internet | The Sleepless Critic

REVIEW: Going to extremes in SpeakEasy Stage’s somber ‘Job’

Posted on February 3 by The Sleepless Critic

Talk about the dark web.

A woman on the edge and a man is barely keeping it together…at gunpoint.

Such is the opening of SpeakEasy Stage’s intense thriller Job, a two hander production that is at times, a nail biter and other times, a deep dive into a woman’s unfiltered thoughts, observations and teetering panic with a startling twist that holds a grievous and agonizing truth.

Directed with raw candor by Marianna Bassham, SpeakEasy Stage continues its 35^th season with Max Wolf Friedlich’s searing psychological thriller, Job through Saturday, February 7 live and in person at the Calderwood Pavilion in Boston, Massachusetts. This fast paced production contains strong language and adult themes running approximately 80 minutes with no intermission. Click here for more information and for tickets.

From left: Josephine Moshiri Elwood and Dennis Trainor Jr. Photo by Benjamin Rose Photography

Set in downtown San Francisco in 2020, set designer Payton Tavares with Amanda E. Fallon’s moody lighting depicts a warmly lit and detailed therapist’s office in muted colors that features a leather couch, desk, several paintings and few family photos. Intense, hollow and at times creepily deafening, Lee Schuna’s carefully orchestrated sound design signals several significant moments during the production.

Job is not unfamiliar territory for director Marianna Bassham who starred in her Elliot Norton award-winning and indelible portrayal as Nina in SpeakEasy Stage’s People, Places and Things in 2022. While People, Places, and Things dives into the deep chasm of an addict, Job takes a different approach to trauma and addiction in Jane in a visceral performance by Josephine Moshiri Elwood. Having recently performed as idyllic Emily in Lyric Stage’s Our Town, Elwood shows her broad range depicting a deeply wounded, distressed, controlling and flawed individual wearing haphazard loungewear with a colossal chip on her shoulder. Jane condescends, snipes, is obstinate and shows narcissistic tendencies, but the why of it all will soon rise to the surface while Dennis Trainor Jr. skillfully portrays an alarmed yet seemingly mild mannered therapist Loyd who does what he can to temper this unpredictable situation.

Josephine Moshiri Elwood Photo by Benjamin Rose Photography

Elwood and Trainor Jr. hint at a battle of wits rapport and both are guarded in their own way which only allows glimpses into their true nature. It is fascinating to see how the conversation shifts as they learn more about one another.

From left: Dennis Trainor Jr. and Josephine Moshiri Elwood Photo by Benjamin Rose Photography

Job kicks off at an eleven and keeps its dialogue crisp. Much of this swiftly moving production tackles the nature of panic and anxiety and spans a number of scenarios real and imagined. It also takes a raw look at the dangers and the dark crevices of the digital age. It is a powerful production, but its potent content while gripping, may not appeal to everyone. It was a lot for me and could possibly conjure up some complex feelings for you as well. The production delivers pop culture references, politics, and contemporary issues while striving at lighter hearted moments in its occasional dark and dry humor, but the escalating situation may not leave much room for laughter.

SpeakEasy Stage continues its 35^th season with Max Wolf Friedlich’s tense psychological thriller, Job through Saturday, February 7 live and in person at the Calderwood Pavilion in Boston, Massachusetts. Click here for more information and for tickets.

REVIEW: Life is full of surprises in Lyric Stage’s unconventionally ‘Rooted’

Posted on June 15, 2023 by The Sleepless Critic

Plant a tree and save the planet. Be a ‘smartie plants’ and explore the ‘wood wide web.’

That is a few of the many mottos and a bit of humor uttered by Emery, a disabled recluse spending life in a tree house in the small town of Millersville, Pennsylvania. Emery talks to plants more than people with the exception of her sister and caretaker Hazel as well as her cousin who she depends on for everything. Longing for companionship she is comfortable with, Emery decides to post about her plants on YouTube. What could go wrong?

L to R Lisa Tucker as Emery and Karen MacDonald as Hazel Photo by Ken Yotsukura Photography

Directed conscientiously by Courtney O’Connor, Lyric Stage Company presents Deborah Zoe Laufer’s dramedy Rooted continuing live and in person at Lyric Stage Company in Boston, Massachusetts through June 25. The show is 100 minutes without one intermission. Click here for more information and tickets.

The stage unfolds with blooming splendor as a lively, bending tree hovers over the cast. Soothing and eclectic music by Dewey Dellay as well as streaming and transformative lighting by Karen Perlow provide a warm and peaceful vibe as Emery carefully handles the greenery surrounding her. Janie E. Howland’s meditative and functioning set at first sight provides an oasis from the real world.

