by
Tony Annicone
Little Rhody Entertainment Writer
The second show of
Community Players 85th season is Neil Simon's "The
Prisoner of Second Avenue". This dark comedy tells the
story of Mel, a New York-based advertising executive,
whose life takes a dramatic turn when he loses his job.
As he attempts to cope with his new unemployment status,
he becomes particularly depressed over the fact that he
must now subsist on the income of his wife, Edna, who,
out of necessity, has taken a job. When his apartment is
burglarized and his psychiatrist dies with $23,000 of
his money, Mel has a nervous breakdown. As the couple
recovers together, the audience witnesses their
resilience, and determination to survive. Although
having a nervous breakdown is a serious matter, Neil
Simon reminds us that even in the face of desperation
and despair, there can be laughter.
Director Peggy Pires
chooses the best cast for this show, blocking it
perfectly by utilizing the whole stage and keeping the
pace flowing throughout the show. She also designed the
plush NY apartment set which was constructed by Victor
Turenne and his crew.
Richard Wilbur
plays Mel, who at first is a constant complainer and
then shows his gradual descent into the nervous
breakdown scene. Some of Mel's crazy antics
include banging on the wall to quiet two German
stewardesses in a neighboring apartment and yelling
and swearing from his balcony at the garbage in the
street and an upstairs neighbor. His manic scene where
he rants and raves into utter dejection and
despair is handled very well. The humor and pathos of
these scenes shows how Mel's world has caved in around
him and how he becomes a prisoner in his own home. Two
hilarious moments occur when Mel has water thrown in his
face. His revenge on the culprit comes during the final
tableau when he vows to bury him under a pile of snow
and he and Edna strike the American Gothic pose with a
shovel in his hand.
Cathy Fox is fantastic as Edna,
showing the many layers of this character. She goes from
sympathetic listener to hysterical robbery victim to
breadwinner of the family to take charge person handling
the finances to small nervous breakdown victim. Cathy
handles all these transitions playing the role on many
different levels, winning much laughter along the way.
She is adept at both comedy and drama, doing an
outstanding job in this role, too.
Lee Hakeem plays Mel's older Jewish brother, Harry,
adding the lightness and comic touches needed in the
second act. He brings many laughs to the audience
whether he is arguing with his tightwad sisters or
trying to force Mel to take money to open a summer
sports camp. The scenes with his sisters are filled with
Neil Simon's humorous banter. The three sisters are
played by Mary Paolino as Pauline, (with an excellent
New York accent) the cheapskate who doesn't want to give
Mel the money, Nancy-Lee Devane as Jessie, the one who
comically cries constantly (Nancy is also a superb
dramatic actress, having seen her play Regina in "The
Little Foxes" and Patricia Cousineau as Pearl, the one
who remembers things mistakenly from Mel's childhood. So
for a comic look at a serious subject, be sure to catch
"The Prisoner of Second Avenue".
THE PRISONER OF SECOND AVENUE ( 20 - 29 January,
2006)
Community Players, Jenks Junior High Auditorium,
Division Street, Pawtucket, RI
|
