By: Thomas Dooney
Apart from Halloween spectacles, October brings to Buffalo theater three stories that have not been seen on local stages for too long.
The most recently written is Alfred Uhry’s The Last Night Of Ballyhoo, which will be presented by Jewish Repertory Theatre. Ballyhoo was commissioned as part of the cultural programming for the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta, bowed on Broadway in 1997 and makes has its local premiere this month.
Uhry is best known as the author of Driving Miss Daisy, which is being given an all-star remounting on Broadway right now. Vanessa Redgrave, James Earl Jones and Boyd Gaines comprise a remarkable cast.
After the success of Miss Daisy (and the Pulitzer and the Oscar), Uhry was still intrigued with the lives of Jewish families living in Georgia (from where Uhry hails) and throughout the U.S. South, especially those who trace their lineage to those who settled this area for hundreds of years ago. There is much bragging about notable ancestors, such as the great-great-great-grandmother who was the first white infant born Georgia was still a colony.
The Werthans (from Daisy) and the Freitags (from Ballyhoo) are well-to-do aristocrats who are not accepted–nor seek acceptance–from the wealthy WASPs who are their neighbors. They are also so assimilated that they celebrate Christmas (well, it’s an American holiday, isn’t it?) but can barely describe a seder. Set in the late 1930s, Ballyhoo’s characters are only barely aware of the fuss going on in Germany.
There are two marriageable daughters in the Freitag clan, cousins Lala and Sunny. Finding husbands for them has set off an alert for eligible Jewish bachelors up and down the east coast, but hopefully from the South. Though the family is not religious, being Jewish as an identity is as important as any prospective fiancé’s education or occupation. This is a charming and touching story, which under the direction of Saul Elkin, is bound to have emotional impact. As written, this “how I met your mother” story resonates for all cultures.
The JRT cast includes Peter Palmisano, Lisa Ludwig and Linda Stein as the elder generation struggling with tradition while Bonnie Taylor, Patrick Cameron, Ryan Cupello and Jennifer Leibowitz are the younger generation looking forward to the future.
The Last Night Of Ballyhoo: presented by the Jewish Repertory Theatre; October 14 – November 7; at Alleyway Theatre, One Curtain Up Alley, Buffalo; (716) 688-4114 x 391.
Next up at Road Less Traveled Productions is the premiere of an adaptation by Jon Elston of William Shakespeare’s Antony and Cleopatra. It has been many, many years since this drama has been performed in Buffalo, despite having been on the Shakespeare-In-Delaware Park to-do list. It is as much a romance as it is a political drama. There is a struggle for the entire world (as it was then known) at stake while the two warring principals grapple with their personal affairs. This play was especially significant at the time Shakespeare wrote it. Cleopatra parallels Elizabeth I as a female, empirical, head of state. Introduced just after Elizabeth died, a 17th century audience would understand the hazards of a female ruler conflicted by political and romantic matters.
The play depicts Cleopatra and Antony late in their relationship. It is a portrait of long time lovers who know each other well. She is no Juliet, and he is no Romeo, but love is still a tragic catalyst in their actions.
Recently, Elston, resident dramatist at RLTP has taken to adaptation rather than writing original dramas. Last season he collaborated on the Depression era docudrama American Deal. It will be interested to see where his fevered imagination leads this story, to the personal, to the political or beyond. RLTP suggests that this Antony and Cleopatra will be presented with a contemporary skew. Dan Walker stars as Antony and Kelly Meg Brennan as Cleopatra.
Antony And Cleopatra: presented by Road Less Traveled Theater; October 22 – November 14; at Market Arcade Film & Arts Centre, 639 Main Street, Buffalo; (1-800-745-3000).
On Borrowed Time by Paul Osborn, to be presented by Playhouse Of American Classics, would be practically forgotten except for the interest in the play Morning’s At Seven by the same author. MA7 is a nostalgia driven show about the foibles of a quartet of aging sisters and their busybody ways. There is much pleasure in playing these roles and seeing them played out. PAC did a creditable job last season with a reading of the latter title so moving onto Borrowed Time seems a natural next step.
Both plays are set in the U.S. Midwest and portray, salt-of-the-earth families and small town neighbors in a small town. While MA7 is a comedy in a realistic vein, OBT takes quite a different turn. It is folksy and unworldly at the same time. Pud, an orphan living with his grandparents, still suffers from the recent death of his parents. His bond with his aging and ill grandfather is especially tender. A stranger by the name of Mr. Brink comes to town looking for Pud. His conversation is veiled and peculiar. It seems Mr. Brink is death personified, haunting and tormenting Pud. Through the intervention of his grandfather, Pud comes to terms with Mr. Brinks’ lessons.
This production marks a developmental change for PAC. Shows will have a longer run to satisfy audience demand and, will be presented in a fully staged format, rather than as readings. OBT features PAC veterans Paul O’Hern as Gramps and Keith Elkins as Mr. Brink.
On Borrowed Time: presented by Playhouse Of American Classics; October 29 – November 7; at Buffalo & Erie County Historical Society, 25 Nottingham Terrace, Buffalo; (716) 862-9531.