The two-person play, The One Good Thing or "Are Ya Patrick Swayze?", receiving its New England premiere at Seven Angels Theatre in Waterbury, is a melancholy and whimsical journey touching on family, grief, and the afterlife. The action takes place at a small cottage high above the Irish Sea. There, two brothers reflect on their lives, past, present, and future. There is angst, joy, and unforeseen revelations to their debates and introspections. A twist to the story is that the older brother, Jamie (Nick Roesler) is a ghost, a fact his younger sibling Tommy (John R. Howley) is slow to accept. With this premise, the stage is set for the duo’s sometimes humorous, often impassioned, and always devotional reflections.
Playwright Joseph Bravaco delves into the playfulness and intensity of brotherly love and disagreements. The issue with The One Good Thing or "Are Ya Patrick Swayze?", is its lack of real drama and tension. There are moments that engage, but they are few and far between. While introducing a spiritual component to the play ratchets up the interest, the intrigue it entails slowly wanes.
Nick Roesler and John R. Howley in The One Good Thing or "Are Ya Patrick Swayze?" Photo by Constantine Pappas.
Director Sasha
Brätt attempts to vary the action and interactions within the drama, but is
limited by the back-and-forth banter of the script, and Charles O’Connor’s
minimalist set – a quaint, compact kitchen connected to a spare yard, a
weathered wooden bench serving as its focal point.
The two actors are very good. Their rapport comes across as natural, both in the love and pain they show each other. Nick Roesler’s Jamie jousts, prods, and dotes like a caring, concerned older brother. John R. Howley is terrific as Tommy. He reveals a range of emotions leading up to a heartrending conclusion.
The One Good Thing or "Are Ya Patrick Swayze?", playing at Seven Angels Theatre in Waterbury. Click here for dates, times, and ticket information.
No comments:
Post a Comment