REVIEWS FOR SOUTHERN BAPTIST SISSIES. MARCH 10-27, 2011
ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH
Finding love is not easy for the title characters in "Cyrano de Bergerac" and "Southern Baptist Sissies." The problem for Edmond Rostand's Cyrano is something everyone can see: the size of his nose. The problem for the four young men playwright Del Shores calls sissies is something inside them: their sexual identity. If it were known, their church would condemn them.
Both plays opened last weekend in productions with fine leading performances.
["Cyrano" section edited out]
'Southern Baptist Sissies'
In "Southern Baptist Sissies," four members of a Baptist church in Dallas tell their stories of growing up gay in an environment that does not accept homosexuality. Shores interleaves the stories in a theatrical framework that mixes raucous humor with piercing drama.
At the start of the play, the central character, Mark, is angry, audacious and in control of what the audience sees. This is the older Mark, whose monologues recall his sexual awakening in his teens. These memories are intimately tied up with Mark's church, because his first love was a boy with whom he was baptized.
James Slover encompasses the full range of Mark's emotions, from the narrator's indignation to the anxiety of the young man pursuing forbidden love. Drew Pannebecker is equally persuasive as T.J., whose feelings for Mark are at war with his acceptance of church teachings.
Justin Ivan Brown is shamelessly entertaining as Benny, who has the easiest time accepting his sexuality. Tyler Whiteman captures the anguish of Andrew, whose journey of self-discovery is the most tragic.
Cindy Duggan and Michael Shreves are very funny as an oddball couple who hang out together in a gay bar. Alice Kinsella displays impressive versatility as three different mothers.
P. Michael Murphy's preacher is an instantly recognizable figure but he stops short of making him an all-out caricature. This choice is appropriate because the play does not reject the church completely, only its lack of inclusiveness. Mark says he would happily embrace the church if it would only embrace him.
GP Hunsaker's direction and set design make inspired use of the limited space in the Gaslight Theater. Alexandra Scibetta Quigley's costume designs range from restrained to outrageous.
By Gerry Kowarsky
LADUE NEWS
Story: Mark, T.J., Andrew and Benny have grown up in Dallas in the tradition of the Southern Baptist Church. As our narrator Mark points out, the four of them were different from their other 36 classmates, different enough to be called “sissies.” While Benny was overtly gay from an early age, the other three come to terms with their sexuality in varying degrees. Mark realizes as a young teen his physical attraction to men, particularly T.J., while T.J. and Andrew fight their impulses to the extent that T.J. has a girlfriend when he enrolls at Baylor University.
All are baptized into Jesus, although Mark does so more as a way to get closer to T.J. As they grow older, their sexuality is challenged by their affable but strict preacher as well as their parents and, to varying degrees, the boys themselves.
Highlights: The fifth in playwright Del Shores’ series of plays about growing up gay in Texas, “Southern Baptist Sissies” is a mature and introspective look at the impact of homosexuality on a quartet of young men over the past two decades or so. Written in 2000, the two-act drama explores the twin themes of gay sexuality and its condemnation by the conservative Christian denomination in which the boys grew up and which still wields influence on them, whether willingly or reluctantly, into their adult years.
The true wisdom of Shores’ effort, though, is its sophisticated look beyond the individuals who pass judgment on people different from them to the all-embracing love of a superior God, rather than the more common church-bashing of many of his contemporaries. It’s a wise and adult approach that works in elevating the entire Citilites Theatre production that is directed in stylish and intelligent style by GP Hunsaker.
Other Info: At two and a half hours, Shores’ effort drags noticeably in spots, particularly a first act that lingers at least 10 minutes too long. There are other points where pruning would improve, not diminish, the impact of the presentation. Generally, though, “Sissies” is engaging and absorbing material, and finely wrought under Hunsaker’s careful guidance.
James Slover, Justin Ivan Brown, Drew Pannebecker and Tyler Whiteman each brings warmth and complexity to his respective role, fleshing out the characters with depth and dimension that realize their characters’ potential. Brown is delightful in the most flamboyant part, as female impersonator Benny, while Slover is very good as the tormented Mark, whose questioning of his church’s values continues into a largely dissatisfying life as an unsuccessful journalist and a man unable to achieve the happiness he yearns for.
