you don’t know.  A traveler (played by Michael Kishon) is talking to his wife on his cell phone.  As he gets up to board his flight to Delaware, a man in a trench coat hands him a package and tells him to put it in the overhead luggage rack of the plane.  The traveler immediately brings the package to the attention of a police officer (played by Peter Sullivan), who tells him to take it to the main security desk.  When he gets there, the Desk Sargeant (played by Joshua Boyce) gives the traveler forms to fill out.  By the time the forms are completed, a second Desk Sergeant (played by Peter Sullivan) is on duty.  He sends the traveler and the package to another security office.  There, two TSA officers, Stan (played by Kyle McIlhone) and Hule (played by John Daniel Meehan), interrogate the traveler, giving him reason to doubt the need for the high security measures.  Several blunders follow, proving that suspicion correct, and causing the need for sever measures to be taken. 

John Daniel Meehan, Michael Kishon, & Kyle McIlhone
Photo courtesy of Great Cannonball Productions

Michael Kishon sets the pace and tone for the play from the very top of the show.  He portrays the traveler as anxious and controlling during the initial phone conversation with his wife.  As the action builds, so does his nervousness.  His agitation swells into paranoia.  He gains control of himself.  He gives in.  Then the cycle starts all over again.  Kyle McIlhone and John Daniel Meehan have excellent comic timing as TSA agents Stan and Hule.  It is their continual banter that spirals Mr. Kishon’s reactions, keeping the energy up and the humor high.  Because of this, the serious moment that climaxes the action is a complete surprise, immediately shifting the tone of the play.  The ending speech by the TSA Director (played by Peter Sullivan) succinctly frames the political commentary.  Mr. McIlhone and Mr. Meehan take one final moment to end the play on a humorous note.

Director William Roudebush skillfully blends the humor, political commentary, and dark events into one seamless ninety-minute adventure.  This outstanding cast plays every moment for all they’re worth.  

Airport and the Strange Package is playing at the Gene Frankel Theater through August 25. 

Domenick Danza

Rules of Desire

 Playroom Theater

 February 17, 2019

Photo courtesy of Rules of Desire

William Mastrosimone’s play Rules of Desire is a brutally honest play about the struggle for power.  The Off-Broadway production, directed by William Roudebush, is bold and direct.  The cast of three deliver strong performances of a play that pushes the audience past their comfort zone to make a powerful statement.

When Seaman Matt Cotton (played by Tristan Biber) sneaks his girlfriend, Felicia (played by McKenna Harrington) on board his ship, he is discovered by his superior (played by Christopher Sutton).  An unconventional arrangement is made to keep them both out of trouble.  When the rules of desire are broken, the power shifts in a surprising and shocking manner.

McKenna Harrington & Tristan Biber
Phtoso courteys of Rules of Desire

Mr. Mastrosimone keeps the tension building all the way through to the play’s startling conclusion.  His dialogue keeps the conflict on a constant rise, creating strong dramatic action and riveting the audience’s attention.  McKenna Harrington plays her scenes with an unnerving composure that causes explosive reaction from the male characters. One skillfully timed smile gives the audience a glimpse into her character's underlying thoughts.  Tristan Biber and Christopher Sutton’s characters are boldly written, and crumble under pressure.  These two actors portray vulnerable men who hide their weaknesses behind machismo and bravado.  The three actors play off one another very well, which is vital to this play’s effectiveness.

Rules of Desire is playing at Playroom Theater on West 46^th Street through March 21.

Domenick Danza