CurtainUp
The Internet Theater Magazine of Reviews, Features,
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CurtainUp The Internet Theater Magazine of Reviews, Features,
Annotated Listings |
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A CurtainUp NJ Review
Wild Horses
What Barabas has done is integrate something that is not an inherent part of the text. She has created a very clever and even strangely compelling prologue that sets the stage, promises much, but then sadly doesn't deliver. The play takes place in 1996 and is set in a venue of the director's choice (the playwright describes it as having previously been a Tastee Freeze). Barabas sets it in a bar (well realized by designer Jessica Parks) anywhere in U.S.A. It's karaoke night. At this bar ten locals mingle and take turns singing a familiar ballad or popular tune. They chatter amongst themselves and order drinks from the affable bartender (Jim Benner). Although they have no participation in the text itself — a monologue that lasts about one hour. We know that something is afoot when at long last a woman (Estelle Bajou) gets up on the small platform and takes hold of the mike and doesn't sing but begins to speak. So begins the woman's memory of herself as a rebellious thirteen year old and her misadventures with a pair of girl friends as they ran loose, drove around their seedy neighborhood, visited boys stole liquor from a parent's bar, ran around looking for pot, and talked about sex and their abusive and cheating mothers and fathers. Our story-teller seems particularly concerned about her fourteen year-old sister who is having an affair with a married man who lives across the street, but also about some corralled horses that she and her friends have discovered are being mistreated. The recollection includes her sexual awakening and how growing up isn't easy. Really? Credit to Ms. Bajou for the daunting task to not only play herself and also take on the voice and posture of the many male and female characters she vividly recalls. I could be snide and say that this woman knows how to clear a room, but that is exactly what happens slowly as the assembled leave one by one. She then directs her story to us. Her story is fraught with the shenanigans pulled by countless teens but not fraught with a compelling thread to really engage. The question of her survival or of overcoming adversity never seems to be in question. So why does it matter? Back to my wondering. What would her story have been like if the director had allowed the young people in the bar to become integrated into the narrative with touches of magical realism. But that would take collaboration with the playwright. I can't help but think of the beautifully sung solos and the characters that were created with an understanding of the songs they chose to sing in the charming prologue. But these go nowhere. However, kudos to local performers (Alli Angelou, Debbie Bernstein, Jessica Freeland, Danielle Grosso, Velda Harris, Carl Hoffman, A.J.Melnick, Chris Price, Amelia Vitale, and Heather Welsh) for their, nevertheless, engaging renditions. Audiences will have no difficulty seeing wild horses in peril as a metaphor for reckless girls at play. That, however, isn't enough to corral any real concerns from us for that girl who did grow up to be that woman with the mike. |
Search CurtainUp in the box below PRODUCTION NOTES Wild Horses by Allison Gregory Directed by SuzAnne Barabas Cast: Estelle Bajou (Woman), James Benner (bartender), Alli Angelou, Debbie Bernstein, Jessica Freeland, Danielle Grosso, Velda Harris, Carl Hoffman, A.J.Melnick, Chris Price, Amelia Vitale, Heather Welsh (patrons at the bar) Scenic Design: Jessica Parks Lighting Design: Jill Nagle Sound Design: Merek Royce Press Costume Design: Patricia E. Doherty Stage Manager: Kristin Pfeifer Running Time: 90 minutes no intermission New Jersey Repertory Company, 179 Broadway, Long Branch, N.J. (732) 229-3166 Performances: Thursday, Friday, Saturday at 8 pm; Matinees Saturday at 3 pm, Sunday at 2 pm. From 02/22/18 Opened 02/24/18 Ends 03/25/18 Review by Simon Saltzman based on performance 02/25/18 NJ CONNECTIONS NJ Theaters NJ Theatre Alliance Discount Tix Information REVIEW FEEDBACK Highlight one of the responses below and click "copy" or"CTRL+C"
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