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Photo by Don Kellogg
Showing posts with label Lou Liberatore. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Lou Liberatore. Show all posts

Sunday, April 2, 2017

Daniel's Husband

Who on earth WOULDN'T want to marry (Ryan Spahn).... um... i mean Daniel Bixby?  In Michael McKeever's play now in previews at the Cherry Lane Theatre, that would be Daniel's partner, Mitchell Howard (Matthew Montelongo).  

Successful, drippingly boyish, handsome, confident - Daniel wants to marry his partner of 7 years.  They are in love, they live together, and they are just the "perfect" couple.   The trouble is, Mitchell, his partner, doesn't believe in marriage (gay or otherwise).  He's got that old-school view of the gay culture being a counter-culture - we are different, we do not want what they want - these are the themes of his argument against marriage - which he interjects into his un-ending commitment and love for Daniel.

Mr. McKeever starts laying out a rather entertaining story not atypical of many gay men - successful, big incomes, fun evenings, good wine.  Of course he is probably obliged to throw in an overbearing motherly character in Lydia Bixby (Anna Holbrook) who turns out to be more than the butt of several jokes. Daniel and Mitchell are devoted to each other and enjoying the good life together in today's world that is mostly accepting.  They are sticking with each other and there is no doubt about it.  Full stop.

However, when an unexpected event occurs that literally tears at the fibers of their relationship and beings, we learn the true colors of family and friends (kudos uber adorable Lealand Wheeler (Trip) and Barry Dylon (Lou Liberatore) and the tragic consequences of more than one action not taken whether for good reasons at the time or not.

Incredibly humorous turns devastatingly tragic in a mere 90 minutes.  Sometimes we argue about concepts and principles and forget there could be (as slight as the chance could be) some real world consequences to our actions.

Sunday, July 10, 2016

A Class Act

 In a new work by Norman Shabel over at the New World Stages, we are treated to a legal gem.  Well written such that the audience understands the way a class action lawsuit works and well acted such that we believed the actors in their respective corners of the fight.

Director Christopher Scott had much talent to work with but he didn't have much in the way of sets.  A boardroom table and some chairs were going to have to suffice.  Mr. Scott channeled the talent of the fine actors to make his impression last.

Stephen Bradbury (Phil Alessi) and the devilishly handsome Matthew DeCapua (Frank Warsaw) make a fine match of young and old, wise and risk taker, smart and smarter.  On the opposite side of the table is the shameful corporate defendant's team - Andrew Ramcharan Guilarte (Slick corporate attorney Ignacio Perez), Lou Liberatore (Ben Donaldson), David Marantz (Company founder and Board Member, Edward Duchamp), Nick Plakias, (Legal Council and employee, John Dubliner) and Jenny Strassburg (inside counsel and ultimate protagonist, Dorothy Pilsner).

These actors rattled off their legal lines with aplomb - a believable and realistic portrayal of the down and dirty tactics of both sides of a great legal fight.  This fight has to do with groundwater contamination by a chemical company - something not so far fetched given the history of chemical companies over the last 100 years.

A great legal drama with a redeeming ending for Ms. Strassburg.  When the stakes are high, people on all sides will go farther than you might believe.