Pannebecker and Whiteman offer finely etched portrayals of T.J. and Andrew, respectively, the former desperately denying his sexuality despite an early episode with Mark, while the latter carefully treads into his own identity to the dismay and anger of his mother.
Shores embellishes the story with some ancillary characters who frequent a gay bar and offer philosophical ruminations on their own lives. Michael Shreves and Cindy Duggan are engaging as a drifting, middle-age gay man and his straight drinking partner, a woman who has left numerous situations because of “tragic” circumstances that she cannot divulge, while Seth Ward Pyatt dutifully pours their libations and offers a sympathetic ear.
Alice Kinsella effectively portrays each of three mothers (T.J. lives with his widowed, military father), from Benny’s provocative, trailer-trash parent to Andrew’s uptight and unhappy mom to Mark’s concerned but loving mother, bringing a particular perspective to each of the presentations. P. Michael Murphy is a delight as the portly preacher who favors an ill-fitting wardrobe to match his simple view of the world as laid down in the Old Testament (Joshua Thomas will fill this role from March 20-27), and Devin Przygoda plays a wily stripper in a few select scenes.
Hunsaker’s scenic design offers a simple, church-like setting offset by Mark’s desk at one end and Benny’s dressing room at another, all nestled beneath an overhanging painting focused on a foreboding cross that dominates the word “truth” on its multi-hued canvas. Alexandra Scibetta Quigley’s costumes are highlighted by Benny’s flamboyant drag attire that contrasts big wigs and tight dresses with the rigid black pants, white shirts and narrow ties of the boys and the varying threads of the assorted mothers. Pyatt provides a suitable range of melodies for the scenes in church or nightclub, with lighting added by Steven Miller.
“Southern Baptist Sissies” is absorbing and thoughtful material compellingly presented in Citilites Theatre’s satisfying production.
Rating: A 4.5 on a scale of 1-to-5.
By Mark Bretz
JAVA JOURNAL
Citilites Scores With the Witty and Poignant
Although a bit rough for some tastes, the Del Shores play, “Southern Baptist Sissies” is a realistic and heart-breaking look at what the strict guidelines of organized religion can do to ordinary people. Four gay men are forced to confront their choices which go against the teachings of their church- a church which is supposed to “embrace” everyone.
Del Shores just won another series of awards- the Garland Awards in Los Angeles for playwrighting and directing his latest, “Yellow.” Known as the “trailer trash Neil Simon” because of his consistent themes and one of his plays that’s being made into a film, “Trials and Tribulations Of A Trailer Trash Housewife,”
Mr. Shores calls “Southern Baptist Sissies” his most personal piece.
James Slover is strong as the most indignant of the four men (who also play themselves as young boys). He mentally interrupts the preaching of the Baptist minister who has an answer for any problem- make them see the teachings of the Bible. Drew Pannebecker shines as the boy who fights his urges and insists he will follow the church- even though we know he’s fighting a losing battle. Tyler Whiteman is the most tragic of the four as he cannot handle the conflicts that arise when he can’t battle his urges. And finally, Justin Ivan Brown is the most comfortable with his choice and offers the most entertainment of the evening in the guise of his alter ego, Iona Traylor.
Alice Kinsella is outstanding as all of the mothers and comes on particularly strong as the real trailer trashy mom of Benny the transvestite. Michael Shreves and Cindy Duggan are simply hilarious as a couple of barflies who wryly comment on the church, the boys and life in general. P. Michael Murphy is properly pompous as the Baptist preacher and Seth Ward Pyatt delights as the bartender while Devin Przygoda rounds out the cast as a male stripper.
Artistic Director of Citilites, GP Hunsaker has directed “Southern Baptist Sissies” with a keen eye. He focuses neatly on how religion can squelch the faith in anybody who doesn’t fit into the proper Christian mold. Like “Boys In The Band” and many other gay-themed plays that followed, “Southern Baptist Sissies” takes a serious look at the issues and the laughs that are a large part of the script are with the boys and not at their expense. Be warned, however, that the play is very frank and explicit and isn’t for everyone.
By Steve Allen
BROADWAY WORLD
The idea of following the stories of four young gay men who are raised as members of a Baptist church in Texas is certainly fertile enough stuff for a play on its own. But, with Southern Baptist Sissies, playwright Del Shores muddies this basic premise with a non-linear, and at times illogical, presentation that generates a modicum of laughs, but misses the mark dramatically. Although I'm usually a fan of unconventionality, I think Shores pushes too hard here, and the opportunity to create something truly memorable is lost in the process. However, Citilites Theatre has put together a fitfully funny and heartfelt production that makes the most of this decidedly uneven material, and it benefits greatly from a number of strong performances as well.
