Orphans at Theater on the Edge.

Posted on by Thor

Orphans written by Lyle Kessler is being presented by the artistic production team at Theater on the Edge (5542 Hansel Ave, Orlando, FL 32809). I am a huge fan of their hyper realistic set designs by the amazing Samantha DiGeorge. The attention to period detail allows me to get lost in that particular place and time. The plays presented in this intimate space highlight an American aesthetic of brutality and unfulfilled dreams. Orphans is set in 1989  in  a two story rundown Philadelphia row house. During the pre show, Philip (Adam Minossa) was mashing cereal in his breakfast bowl and then sat to watch a TV game show. He lived his innocent preoccupied life in the home as the audience filled in. He settled in on the couch to watch TV while hugging a red woman’s high heal shoe. When he sees his brother Trent (Zack Roundy) approaching, through the window, he rushed to clean up  the place and then hid in the closet.

Trent is a terror. He has returned to show off his earnings form the mornings robberies. He likes to taunt his simple brother and a game of tag became a power struggle between the siblings. The red high heal shoe becomes another point of contention and Trent throws it out the window on the front lawn. A painful head lock is the only sign of affection between the two.

On another occasion, Trent returns to the house with a drunk business man. When the man passes out on  the floor, Trent takes his brief case and forces it open on the kitchen table with his knife. Inside are piles of stocks and bonds. Kidnapping this man would clearly be extremely profitable. While out looking to cash the stocks and calling people for the ransom, he leaves his brother to watch the now tied up business man. The ropes are sloppily tied and loose so, Harold, the business man (Allan Whitehead) gets free. He doesn’t try to escape however and goes up stairs to clean up.

Trent isn’t pleased when he returns and there is a power struggle between Trent and Harold. Harold doesn’t play the part of a victim but instead says he likes Trent’s anger and could use hims as a body guard.  Harold grew up as an orphan and he sees a bit of himself in Trent’s deviant behavior. He becomes a father figure to both the boys offering support and affection the boys clearly lacked probably after their parents deaths. He builds Philip’s confidence to the point where the boy is able to venture out into the world alone.

The end of the second act ended with gut wrenching results. When the house lights came back up, there wasn’t a dry eye in the house. Someone said, there should be a warning before the show begins. All three actors did an amazing job exploring their characters and their underlying motives. The intricate relationships left me wishing there was more time to see what happened next. On the car ride home with Pam Schwartz, I was full of questions. I had a an affection for the characters and couldn’t let go. Perhaps that is a sign of great theater. This show got under my skin exposing regrets and the need for acceptance that seems never realized. I highly recommend this production.

Orphans

Theater on the Edge 5542 Hansel Ave, Orlando, FL 32809

Tickets: $22 to $26

Remaining Show Dates:

Saturday November 11, 2017      8 PM

Sunday November 12, 2017        2 PM

Wednesday November 15, 2017  8 PM

Saturday November 18, 2017      8 PM

Sunday November 19, 2017        2 PM

Friday November 24, 2017          8 PM

Saturday November 25, 2017      2 PM

Saturday November 25, 2017      8 PM

Sunday November 26, 2017        2 PM

Tape by Stephen Belber

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Tape by Stephen Belber tells the story of Jon (Joey Ginel), an aspiring filmmaker on the verge of hitting it big, hooks up
for the weekend with his best friend from high school, Vince (Zack Roundy), a
volunteer fireman who makes his money selling dope. Jon’s new film is
being shown at a festival in Lansing, Michigan, and Vince has come from
Oakland to see it. During the course of the pre-show Zack lived in the space watching to and rolling a joint.

Over the course of the evening, Vince finally gets Jon to admit that
ten years ago he date-raped Amy Randall (Megan Raitano), a girl whom they both dated in
high school—only then to reveal that he’s taped their entire
conversation. And not only that, he’s invited Amy to have dinner with
them that night.

Beneath its suspenseful, high-stakes surface, Tape examines questions of motive, memory, truth and perception.

Zack is very believable as a directionless youth with a short fuse. He becomes menacing when confronting his friend head on. Joey comes across as someone who can rationalize anything. He feels his films serve a greater purpose so it is surprising when his dark youth is unearthed. Megan’s role was an inspired surprise. Now a District Attorney she never seemed to be a victim. Instead she confronted and cornered both men with her wits and anger. No one stands on solid ground when she sparked to life. This was a stellar production that kept me guessing. I have to give credit to the set designer Sam DiGeorge. She creates incredible lived in and worn sets that suspend disbelief and immerse the audience in a very visceral world. It is amazing how she transformed the space.

The Show runs from March 3rd-March 19th

Theater on the Edge 5542 Hansel Avenue Orlando FL 32792

Tickets are $19 and $22

Remaining show dates.

March 4th 8 pm

March 5th 2pm

March 10th 8 pm

March 12th 2 pm

March 15th 7 pm (industry night)

March 18th 2 pm

March 18th 8 pm

March 19th 2 pm (closing night)

Seating is limited!

American Buffalo at Theater on Edge.

Posted on by Thor

I went to a dress rehearsal of American Buffalo at Theater on Edge, (5542 Hansel Avenue Orlando, FL 32809). The theater is very intimate with just two rows of seats. Monica Mulder, an actress who played Oberon in a recent production of Shakespeare’s, A Mid Summer’s Night Dream invited me to the rehearsal. She was seated in the audience having a quick fast food diner. I assumed she would be in the production. I was wrong however, she is also a photographer who took shots to promote the show. I had followed a young man into the theater. He spoke to Monica multiple times in a barely audible whisper. I finally had to ask Monica if he was “in character” and she laughed, saying he was. He had a tough role as Bobby in the production.

American Buffalo is a 1975 play by American playwright David Mamet. The stage set was amazing. It replicated the chaos of a junk shop. A tiny horse carousel trinket reminded are of the Glass Menagerie that I had sketched days before.   Donny, Allan Whitehead, who owns the junk shop where the entire play takes place, had sold a buffalo nickel to a customer for ninety dollars but now suspects it is worth considerably more. He and his young gofer, Bobby, Zack Roundy, planned to steal the coin back. Teach, Marco DiGeorge, a poker buddy of Don’s, arrived and learned of the scheme. He
persuaded Don that Bobby is too inexperienced and untrustworthy for the
burglary, and proposed himself as Bob’s replacement. Teach suggested they
steal the whole coin collection and more. Don insisted that their poker
buddy Fletcher join the heist to watch their backs. Teach insisted that Fletcher was not needed. 

From the moment Teach arrived in the shop in his brown leather suit and brown pants, along with his 70s style handlebar mustache, he was a a violently paranoid braggart, a raw nerve of twitching swirling energy. He was a stark laughable contrast to Donny and Bobby’s lazy meandering conversation about what to get for breakfast. These high-minded grifters fancied themselves
businessmen pursuing legitimate free enterprise. But the reality is
that they were merely pawns caught up in their own game of last-chance,
dead-end, empty pipe dreams. Their dream was based on false information which lead them to turn on each other. 

I was completely riveted. In one scene, Teach almost choked on his breakfast bacon. The director Pam Harbaugh, later said that this wasn’t method acting, she was concerned for his well being. She was also thrilled that the audience of media were laughing so much during the production. After so many rehearsals, it is rewarding to hear the reactions. Violence later the play was shockingly real. I was caught off guard. I loved the intimate staging that left a fine line separating the audience from the action. 

American Buffalo runs from November 3rd to November 20th. Seating is very limited, so be sure to order a ticket online.