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The current show at Newport
Playhouse is "Squabbles" which is set in an apartment in
Stamford, CT. It pits a father-in-law against a mother
in a succession of squabbles. Jerry Sloan is a
successful writer of advertising jingles who is married
to Alice, an equally successful lawyer. Living with the
happy couple is the not-so-happy Abe Dreyfus, Jerry's
curmudgeon of a father-in-law. The situation is
exacerbated when Jerry's mother Mildred looses her house
in a fire and needs a place to stay. Abe and Mildred
can't stand each other but after a series of
confrontations with each other they finally discover
that the other old person isn't as bad as they thought.
Throw in a constantly peeing Puerto Rican gardener, a
card playing pal of Jerry's and the couple's German
gestapo like nanny and you have the ingredients for this
comic play directed by Morgan ban Droi and stage managed
by Danielle Storer.
Rob Reimer plays the 73 year old
curmudgeon who constantly complains and answers the
phone with the call letters of a country western radio
station. His wife has recently died, he suffered a heart
attack and lives with his daughter and his husband.
Things get worse when Mildred, his daughter's
mother-in-law moves into the apartment with them after a
fire burns her house to the ground. Sandra Nicastro
tackles the role with gusto. She plays a cleaning
fanatic who tries to take over the household and drive
Abe out with their constant bickering. Their best scene
takes place during a blackout during a winter storm when
they finally connect together in more ways than one. The
younger couple is played by Jason Heywood who has been
at the Playhouse for the past 15 years and Rene Russo.
Their exasperation at dealing with their bickering
parents is very funny and they handle their roles with
ease, playing well across from each other. The
constantly peeing PR is played by Nishan Lawton who
builds a hobby horse for the baby by following
directions he has found in a magazine in their bathroom.
Jim Kilavey plays Abe's card playing chum, Mr. Wasserman
while Michelle Donovan nearly steals the show with her
German nanny who shouts staccato orders at anyone trying
to touch the baby. So for a fun evening out, be sure to
catch "Squabbles" in Newport till May 7.
SQUABBLES ( 10 March - 7 May,
2006)
Newport Playhouse, 102 Connell Highway, Newport, RI 1
(401) 848-PLAY (7529) or
www.newportplayhouse.com
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