Though mostly told through the eyes of Mark Lee Fuller, who guides the action and occasionally even interrupts the Preacher mid-sermon to offer his own point of view or contrary opinion, the story follows four homosexuals and how they deal with their sexuality in the face of their strict religious beliefs. Each goes their own separate way in life, and each deal with the choices they've made in different ways, but Mark is always front and center, struggling to find acceptance while trying to quell his ever-growing anger and heartache.
James Slover is a likable Mark, and though the character may seem a bit cynical and misanthropic at times, he's really just confused and frustrated at his core. Drew Pannebecker makes a good impression as T.J., who's in complete denial of his sexuality, something that's clearly evident when he becomes enraged at being embraced and kissed by Mark after a celebratory masturbation session. Benny, AKA Iona Traylor, is nicely essayed by Justin Ivan Brown, and even though he's given little to do other than to dress up in drag and lip-sync country tunes. When he finally does get the opportunity to display some genuine emotion, he convinces. Tyler Whiteman is also good as the heavily-closeted and conflicted Andrew.
Alice Kinsella plays the various Mothers of the boys, at least those that are still living. Her best bit comes as Benny's mother when she consults the Preacher about her son's proclivities, all played as a seduction scene, complete with leopard skin outfit and indiscreet decolletage. P. Michael Murphy is properly animated and reverent as the Preacher, easily filling the space with the sound of his vocal exultations (the part will be played by Joshua Thomas beginning March 19, 2011).
Cindy Duggan has fun as a barfly named Odette, who hangs out in gay clubs because they're more accepting of her and she doesn't have to worry about being hit on. She's joined in her efforts as a sort of Greek chorus by the enthusiastic work of Michael Shreves as Peanut. Seth Ward Pyatt contributes nicely as Houston Chaffey, playing the piano accompaniment to the onstage hymns and doubling as Peanut and Odette's bartender. Devin Przygoda makes an appearance as a stripper.
Director GP Hunsaker tries hard to keep the actors and action reigned in and focused, but the play itself works against his best efforts. Hunsaker's scenic design transforms the interior of the Gaslight Theatre into a church in effective fashion, and it's all illuminated by Steven Miller's lighting scheme. Alexandra Scibetta Quigley's costumes are generally nice fits for the characters as well.
There's a lot to like in Citilites Theatre's well-performed and staged production of Southern Baptist Sissies, and you may certainly find its scattershot approach more appealing than I did. If so, check it out at the Gaslight Theatre through March 27, 2011.
By Chris Gibson
RIVERFRONT TIMES
Southern Baptist Sissies Del Shores' comic drama about growing up gay and Southern Baptist in Texas preaches a little bit to the choir, but that's by design. Shores knows his audience and supplies it with validation, along with some gentle criticism. So while gay Baptist Mark (James Slover) rails against the church's hypocrisy, barfly-cum-Greek chorus Peanut (Michael Shreves) laments the foolishness of a life wasted by hiding in gay bars. Shreves is hysterical, a catty and lecherous wit who destroys the audience at least twice. Slover and Drew Pannebecker (who plays the self-denying T.J.) are the soul of the play, however. Pannebecker's militant abnegation of his true self is fraught with tension — how long can he keep it up? — while Slover's slow-burning defiance of the church becomes a valiant rebellion by the end, one that sends us home with a manifesto to love one another better and more honestly. Presented by Citilites Theatre under the direction of G.P. Hunsaker through March 27 at the Gaslight Theater, 358 North Boyle Avenue.
By Paul Friswold
VITAL VOICE
Mark is a sissy. So are T.J, Andrew and Benny. At least according to the Calvary Baptist Church in Texas where they’ve grown up together as four out of the 40 boys in their Sunday school, they are (which squares with “the statistics,” according to Mark). Apparently “sissy” is the polite way of saying “faggot” because the word “gay” doesn’t seem to be in the church’s vocabulary. And there’s nowhere for sissies to go when they die except hell to wail and gnash teeth along with the drunkards, adulterers, and other fornicators like themselves. They may have been “washed in the blood” of the lamb all right, but here, they’ve also been choked on it.
