Justice well served
Six Degrees of Separation
Written by John Guare
Directed by Tom Wojtunik
Gallery Players,
(http://www.galleryplayers.com)
Equity Showcase (closed
Review by Michael D. Jackson
John Guare’s
gem of a play, Six Degrees of Separation,
was beautifully revived in a very entertaining production directed by Tom Wojtunik for the forty-year-old Gallery Players in
Guare’s script is full of good humor, intrigue, the popping
of over a dozen colorful characters, sleekly drawn and pointed. It is, in fact, a modern Pygmalion with
contemporary ramifications. The plot unravels like a mystery, telling of a
strange evening when Sidney Poitier’s son, Paul (Richard Prioleau),
visits
Paul was masterfully
portrayed by Prioleau, making it easy to understand
how so many could fall under his spell. Heidinger and Hattan were equal
to their roles and made the leading narrators of the tale both comic and
sympathetic. The fine supporting cast
included Richard Vernon, Joe Moretti, Jamee Vance, Kevin Kelleher, Justin Herfel, Kelly
Scanlon, Jonathan Gregg, Tommy Buck, Robert Schorr, Ben Schnickel, Musto Pelinkovicci, Craig Jessup, Ben Roberts
and Jacqueline van Biene.
Tim McMath’s sparse black box set allowed for the many locations
to be depicted simply and Wojtunik’s direction moved
freely over the palette. David Withrow’s costumes lived up to the
script’s demands while defining character––a key ingredient in a play with many
characters appearing for short instances.
Travis I. Walker designed the
lights with simplicity, but with occasional flourishes. Todd
Hendricks complemented the atmosphere with his sound and original music.
The Gallery Players can be
proud of their season opener and it is a testament to their forty years of
producing theatre classics.
Writing: 2
Directing: 2
Acting: 2
Sets: 2
Costumes: 2
Lighting/Sound: 2
Copyright 2007 by Michael D.
Jackson
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