Walnut Street Theatre is producing
Edward Albee’s Pulitzer Prize-winning A Delicate Balance through
March 29. With the living room couch and pillows matching an abstract painting on the wall thanks to Scenic Designer Roman Tatarowicz, everything on the set
looks beautifully balanced. The characters, however, are not. This drama is,
among other things, a picture of familial dysfunction. Agnes (Alicia Roper) believes that she is the
fulcrum, keeping the household in balance, yet she never has a kind word to say
to her sister Claire (Grace Gonglewski) or her daughter, Julia (Alanna J. Smith).
Claire does not filter what she says but her harsh words are only for her sister. Claire is
an alcoholic but is encouraged to drink by her brother-in-law Tobias. Julia
returns home after a failed fourth marriage and faces her mother's resentment. Tobias (Paul J. Nolan) is
strangely quiet in the first two acts, although, as his best friends come to
the door in a strange panic, he offers them shelter. He tends bar in the house and makes sure that
everyone has something to drink at all times. When Julia is forced to give up
her room to her parents’ friends, Edna and Harry, she becomes petulant and has
a tantrum. After Edna slaps Julia in the face, and the entire audience gasps,
she replies, “somebody had to do it.” It is in the final act that Tobias
finally is able to communicate and another theme emerges - “What will one do
for the sake of friendship?” The acting is excellent throughout this drama, but
Paul J. Nolan’s performance at the end of Act Three is magnificent. For tickets or information, visit WalnutSreetTheatre.org or
Ticketmaster.com or call 215- 574- 3550.
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