Citilites’ production is directed by GP Hunsaker, who is able to draw good to great performances from his actors, but has a little trouble with traffic control on the tiny stage at the Gaslight Theatre when his entire cast of 9 (or 10, if you count a couple of brief appearances by Devin Przygoda as the stripper in a gay bar) is present. Hunsaker also designed the set, encompassing the bar, a dressing room for “Iona Traylor” (Benny’s drag queen persona), the central presence of the church, the preacher’s office, and whole lot of other places upstage center. There are a lot of entrances and exits, and blocking must have been murder. Nice lighting work is provided by Steven J. Miller, but there seemed to be a pale spot upstage right. The church “window” is especially well-done, and becomes a metaphor late in the show.
The show begins before anyone is even onstage. “Mother” comes in and sits down in the front row of the audience, welcoming all of us to the “services.” Alice Kinsella has the occasionally difficult juggling act of playing three of the boys’ mothers (“all but T.J. cause his mother was dead, and that would be just weird,” Mark tells us). She handles the roles well overall, though Kinsella did stumble a couple of times when she misidentified her “son” of the moment. Benny’s mother stands out because she is a very different kind of woman from Mark’s and Andrew’s mothers who seem interchangeable; Benny’s mom is a Southern-fried hoot in her leopard print tight pants, big hair and big heels. When she visits the preacher (P. Michael Murphy) for counseling about her sissy son, she discombobulates even that estimable bully. And make no mistake, he is a bully, waving his Bible and insisting God speaks through him. Ultimately, the Bible becomes the jawbone, and the preacher the ass.
Del Shores has written a memory play for Mark (James Slover) who we meet as an adult, and a very angry one. He is a columnist for a gay newspaper (the only job he can get, he relates bitterly). He looks back to a summer when he and T.J. (Drew Pannebecker), Andrew (Tyler Whiteman) and Benny (Justin Ivan Brown) were 12 years old. In choosing this technique, Shores runs into some trouble. These are Mark’s memories, but we get inside the other boy’s minds, as well. Mark “remembers” things he didn’t see and couldn’t know. Generally, that’s acceptable except in one particularly confusing situation where Andrew visits a gay bar. Iona is singing there (her specialty is country music divas, and on this particular night, she’s Dolly Parton) and he goes off with the stripper. Iona is an adult, but Andrew is still a teenager, and I’m not sure what she’s upset about—the presence of the closeted Andrew? Chronologically, that’s not possible.
Another pair joins the scene, Cindy Dugan as Odette Annette Barnet (“my mama wanted twins but when I came out by myself she gave me both names”) and Michael Shreves as Preston “Peanut” Leroy, a sad old queen who can only get sex by paying for it. They bond, and of course, she has a secret, but she holds out on telling it until nearly the very end. By then, it’s not too hard to figure out that she has an agenda, but the two of them provide some amusing banter aided by Seth Ward Pyatt as both church musician Houston Chaffey, and the pianist/bartender in the gay bar. He wears a suit coat for one and changes to a gold vest for the other, setting glassware and a bottle on top of the spinet. It’s a clever bit, and he provides some unity in the somewhat disjointed plot line.
When church is in session, the boys and Mother sit on benches in relative order of gayness: T.J. who, despite a summer of sexual experimentation with Mark, is in complete denial about his attraction to men. Mark, who reluctantly (at first) accepts that this is who he is comes next; then Andrew who is so gay he jerks off to the men’s underwear sections of the Sears catalog, but so far in the closet that disaster awaits him; and finally, Benny who knows what he is and always has. He says he’s “happy,” but of course, there are intimations, the scene where Iona breaks down being one of them, that he is not.
Shores seems to me to do the community something of a disservice here. For example, Mark calls T.J. out on not admitting he’s gay and that he’s just pretending with his girlfriend, then wife. Maybe he’s not. Being bisexual isn’t going to get you into the heavenly host either, but such people do exist. Mark seems guilty of stereotyping, and he does the same thing with Benny whom he accuses of “hiding” behind women’s clothing and wigs. For a gay man, he doesn’t seem to grasp the “B” or the “T” in “LGBT.”
