Theatre Uncorked | The Sleepless Critic

REVIEW: The secret is in the sting in Theater Uncorked’s ‘As Bees in Honey Drown’

Posted on May 22 by The Sleepless Critic

The future looks bright for Evan Wyler. Fame couldn’t be this easy…could it?

Theater Uncorked’s unconventional satire As Bees in Honey Drown examines art, materialism, sensationalism and celebrity as debut writer Evan Wyler, depicted with wide eyed credulity by Michael Mazzone, dives into an alluring deal that promises fame and fortune, but the price of this ticket could be more than he bargained for.

Effectively directed by David Miller, Theater Uncorked presented Douglas Carter Beane’s As Bees in Honey Drown for one weekend only at BCA Plaza Box Theatre in Boston, Massachusetts through Sunday, May 18. This darkly satirical production contained adult themes and ran approximately 2 hours with an intermission. Click here for more information and what is next in store for Theater Uncorked.

Sehnaz Dirik and Michael Mazzone in Theater Uncorked’s ‘As Bees in Honey Drown’ Photos credit: Gary NG

Douglas Carter Beane creates a hard and fast world full of movers and shakers from Wyler’s perspective as he is suddenly thrust into the fame game and uncomfortably participates in an awkward magazine photo shoot with a disdainful London photographer, played to perfection by Benedict Dawn-Cross, alongside Isabel Ginsberg as his humorously apathetic assistant, Amber. However, this preamble is just making room for Sehnaz Dirik as fast talking and polished celebrity agent Alexa Vere de Vere who is about to up the ante on Wyler’s celebrity status.

The cast of Theater Uncorked’s ‘As Bees in Honey Drown’ Photos credit: Gary NG

Director David Miller and Leonard Chasse’s rolling set design alludes to the art of observation as cameras and studio lights accompany a raised platform with a crowd backdrop. Some of the furnishings evoke an Andy Warhol and 90s flair which include white sculpted chairs and colorful furnishings. However, what is most prominent is the eye catching orange and white beehive images on the wall. Tim Rose’s awesome sound design combines fitting hits of the 70s and 80s while occasionally alluding to the hum and buzz of the bees.

Michael Mazzone and Sehnaz Dirik in Theater Uncorked’s ‘As Bees in Honey Drown’ Photos credit: Gary NG

As Honey in Bees Drown is not just a metaphor and is referenced forebodingly a number of times during this production. It lures Wyler in with talk of grandeur and achievement, but be aware of the sting. Dirik’s notable delivery somewhat resembles the comic genius of Absolutely Fabulous as Alexa Vere de Vere, a grandiose PR enigma with a glamorous British accent in sparkling black speaking as if money is no object. Impressionable and hungry for success, Wyler shares some unforeseen moments with Alexa who navigates from hardnosed agent to slick charmer to vulnerable victim in quick succession. Recalling comical quips, quotes and candid monologues about her personal history, Dirik offers quite the layered performance in a wide array of stylish costumes by Anna Silva from furs and pearls to sleek business suits. Manipulative, clever, and often shooting from the hip, Dirik’s Alexa’s rapid fire musings can spin a tale without restraint and it is no accident that Alexa occasionally refers to Wyler as ‘lamb.’ Mazzone also makes no bones about being molded while Dirik takes the reins.

Bradley Belanger and Sehnaz Dirik in Theater Uncorked’s ‘As Bees in Honey Drown’ Photos credit: Gary NG

With the exception of Mazzone and Dirik, the cast portrays a number of enhanced stereotypes that offer some comic relief. Isabela Ginsberg infuses likability and humor into an array of sarcastic, self important and airy characters inconvenienced by the work that they are doing. Lauren Elias juggles a self absorbed actress, partygoer and socialite breezily.

Bradley Belanger is in his element portraying your best friend and your worst enemy. What makes Belanger’s delivery so intriguing is a shared crazed expression that works for both characters with separate motivations.

Bradley Belanger and Michael Mazzone in Theatre Uncorked’s ‘As Bees in Honey Drown’ Photos credit: Gary NG

As Bees in Honey Drown presents an interesting concept and an engaging comedy, but the real kicker lies in its sting. As soon as you think this show is heading in one direction, the production turns the narration on its head. Part character study and part morality play, As Bees in Honey Drown is an actor’s showcase for Dirik luring everyone into her world and begs the question of what constitutes real success and authentic art. Is it creating for the sake of creating or does everything go for the highest bidder?

