2008 Woodie Awards
Nomadic Theatre bashes critics
Katie Andriulli and Brendan Faughnan
Issue date: 1/29/03 Section: Arts and Entertainment
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by Katie Andriulli and Brendan Faughnan
Entering Bulldog Alley last night to view a dress rehearsal of the new Nomadic Theater production bash, we wondered if we'd accidentally lost our way in the depths of the Leavey Center and entered into some Cro-Magnon cave-world ... not that that's a bad thing. The stage is small, and the backdrop, a realistic cave-like wall, threw us off at first. As the first act progressed, however, it became clear just how well the backdrop fit the production: the characters are much like the cold, glistening façade they work in front of, captivating, yet also slightly menacing and surreal. The production is divided into three separate acts, approximately forty minutes each, and is connected (at first glance) by seemingly unrelated characters and themes. Yet, by the end of the third act, all the pieces fit together in a way that is startlingly true if not wholly comfortable.
The first act of bash, "A Gaggle of Saints," is a challenging juxtaposition of monologues between a college student, John (Marty LaFalce, COL '03) and his girlfriend Sue (Anne Popolizio, COL '05). We say juxtaposition because, while they occupy the same stage, they never directly address each other. Rather, their stories overlap as they are told to anonymous listeners. Their descriptions of their life together begin innocently enough, and we were not sure what to make of LaBute's words when they ventured into high school love affair territory.
Although those particular parts were a tad too "Saved by the Bell" for our taste, LaBute quickly turns sentimentality on its head as the story takes a startling turn away from the theme of young love to a brutal depiction of the extremes of homophobia. The synchronicity of John and Sue's stories diverges into two different accounts of the evening's events, creating a chasm between them that only the audience can fully appreciate. LaFalce gives a strong, energetic performance, mostly pitch perfect as he varies between tender, border-line sappy prose and a harrowing description of a bathroom beating of a gay man in Central Park. Popolizio's character, on the other hand, has little more to offer the audience than a naïve view of human nature. Although her character is less-than-loveable in a Kimmy Gibbler sort of way, Popolizio is clearly a capable actress whose facial expressions often say more than enough to elucidate Sue's happy-go-lucky simple-mindedness.
Entering Bulldog Alley last night to view a dress rehearsal of the new Nomadic Theater production bash, we wondered if we'd accidentally lost our way in the depths of the Leavey Center and entered into some Cro-Magnon cave-world ... not that that's a bad thing. The stage is small, and the backdrop, a realistic cave-like wall, threw us off at first. As the first act progressed, however, it became clear just how well the backdrop fit the production: the characters are much like the cold, glistening façade they work in front of, captivating, yet also slightly menacing and surreal. The production is divided into three separate acts, approximately forty minutes each, and is connected (at first glance) by seemingly unrelated characters and themes. Yet, by the end of the third act, all the pieces fit together in a way that is startlingly true if not wholly comfortable.
The first act of bash, "A Gaggle of Saints," is a challenging juxtaposition of monologues between a college student, John (Marty LaFalce, COL '03) and his girlfriend Sue (Anne Popolizio, COL '05). We say juxtaposition because, while they occupy the same stage, they never directly address each other. Rather, their stories overlap as they are told to anonymous listeners. Their descriptions of their life together begin innocently enough, and we were not sure what to make of LaBute's words when they ventured into high school love affair territory.
Although those particular parts were a tad too "Saved by the Bell" for our taste, LaBute quickly turns sentimentality on its head as the story takes a startling turn away from the theme of young love to a brutal depiction of the extremes of homophobia. The synchronicity of John and Sue's stories diverges into two different accounts of the evening's events, creating a chasm between them that only the audience can fully appreciate. LaFalce gives a strong, energetic performance, mostly pitch perfect as he varies between tender, border-line sappy prose and a harrowing description of a bathroom beating of a gay man in Central Park. Popolizio's character, on the other hand, has little more to offer the audience than a naïve view of human nature. Although her character is less-than-loveable in a Kimmy Gibbler sort of way, Popolizio is clearly a capable actress whose facial expressions often say more than enough to elucidate Sue's happy-go-lucky simple-mindedness.