THE LARAMIE PROJECT
Circle Players
416 Victoria Avenue, Piscataway
732-968-7555
proudly presents
THE LARAMIE PROJECT
by Moises Kaufman
Directed by
Jon Heron
Starring
GERRY APPEL ~ TRACEY FAMA ~ REBECCA HESS
ROBIN JOYCE ~ SCOTT KUTCHER ~ DAVID NEAL
MIKE ORAVEC ~ CATHERINE ROWE
September 10th* through October 2nd
(No perf 9/24-26)
Fri/Sat at 8pm -- $15
Sun at 3pm -- $12
Senior/Student $1 discount
*Champagne party following opening night -- Sept 10th
Tickets and info:
Call 732-968-7555
Reservations are strongly suggested.
For more info, visit us on the net at http://www.circleplayers.com/
posted by Catherine Rowe @ 9:10 AM
2 Comments:
Review of THE LARAMIE PROJECT posted at NJTheater.com by Voltaire Balderrama:
I don't know if people share the same sentiment, but I know i tend to get some sort of proprietorship with plays that I've done in the past. I don't think (w/ the obvious exception of Butterfly) I feel it more than in THE LARAMIE PROJECT.
So I come to support some dearest friends with much trepidation inspite of the fact that I know that there would be excellent performances.
I wasn't sure how such a show, with the gravity of its core, would play in the round, so close to the audience. And what I came to see was a rethought, unashamedly personal interpretation by director Jon Heron in which the type of stage offered bold, irreverent choices.
Catherine Rowe demonstrates that handling multiple characters does not require jarring bold gesticulating physicality. She achieves so by careful subtle shifts in voice, center of gravity and level of stillness. Her Marge Murray is worth the price of admission alone. Her scenes where she just ACTIVELY listens and comforts the other characters, especially that of Dennis Sheppard, the father of the deceased, was unnervingly compasionate, a much welcomed gesture that is inherent to this production.
Tracey Fama brings to forth her vulnerability, most notably in Reggie Flutty, the officer who found Matthew Sheppard. Her chemisty with Catherine is so tangible you cannot but help but empathize in the scene they played together. Her "no small parts" idiom so apparent as the pure white trash Debbie brazenly welcome the New Yorkers into their town.
Gerry Appel as the young bartender Matt Galloway is the type of surprise that throws you off your seat. His choice to downplay this character, playing against type is joy to behold. His Doc O Connor is almost patriarchal, a brilliant choice. His Dennis Sheppard is personal and raw and disarmingly effective.
I thought I'd cried enough for this show. But his performance got to me and brought me right back into that courtroom.
I am not sure about having him play the venomous Fred Phelps, only because his other characters were so adorably human in contrast to this vile misguided hierophant.
Scott Kuchner's choices in his characters are so crisp and clear that you almost get a paper cut from it. His Andrew Gomes is humorous and disturbingly witty. His Harry Woods is stripped and bare that when he does look at you and meet your eyes in the audience you can help but acknowledge him in agreement.
I'm used to seeing Robyn Joyce playing astutely comical characters in musicals and here she brings her esoteric tool belt to bring forth lesser known characters and makes them quite up front and unapolegetic. It's hard to watch her as the grandmother of one of the accused, chosing to portray her as someone who AGREES with the severity of this crime as committed by her own flesh and blood.
Michael Oravec appears quite young to me but he brings so much maturity into his characters. I never saw Jedediah Shultz as gay but was quite a refreshing choice.
Rebecca Hess performance as Aaron Kriefels, the boy who found Matthew Sheppard seemed to stop time as she describes the horror this boy went through seeing what he saw. As someone who has played characters of the opposite gender, it is a feat to pull it off cause the littlest of things would betray the illusion like stance and hand gestures.
As I have said in the beginning, this version of LARAMIE PROJECT was rethought and personal with some delectable directorial nuances. Now was the rethinking a disservice to the play? In my opinion it was quite welcomed, save for some overtly deliberate choices. But don't take my word for it. Come see it and judge for yourselves.
Final two performances, October 1 and 2, are sold out. Also, Romaine Patterson, the real-life political activist who figures as a character in THE LARAMIE PROJECT, will be attending on October 2 and giving a talk after the performance.
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