Speaking of clothing and wigs, Alexandra Quigley deserves a special shout-out here for her stellar work in dressing the actors to represent different ages and stages. The costumes are both illuminating and, much of the time, amusing. Brava! Pyatt’s sound design makes good use of traditional hymns, the numbers for Iona, and incidental music he plays on piano. He is also credited as musical supervisor and assistant director.
Hymns are sung, Bibles are thumped, and fire and brimstone are called down. The usual arguments involving the “word of God” through Leviticus is debated, with Mark concluding that eating shrimp and sucking cock are pretty much equally abhorrent to the Father. The irony here (well, one of them anyway) is that parents want their children raised in this belief system—in fear of God, real fear, not awe; but loving Jesus anyway. Mark confesses to actually being IN love with Jesus (and Elvis, before he was fat—the two “kings”). The boys are taught to deny themselves and hate others (even good Jews go to hell) and to be baptized, as one mother puts it, so “we won’t be parted if we both died in a car accident.” And the kid, who happens here to be Mark, actually does it. He and T.J. are reborn in the lord and immersed on the same Sunday, after which they go back to Mark’s house for a celebratory mutual masturbation. But when Mark tries to kiss T.J., the latter runs away and never comes back. Mark is apparently permanently scarred by this rejection.
The end teaches a moral lesson through Mark, but by this time, we have been preached to for too long. Much of Southern Baptist Sissies is funny and entertaining, and some of it is even profound, but the play itself is bloated and repetitive. This group is loaded with talent, Pannebecker and Brown stand out among the four friends, but this isn’t intended to take anything away from the effective Slover and Whiteman. The supporting cast is fine, and to be fair, I saw a preview, so there were a few hesitations and stammers here and there. That’s to be expected, and I’m confident that all will be at the top of their games with another show or two under their belts. But the script is going to remain the same, and this hard-working crew simply deserves a better-written piece. Still, the message of love and tolerance does come through, and I enjoyed myself overall. If you go, I think you will too.
By Andrea Braun, theatre correspondent
KDHX
There is room for everyone in God's house...unless you're gay.
That's the notion raised in the first moments of Del Shores' Southern Baptist Sissies, currently presented by Citilites Theatre.
As you may figure from the title, the story follows four young men, the only gay members of their generation at a Southern Baptist church in Dallas, Texas. We follow their respective struggles to understand themselves, their religion, and their world.
The characters play out like Southern Sissy versions of the Sex and the City Fab Four. You've got the sweet and innocent one (played gently by Tyler Whiteman), the closeted stiff (taciturn Drew Pannebecker), the flamboyant fashionista/queen (Justin Ivan Brown in his element), and narrated by the self-proclaimed “thinker” and op-ed columnist (the earnest James Slover). The four men invite us on a non-linear journey throughout their childhoods and budding maturity in a series of monologues, vignettes, and of course, Sunday services (with a couple strip teases thrown in for good measure).
The boys are well supported by a boisterous preacher (played with fervor by P. Michael Murphy), and their Mothers, portrayed in a deliciously driven performance by Alice Kinsella. The mothers provide a glimpse into behavioral roots of each of the boy's fates. Mothers play a spectrum of archetypes that complement the sons; the drag queen's mother is just as flamboyant in her big hair and heels, to timid and unquestioning subservience, to self-blinding severity.
The Sissies' stories are interjected with a disillusioned bar fly (played with a humor as keenly dry as her martini by Cindy Duggan) and her fiery, flamboyant friend (the delightful Michael Shreves). They provide a Texan Statler and Waldorf for the show, as two “recovering Southern Baptists” commenting on everything around them safely behind their vodka glasses. As fun as these two are, it's unclear how they fit in with the rest of the action on stage. They are interesting characters, but their stories jump in out of nowhere, and just as abruptly abandoned. I would rather Shores have written two separate plays.
In fact, at times Shores doesn't seem to trust his own script. There is some rich writing here, but it is interjected with excuses and forewarning – it seems silly for characters to state “This part is graphic” after the audience has already witnessed drag numbers, stripping, and mutual masturbation. By then, such warnings lose their effect. The story does well enough to “show” that Shores seems to forget he doesn't need to “tell.” Maybe it's his recent years in Hollywood writing, but Shores would have been better suited to trust his own form, and attend more to the relationships between characters.