Lisa Tucker as Emery Photo by Ken Yotsukura Photography

Rooted explores various topics such as the internet, climate change, healing, taking risks, and companionship with insightfulness and humor as Hazel and Emery manage one surprise after the next. The small cast is rooted in connection to one another. With sun hat and a mix of modest and eccentric attire by Chelsea Kerl, Lisa Tucker portrays plant loving and serious Emery with fragility and compassion while evoking determination and anxiety bubbling just under the surface as she faces decisions she has never encountered before in her sheltered existence. Karen MacDonald portrays Emery’s sister and lifetime caretaker Hazel, an adventurous spirit who longs to ‘spread her leaves’ beyond this small town. Dressed in a short diner uniform with white go-go boots, MacDonald lights up as chatty Hazel, exuding Hazel’s frank and responsible yet opportunistic spirit as Hazel struggles with day-to-day-life. With Emery as careful observer and Hazel’s big and cynical personality, Tucker and MacDonald are definitely yin and yang in this production, but manage at times to streamline their differences. Katherine Callaway as impressionable and naïve East Coopersville native Luanne brings a unique outlook and has an ultimately calming effect on the group.

L to R Katherine Callaway as Luanne Karen MacDonald as Hazel and Lisa Tucker as Emery Photo by Ken Yotsukura Photography

Finally, the plants themselves by Props Artisan Lauren Corcuera deliver subtle charm as these sentient beings gauge the frequently changing energy and emotion of the production’s increasingly complex environment.

Rooted challenges a few of life’s bigger questions and is ultimately one wild and engaging production about what can come from good intentions as three uniquely flawed individuals work together to maneuver hope and healing to the masses during life’s surprising turns.

Katherine Callaway as Luanne and Lisa Tucker as Emery Photo by Ken Yotsukura Photography

Lyric Stage Company presents Deborah Zoe Laufer’s dramedy Rooted continuing live and in person at Lyric Stage in Boston, Massachusetts through June 25. The show is 100 minutes without an intermission. Click here for more information and tickets.

REVIEW: Somber, funny, bleak, and hopeful, PTP/NYC’s ‘Standing on the Edge of Time’ waxes political and poetic

Posted on July 27, 2021 by The Sleepless Critic

Opening with a remarkable reflection connecting theatre to the human heart, a bare stage shows signs of life once again.

Potomac Theatre Project (PTP/NYC) opened their virtual summer play series earlier this month with Lunch, a clever show that unconventionally explored the art of conversation. Directed judiciously by Cheryl Faraone, Standing on the Edge of Time waxes both political and poetic in conversation as it explores the bleak yet hopeful state of the world through a selection of works from different authors.

Standing on the Edge of Time is the second of three summer virtual plays presented by PTP/NYC and continues through July 27. Viewings are free and donations are encouraged. This show was filmed adhering to Covid guidelines, runs approximately 90 minutes, and has mature themes. Click here for more information, how to view the show, and how to support PTP/NYC’s mission.

From the haunted balconies of an old, empty theatre, even the dead wrestle with their wild, melancholy, and world-weary experiences in Mac Wellman’s Crowbar. This segment provides the perfect framework leading into various works that delve into contemporary issues from freedom, frustration, road rage, and relationships to downsizing, grief, sex, and paranoia.

Mac Wellman’s ‘Crowbar’ Alex Draper as Mr. Rioso Photo courtesy of PTP/NYC

Though each segment is written by different authors, its engaging format provides a flow that rarely veers off course. The show boasts poetic and timely musings such as Mornings at the Lake with Madison Middleton and Spell of Motion by Stacie Cassarino with Stephanie Janssen featuring some beautiful outdoor cinematography as well as haunting James Saunders’ Next Time I’ll Sing to You with Tara Giordano. Though the majority of Standing on the Edge of Time is thought-provoking, these quieter segments provide respite from the production’s heavier topics and satirical themes.

Stacie Cassarino’s ‘Mornings at the Lake’ with Stephanie Janssen Photo courtesy of PTP/NYC

Some highlights include Dominique Morisseau’s relatable and occasionally humorous Skeleton Crew, the zany and unique ideas presented in David Auburn’s What Do You Believe about the Future, and the surprising facts revealed of history repeating in Constance Congdon’s Tales of the Lost Formicans.

The cast portray a myriad of roles, but apart from Crowbar, do not seem like they are playing particular characters for the most part. The lively cast seems like a semblance of individuals exploring contemporary issues, fears, and unique ideas of the future.

David Auburn’s ‘What Do you Believe about the Future?’ (L to R) Stephanie Janssen, Christopher Marshall, Madison Middleton, Gabrielle Martin, Aubrey Dube, Becca Berlind, Wynn McClenahan, Maggie Connolly, Francis Price and Gibson Grimm Photo courtesy of PTP/NYC

PTP/NYC’s Standing on the Edge of Time continues streaming through Tuesday, July 27. Click here for more information. Please note there is a final segment following the production’s credits. PTC/NYC will present their final virtual summer show, A Small Handful from August 13-17.