SITE GUIDE
REVIEWS
REVIEW ARCHIVES
ADVERTISING AT CURTAINUP
FEATURES
NEWS
Etcetera and
Short Term Listings
LISTINGS
Broadway
Off-Broadway
NYC Restaurants
BOOKS and CDs
OTHER PLACES
Berkshires
London
California
New Jersey
DC
Philadelphia
Elsewhere
QUOTES
On TKTS
PLAYWRIGHTS' ALBUMS
LETTERS TO EDITOR
FILM
LINKS
MISCELLANEOUS
Free Updates
Masthead
Writing for Us
A CurtainUp New Jersey Review
Jericho
|
"You know, there are times, if I'm honest about it, I think my husband being killed is the least of my problems."— Beth
|
Jim Shankman, Kathleen Goldpaugh, and Carol Todd
(Photo: Jill Nagle) |
My enthusiasm for Jericho stems from the clever, pro-active and impassioned way that the play's four main characters seek to address their problems, mainly in dealing with their psychological and emotional blocks and traumas stemming from 9/11. Although it is 2005, Beth (Corey Tazmania) is still having a hard time dealing with the death of her husband Alec, who was unable to escape from one of the burning towers. She is so emotionally distraught and haunted by his memory that she isn't able to physically consummate her several months-long relationship with the very patient and understanding Ethan (Andrew Rein).
Ethan would like to bring Beth to his home in Jericho, Long Island where his widowed mother Rachel (Kathleen Goldpaugh) lives and traditionally anticipates a reunion at Thanksgiving time with her boys Ethan and his brother Josh (Jim Shankman) and his wife Jessica (Carol Todd). Beth feels she isn't ready to be introduced as Ethan's girl friend and is hesitant about joining the family gathering. We begin to understand the extent of her hesitancy as well as a deep-seated guilt in relation to her marriage in scenes with her therapist Dr. Kim (Matthew Stephen Huffman), in reality a 43 year-old Korean woman, but whom she (and we) can only see as Alec.
Taut and engrossing, Jericho mainly revolves around Beth, who, as the central character and the catalyst for the familial dramatics, finds a surprisingly circuitous way to move forward. Beth may be trying, but she has not been successful in letting go of Alec.
The same can not be said for Jessica, who has completely given up on the self-absorbed Josh, and on any hope that their strained relationship/marriage is salvageable. Josh is not only consumed by guilt stemming from the way he survived 9/11, but has channeled his feelings into an increasingly fundamentalist approach to Judaism. Without regard for Jessica's feelings, he has completely reconsidered his mission in life after a trip to Israel where he now plans to move.
At first unawares of the unstableness of Josh and Jessica's marriage or that Beth is not ready to make a commitment to Ethan, Rachel proceeds to play the part of the welcoming Jewish mother. It only takes a few revelations like Beth announcing that she would like to visit Israel, by dropping a curve that adds another dimension to the familial fireworks.
It's difficult, perhaps impossible for a play to have a Jewish mother who doesn't conform to the stereotype. Praise to Canfora who has made Rachel a very sensible and rational character, one with whom Goldpaugh, seems to be completely at home. Tazmania is terrific as the hallucinating, emotionally tentative Beth. Ethan doesn't have the over emotional baggage to carry yet Rein's performance offers a good look at someone caught in the crossfire.
Todd meets the challenge of being both credible in her unhappiness and heart-breaking in her rage. She makes it easy for us to see how the once sturdy walls of her life, like those of Jericho in the Bible story, are crumbling in the wake of Josh's irrational and irresponsible actions. The uncompromising intensity of Shankman's performance, as Josh, is a bit unnerving, but it also serves the play. The metaphoric mountain-of-rubble setting by Jessica Park suggests the aftermath of destruction.
Although Jericho, under the splendid direction of Evan Bergman, is often a very moving and compelling play, it could stand a little judicious pruning throughout, especially at the end with Beth's extended and much too florid aside in a reverie in which she allows Alec to finally say "goodbye. We would know everything we need to know, if she were just allowed to say a final and perfect "Shalom."
|
Jericho By Jack Canfora Directed by Evan Bergman Cast: Corey Tazmania (Beth), Matthew Stephen Huffman (Dr. Kim/Alec), Andrew Rein (Ethan), Jim Shankman (Josh), Carol Todd (Jessica), Kathleen Goldpaugh (Rachel). Scenic Design: Jessica Parks Lighting Design: Jill Nagle Costume Design: Patricia E. Doherty Sound Design: John O'Brien Running Time: 2 hours including intermission New Jersey Repertory Company, 179 Broadway, Long Branch, NJ (732) 229 - 3166 Tickets ($40; Seniors $36; Students $25 Performances: Thursdays, Fridays 8 PM; Saturdays 3 PM & 8 PM; Sundays 2 PM From: 10/13/11 Opening 10/15/11 Closing 11/13/11 Review by Simon Saltzman based on performance 10/15/11 |
|
Subscribe to our FREE email updates with a note from editor Elyse Sommer about additions to the website -- with main page hot links to the latest features posted at our numerous locations. To subscribe,
E-mail: esommer@curtainup.comesommer@curtainup.com
put SUBSCRIBE CURTAINUP EMAIL UPDATE in the subject line and your full name and email address in the body of the message -- if you can spare a minute, tell us how you came to CurtainUp and from what part of the country. Visit Curtainup's Blog Annex For a feed to reviews and features as they are posted add http://curtainupnewlinks.blogspot.com to your reader Curtainup at Facebook . . . Curtainup at Twitter |
|
REVIEW FEEDBACK Highlight one of the responses below and click "copy" or"CTRL+C"
Paste the highlighted text into the subject line (CTRL+ V): >Feel free to add detailed comments in the body of the email and state if you'd like your comments published in our letters section. . .also the names and emails of any friends to whom you'd like us to forward a copy of this review. You can also contact us at Curtainup at Facebook or Curtainup at Twitter |
Book of Mormon -CDOur review of the show  Slings & Arrows-the complete set You don't have to be a Shakespeare aficionado to love all 21 episodes of this hilarious and moving Canadian TV series about a fictional Shakespeare Company 
|
Information from this site may not be reproduced in print or online without specific permission from esommer@curtainup.com