The scenes pop and the cast members feed off each other well. Unfortunately, they are bogged down by excessive speeches which don't say much of anything that's not better shown. Luckily, director GP Hunsaker has scattered plenty of subtleties (a poignant look here, a strained and silent prayer there) to breathe some vibrancy into stretches of preachy speeches. The actors and director treat the little moments with an honesty to keep the story pulsing.
The cast is rounded out with some extra flavor by Devin Przygoda as a male stripper alluring those less suspecting into sin, and Seth Ward Pyatt as both church pianist, and bartender. Pyatt veritably becomes a living part of the scenery (designed by Hunsaker).
At first, the set seems cluttered. As the play progresses, the mass of scenery self defines as omnipresent compartmentalized worlds where characters have attempted to escape, in fixed orbit around a central sanctuary. And, gratefully, little time is wasted on transitions and the many disparate scenes and monologues swiftly shift from one to the next.
Lighting by Steven J Miller assists in jumps between time and space, but is regrettably inconsistent. Miller has creatively lit the stage and has created some striking imagery; however, at times the actors fade in and out of their light. Costumes by Alexandra Scibetta Quigley aptly play the Southern Culture spectrum, from wild trailer trash to strict and severe Sunday clothes. Jackie Aumer has filled out the setting well with props that add a good sense of life, especially a bible that flies around the stage as much as the male dancers do.
There are many elements of this play that are probably most appreciated by those who are Southern, Baptist, or (surprise surprise) homosexual men. However, themes of identity and acceptance permeate the play, and will tug at the toughest heartstrings. Anyone who has struggled with religion, cultural expectations, or any difficult self-discovery will resonate well with the characters. In spite of some small discrepancies in script and staging, it's a fun way to spend the evening.
And, the ultimate message is well worth preaching: “Accept one another, just as Christ also accepted us.”
Reviewed by: Emily Piro
ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH: CULTURE CLUB BLOG
In “Southern Baptist Sissies,” One Actor Changes Things Dramatically
When a play has an open-ended run — when it keeps playing until people stop coming — actors may leave the production before the last curtain comes down. In that case, another actor takes over. It's pretty routine. But we don't have many open-ended runs in St. Louis (to tell the truth, not once in my memory). That's one reason why "Southern Baptist Sissies," the Del Shores play running through Sunday at Citilites, is fascinating. It gave St. Louis audiences a chance to see how much difference one actor can make, even if he isn't the star.
Written by Del Shores and directed by GP Hunsaker, the heartfelt play follows four gay Texans, growing from childhood into young manhood, keenly aware that they're misfits in the world they were born into — particularly its conservative church. ("Sordid Lives" playwright Shores calls "Sissies" his most personal work.) This absorbing production includes several vivid performances, particularly from James Slover as cerebral Mark, fighting tradition with anger and intellect, and Justin Ivan Brown as Benny, a drag queen who kisses off the past with flamboyant self-acceptance.
Many of the scenes take place in the church where the young men grew up. The Preacher there isn't the lead in the play (that's Mark) but he is a key figure in all four of their lives.
For the first two weeks of the run, that part was played by P. Michael Murphy, who has left for a trip to Paris. So this week, Preacher is played by Joshua Thomas, who just returned to St. Louis, where he now lives, from a trip to his home in Australia.
With their schedules in synch like that, it worked out perfectly. But it's also a very intriguing way to go, because you could hardly find two more dissimilar actors than Murphy and Thomas.
Murphy counts Marryin' Sam in "Li'l Abner" among his favorite roles, and you can just see him in it. Short, heavy and crew-cut, he cuts a paternal figure with a small-town sensibility. As Preacher, he seemed absolutely "under the water," the kind of actor whom people compliment by saying, "I don't think he was acting at all."
But tall, handsome Thomas is much more theatrical, a charismatic fire-and-brimstone Preacher of magnetic self-assurance.
Their different styles affected the overall tone of the play, not to mention the other actors.
In one scene, Benny's trashy mother (Alice Kinsella) consults with Preacher about her son's peculiarities. Playing opposite Murphy, Kinsella's loose-limbed come-on seemed almost like a reflex; it's how she behaves around men. And she can afford to behave that way with Preacher because obviously, nothing is going to happen.
Opposite Thomas, however, Kinsella seemed a bit more subdued. Is Mom scared of Preacher? Maybe. Thomas brings to the role an energy with slitherly sexual roots, reminiscent of his excellent 2008 performance as the defrocked Episcopal priest Shannon in Muddy Waters' production of "The Night of the Iguana" (coincidentally at the same theater, the Gaslight).
