The Mountaintop

Room 306 in Lorraine Motel, Memphis

Philadelphia Theatre Company, located at the Suzanne Roberts Theatre, Broad and Lombard Streets, is presenting the Philadelphia premiere of The Mountaintop through February 17. Playwright Katori Hall imagines what might have happened in the motel room in Memphis the night after Dr. King delivered his famous “Mountaintop” speech. Sekou Laidlow, portraying Dr. Martin Luther King and Amirah Vann, portraying a stranger who enters his motel room, were at a distinct disadvantage due to a stagehands walk-out on opening night. Sound cues were missing as were special effects, but this did not deter either actor. Laidlaw depicts King as human and fallible. Perhaps it is because the audience is forced to employ its imagination that Laidlaw is able to plumb to great depths to reveal his character as not only reverent, but at times playful, raw and earthy.  Amirah Vann gives a well- rounded performance as well.  She portrays her character as awestruck, yet defiant; saucy, yet playful; irreverent, yet compassionate. The actors performed under less than ideal circumstances but their performances could not have been any better. The acting is outstanding.  Tickets will be sold at preview prices for the duration of the stagehands’ union walkout. Certainly the show will be enhanced once the stagehands come back to work, but the show is well worth-while as is. You don’t need to wait for a union settlement to see a very fine performance. For further information or tickets, call 215-985-0420 or visit online at PhiladelphiaTheaterCompany.org

An Ideal Husband

Walnut Street Theatre, located at 825 Walnut Street, is producing Oscar Wilde’s An Ideal Husband through March 3 on its mainstage. Although the action takes place over a 36 hour period of time, the play is written in four acts. The scene change between the first and second act is done with house lights on and curtain up. Watching the modification can only be compared to seeing an additional act in itself albeit without dialogue.  At its finish, on opening night, the extraordinary transformation from one room to another commanded applause from the audience. Of course WST has a wonderful stage for set design because of its depth, but Scenic Designer Robert Andrew Kovach designed a Barrymore worthy set. If the Barrymores were still to be awarded, the entire Design staff of this production would be worthy. Costume Designer Colleen Grady’s 19^th century aristocratic dress sets an authentic tone as soon as the curtain rises. Lighting Designer Shelly Hicklin and Sound Designer Christopher Colucci also present award-worthy efforts to this production. The 12 member ensemble cast keeps the audience in stitches with a plot that is more serpentine than a mountain road; every time you come around the bend there is a new twist. The ideal husband is less than ideal; the ne’er-do-well does very well when least expected.   Skeletons pop out of closets at inopportune moments, sometimes even when they belong in the closet of someone else. The superb set, outstanding writing and fabulous acting all combine to present a marvelous show.  For tickets or further information call 215-574-3550 or 800 982-2787 or visit online at www.walnutstreettheatre.org.

The Beauty Queen of Leanne

The Lantern Theater Company, located in St. Stephen’s Church, 10th and Ludlow Streets, is presenting its much awaited completion of Mike McDonagh’s trilogy with The Beauty Queen of Leanne. The Beauty Queen… is actually McDonough’s first produced play, but it is the final play in the trilogy produced for the eagerly awaiting Lantern audiences. Due to popular demand, the play has been extended through February 10. Those who have been privileged to see The Lonesome West  and A Skull in Connemara as I have, might be fascinated to uncover the similarities among the three

 McDonagh’s characters are a pathetic lot; yet we can identify with their plight and see the humor in their situations.  The two brothers, Vilene and Column in The Lonesome West torment each other unmercifully as do the mother and daughter in The Beauty Queen of Leanne. The objects of contention are so ridiculous - (from potato chips to lumps in the Complain) that the audience howls. Yet all three plays are not only comedies but tragedies as well.  Mick, the central persona in A skull in Connemara, is a complex character who can readily charm and leaves an unwitting audience unprepared for a surge of plot twists. Likewise, Maureen, played by Megan Bellwoar in The Beauty Queen of Leanne, is a frustrated spinster whose liberation points the way to plot twists that leave the audience reeling.

If you have never seen any other part of Mike McDonagh’s trilogy, do not let that deter you from seeing this masterpiece. It is a Tony-Award winning satire of mother and daughter relationships that certainly blazes with intensity on its own merit.  See it to witness the evil machinations and deceptions of the helpless mother Mag Folan played by Mary Martello. Observe the many faceted Mary Marcello with a new stoned-faced persona. Sit on the edge of your seats while waiting to note who has the “last word.”  You don’t need to book a flight to Ireland, but you do need to call the Lantern box office at 215-829-0395 or visit online at lanterntheater.org. before tickets to this stroke of genius are sold out.

Dave and Aaron Go to Work

1812 Productions, located at Plays and Players Theater, 1714 Delancey Street, is presenting the world premiere of Dave and Aaron Go To Work through December 31.  Perhaps best described as Laurel and Hardy's entering The Odd Couple’s domain, this piece has been touted as a silent film for the stage. As in any silent film, the actors must replace dialogue with physical comedy. Dave Jadico and Aaron Cromie are masters of the art. Every movement on stage is clear-cut.  Spoiler Alert !   Don’t blink or you might miss one of many small details in their precise routine of every-day life that will lead to an “aha” moment near the end of the show!  That Dave and Aaron are friends is obvious. How two men who are completely opposite can harmoniously occupy a space not much larger than a dog house is less obvious, but it is rife with comedic moments.  Add a quest for the perfect job and the chuckles begin; giggles follow; chortles take over and then...Oh why ruin the fun? Come and remind yourself why you laughed at those silent slapstick delights of yesteryear. For more information or tickets call 215-592-9560 or visit online at www.1812productions.org.