Theater Uncorked presented Douglas Carter Beane’s As Bees in Honey Drown for one weekend only at BCA Plaza Box Theatre in Boston, Massachusetts through Sunday, May 18. Click here for more information and what is next in store for Theater Uncorked.

REVIEW: Toting brilliant performances, Theater UnCorked’s ‘Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?’ a twisty, no holds barred stunner

Posted on December 13, 2023 by The Sleepless Critic

George and Martha are unhappy.

As they say, nothing good happens after 2 a.m. In the early morning hours in 1961, George and Martha arrive home from a faculty party, but their evening is far from over. Theater UnCorked offered an up close and personal peek into the brewing chaos of their living room as astonishing events begin to unfold on the grounds of this small New England college.

Nimbly directed by Ben Delatizky, Theater UnCorked presented Edward Albee’s Tony and Pulitzer Prize-winning drama Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf for one weekend only from December 6-10 live and in person at the BCA Plaza Black Box Theatre in Boston, Massachusetts. This show is divided in three parts, is a meaty 2 hours and 30 minutes with two intermissions, and is appropriate for mature audiences. Click here more information and for more on Theater UnCorked’s upcoming performances.

The cast of Theater UnCorked’s ‘Whos Afraid of Virginia Woolf’ Photo Credit: Gary Ng

Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf was also famously adapted into a 1966 Academy Award-winning motion picture starring powerhouse couple Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton as well as Sandy Dennis and George Segal. While all four actors were nominated for Academy Awards, only Taylor and Dennis won for Best Actress and Best Supporting Actress.

The show opens with Martha dramatically recalling one famous Bette Davis quote, but another Bette Davis quote, ‘Fasten your seatbelts! It’s going to be a bumpy night!’ might be more accurate. Her husband, George is not amused.

Each member of this small cast depicts their characters with searing finesse. Edward Albee’s renowned and controversial script adds a darkly comedic tone to these multifaceted characters and the events that follow. At times, the show is sympathetically funny and at others, one cannot help but laugh nervously at the growing tension. This moving, complex, and raw production successfully hinges on Albee’s meticulous pacing and critical chemistry between each of these dynamic characters.

Brooks Reeves as George and Shana Dirik as Martha in Theater Uncorked’s ‘Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf’ Photo credit: Leonard Chasse

Without a bad seat in this intimate theatre, the audience was nearly immersed in the action onstage. Mike Mcteague’s horn-infused sound design maintains a foreboding tension and melancholy between each scene while Sehnaz (Shana) Dirik’s scholarly and sophisticated retro set and props include a wet bar, large bookcases, globe, couch and dark wooded vintage style end tables with ashtrays seemingly right out of the 60s. Popular albums of the era and turntable are on display and a particularly notable Sinatra album, My Way is cheekily front and center. Even the doorbell has a vintage and nostalgic chime. From darkly bold to flowered pastels, Richard Itczak’s multicolor costume design accentuates each character’s unfolding disposition.

The 60’s set of Theater UnCorked’s ‘Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf’ Photo Credit Gary Ng

Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf is lengthy, but anything but boring. These are highly intelligent and substantial individuals who share cerebral conversations, each with a veiled agenda. With a condescending cackle, Sehnaz (Shana) Dirik portrays vivacious but worn Martha. Dirik has remarkable chemistry with her perceptive and calculating Associate Professor husband, George, depicted by Brooks Reeves. Reeves has a talent for bringing to life complicated characters with a dark underbelly and he and Martha teeter from malevolent to bickering to seeming adoration at the drop of a hat. Brooks and Dirik deliver powerhouse performances because Albee’s script invites no less. The physicality, the endurance, and the sheer energy that it takes to capture these characters can be exhausting and yet, Brooks and Dirik are more than up to the challenge. At one point, Reeves and Dirik are so invested in the sheer magnitude of this twisty production that one cannot help but be moved by the tracks of Reeves’s tears and Dirik’s wild yearning.