They also handle Preacher's big scene, a horrible funeral oration, with different styles. Both men are angry, but Murphy's bullish delivery and Thomas's fiery approach plumb the emotion differently.
So, is one performance "better"? Is one "right" and the other "wrong"? Of course not. It's not a question of better or worse; it's just different. Hunsaker deserves a lot of credit for not settling on a certain interpretation and finding two similar actors to present it but for keeping the play open to varied interpretations while it's still running. That's not a chance that comes to St. Louis theater-goers very often, but one that shows us how much difference a single actor can make to a production overall.
By Judith Newmark, Post-Dispatch Theater Critic
jnewmark@post-dispatch.com > 314-340-8243 STLtoday.com |
Posted: Friday, March 25, 2011
Judith Newmark is the Post-Dispatch's theater critic. Follow her blog posts in Culture Club.
REVIEWS FOR MARRY ME A LITTLE. NOVEMBER 4-21, 2010
ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH
'Marry Me A Little' hits the right notes
Marry Me a Little, the Stephen Sondheim musical that just opened at CITILITES Theatre, is a modest enterprise in every way — except for pleasure. That, it delivers with an open, generous hand.
Except for the title number, from Company, the hour-long show consists of songs that were cut from well-known productions, such as A Little Night Music and Follies, or included in shows that are rarely (or never) staged, such as Anyone Can Whistle and The Last Resorts. Nevertheless, director Seth Ward Pyatt hits all the moody notes that fans treasure in Sondheim: the clever sophistication, the poignant longing for love, the rueful resignation when it goes wrong. Without dialogue, plot, or names for its two characters, Marry Me a Little hints at a story instead of telling it.
A man (Scott Tripp) and a woman (Laura Ernst), each at the end of a relationship, are New Yorkers surrounded by boxes. He's moving out of an apartment and she's moving in — but is it the same unit? It's hard to know, just as it's hard to know if they were involved with each other or with other people.
But that doesn't matter. Tripp and Ernst may share a stage and a few songs, but we quickly realize that they aren't in the same place physically. Emotionally, it's another poignant story.
Stylishly accompanied by Nick Moramarco (who co-designed the subtly changing set with GP Hunsaker,) the actors each have standout numbers.
Tripp shines in "Uptown, Downtown," a romantic lament with some very nifty dance moves, choreographed by Cindy Duggan. Ernst delivers the period piece "Can That Boy Foxtrot" with full-on modern verve, then gives the steel-and-glass "Marry Me a Little" a dreamy lyricism. The contrasts nimbly serve her character's conflicted state of mind. Their duets — in which they never touch or even glance at each other — reinforce the conflict with touching theatrical flair.
By Judith Newmark
BROADWAY WORLD
CITILITES Theatre’s Charming Production of Marry Me a Little
Marry Me a Little is an interesting little musical that cobbles together cut songs and lesser celebrated numbers composed by Stephen Sondheim. It's a clever idea, and even though some of the numbers don't really seem to fit perfectly with the "story", they still provide an opportunity to hear a master songwriter at work, with even these castoffs showcasing his catchy, but challenging gift for melodic invention, as well as his considerable lyrical wit. Citilites Theatre is presenting a solid production of this brief, but engaging, work conceived and developed by Craig Lucas and Norman Rene.
There really isn't a plot to speak of, and the songs flow from one to another without the benefit of dialogue or exposition. What we witness instead are two lonely New Yorkers in an apartment setting, with the man packing to move out, while the woman is unpacking and settling in. It's an interesting juxtaposition, and it allows us to watch the apartment, and the characters change over the course of the show. Obviously, at least from the romantic nature of most of these selected pieces, both of these people are looking for love, and both may have to be reconciled to being two ships that pass in the night.
Laura Ernst is a charming delight as the woman who's in the process of moving in to her new apartment. She invests every number with the proper emotion and degree of enthusiasm, bringing the lyrics to life with her spirited approach. She's especially good on songs like the spunky throwback "Can That Boy Foxtrot" (cut from Follies), and the desperation of "Marry Me a Little"(Company). Ernst is neatly contrasted by Scott Tripp's work as the male half of this equation. He's moving out, so his demeanor is more melancholy and detached. But, he brings considerable panache to a number like "Uptown, Downtown"(cut from Follies), even though the more wistful musings of a song like "Silly People" is more the norm for his character. Both actors duet throughout, and even though "Pour Le Sport" (The Last Resorts) seems an odd choice, it adds a bit of upbeat fun to the proceedings.
Seth Ward Pyatt's direction and musical direction is smartly conceived and executed, and he finds a way to communicate the unspoken, allowing us a deeper look into the characters than the songs alone can provide. He's aided by Cindy Duggan's playful choreography and Phillip Allen's additional musical staging, which sometimes has to contend with the fact that these two people really aren't in the same room at the same time, even though they may be dancing together. Nick Moramarco and GP Hunsacker have put together a workable apartment setting that allows the two characters to share the space without colliding, and it's nicely lit by Steven Miller.
Citilites Theatre's warm and tuneful production of Marry Me a Little continues through November 21, 2010 at the Gaslight Theatre.
By Chris Gibson
LADUE NEWS
Story: A young man has achieved some financial success in his business career and is in the process of moving out of his modest apartment in New York City to some fancier digs. A week later, an aspiring young actress moves into his old apartment. They never meet, but the two lonely people are soul mates of sorts: They even are reading the same book at one point. Each is tired of spending Saturday night alone, reflecting on past lovers and hoping for a future filled with love and happiness. Will they achieve their dreams?
Highlights: Conceived and developed by Craig Lucas and Norman Rene in 1980, “Marry Me a Little” creatively cobbles together a smattering of songs from musicals by Stephen Sondheim with several more tunes that were cut from well-known Sondheim gems such as “A Little Night Music,” “Company,” “Follies” and “A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum.” The resulting mix is a breezy, spirited romp that showcases the charming musical talents of Laura Ernst and Scott Tripp as the two would-be lovers in a Citilites Theatre production deftly directed by Seth Ward Pyatt, who doubles as musical director for the sprightly, 60-minute revue.
Other Info: Incorporating a number of songs from Sondheim’s “Saturday Night” and a few from other lesser known shows along with several tunes that didn’t make the final versions of more familiar musicals, “Marry Me a Little” showcases the composer’s signature style of complex melodies and incisive lyrics in beguiling and effervescent fashion. Both performers are adept at handling the difficult musical style and take turns shining on bits such as Ernst warbling the infectious “Can That Boy Fox Trot” (cut from “Follies”) to Tripp describing “Silly People” (cut from “A Little Night Music”).
Cindy Duggan’s low-key choreography is especially enchanting on the comic trifle, “Pour le Sport,” as the pair improvises some swings on the golf course (although Tripp should swing something other than a putter) or the sweet “A Moment with You” that they perform on the cozy Gaslight Theater stage.
Nick Moramarco’s piano accompaniment is consistently supportive without being intrusive, ably complementing the fine work by both singers. Sarah Holt’s thoughtfully selected properties fit the personalities of the respective characters and complement the quaint apartment set designed by Moramarco and GP Hunsaker, with lighting by Steven Miller especially effective on the softer and more romantic tunes.
“Marry Me a Little” is a brisk and merry chance to hear some lesser known Sondheim numbers that nonetheless ably bear his signature style.
Rating: A 4 on a scale of 1-to-5.
By Mark Bretz
RIVERFRONT TIMES
Marry Me a Little What a delectable treat it is to have a Sondheim revue on hand even as the world is celebrating his 80th birthday and the publication of the first volume of his memoirs. The conceit underlying Marry Me a Little is that we're hearing obscure songs that either were cut from hit Broadway shows before they opened or come from unproduced Sondheim works. But because Marry Me a Little is now nearly 30 years old, even Sondheim's most remote songs have received repeated recordings. Over the course of an hour, eighteen glorious ballads, charm songs and patter songs are sung by Laura Ernst and Scott Tripp. The piano, which is played by director Seth Ward Pyatt, apparently is in the balcony of the Gaslight Theater, which helps to fill the auditorium with sound. The acoustics are terrific. You won't miss a lyric — and what magical lyrics they are. Produced by Citilites Theatre through November 21 at the Gaslight Theater, 358 North Boyle Avenue. Tickets are $18 to $20 ($15 to $17 for students and seniors).
By Dennis Brown