Brooks Reeves as George Shana Dirik as Martha Anthony Rinaldi as Nick and Brooke Casanova as Honey in Theater Uncorked’s ‘Whos Afraid of Virginia Woolf’ Photo credit: Gary Ng

Anthony Rinaldi portrays affable department professor Nick while Brooke Casanova depicts naïve Honey, a polite married couple from the Midwest. Both comically reflect what the audience might be thinking at first and at one point, Casanova as Honey is literally clutching her pearls. They make an amiable and fascinating pair as their motivations gradually come to light in unexpected ways.

Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf has many layers and one cannot think of how dangerous it can be to know someone all too well. George and Martha have been together for 23 years and they know exactly which button to push for what they want. Some marriages do not always have the other’s best interest at heart and this coupling for the ages.

REVIEW: Theater Uncorked’s ‘Sideman’ grapples with a dream

Posted on May 14, 2023 by The Sleepless Critic

Nothing comes between a man and his music, but maybe something should.

Directed with a stirring cadence by Russell R. Greene, Theater Uncorked presented Warren Leight’s Sideman for a limited engagement from May 3-7 live and in person at Boston Center for the Arts Plaza Theatre in Boston, Massachusetts. The show was two hours with one 15 minute intermission and is not for children. Click here for more information and what is next for Theater Uncorked.

Phil Thompson as Jonsey Leonard Chasse as Al and James Hunt as Ziggy Photo credit to Gary Ng

A ‘sideman’ in jazz terms refers to a member of a jazz or swing orchestra. The term not only applies to Brad Michael Pickett as trumpet player Gene, but his loyal sidemen which include Leonard Chasse as Al, James Hunt as Ziggy, and an impressive Phil Thompson as troubled Jonesy. Gene’s band mates demonstrate an easy rapport and an unshakable and stalwart camaraderie as they bond into the wee hours over music, love, and the unstable life of the musician. Accompanied by Jennifer Shotkin in an invigorating performance as warm and wisecracking waitress Patsy, they seem far more like family to the dismay of the rest of Gene’s actual family.

Jennifer Shotkin as Patsy Photo credit to Gary Ng

From the viewpoint of Ben Gold as Gene’s son Clifford, Sideman is a unique memoir about Clifford’s dysfunctional family that matured him far too early. It delves into the excitement, seeming glamour, and the alarming upheaval in the pursuit of music that can leave madness for many in its wake.

Sideman offers dark and humorous moments in a jazz style storyline that culminates in intensity as quickly as it mellows. Delivered with dry wit, some notable deadpan expressions, and occasional despondence by Ben Gold, this ambitious show covers a lot of territory during an over 30 year timeline that rides the height of NYC jazz to its gradual decline. Short sided and neglectful Gene is more impressed by an unemployment check than an actual job while Clifford’s fast talking, hotheaded, and unraveling mother Terry, a rich and scathing performance by Shana Dirik, would rather let her ambitions and heartaches override her responsibilities. Brad Michael Pickett as Gene and Shana Dirik as Terry deliver some stunning scenes together that zip between star struck and fed up. All Clifford wants is a sense of normalcy, but that might be a tall order.

Shana Dirik as Terry and Brad Michael Pickett as Gene Photo credit to Gary Ng

From a distinct black and white Marilyn Monroe poster, neon lights, wood paneled walls, afghan quilts, and authentic vintage furniture, Shana Dirik with lighting designer Erik Fox steeps the viewer into multiple eras with a wealth of retro charm. Warren Leight’s script delves into the jazz era harkening to epic musical heights from Sinatra at the Copa to Neon Leon to Elvis’s performance on the Ed Sullivan Show driven by Tim Rose’s lively and reflective sound design.

Ben Gold as Clifford Shana Dirik as Terry and Brad Michael Pickett as Gene Photo credit to Gary Ng

Sideman is in many ways a toast to jazz, but is also about family. To become great requires sacrifice and yet there is something amiss about this band’s journey. Warren Leight’s characters accomplish a great feat in that most of his characters are still likable even through their selfish and undeniable blind ambition. Sympathetic and compassionate, Gold’s Clifford is a character worth rooting for as he navigates through this musical journey full of wild predicaments.

Theater Uncorked presented Warren Leight’s Sideman for a limited engagement from May 3-7 live and in person at Boston Center for the Arts Plaza Theatre in Boston, Massachusetts. Click here for more information and what is next for Theater Uncorked.