The Commons of Pensacola
Written by Amanda Peet
Directed by Robin Witt
North Shore Center for the Arts, Skokie (map)
thru Oct 19 | tickets: $25-$78 | more info
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Veteran cast can’t save this clumsy, unfocused script
Northlight Theatre presents
The Commons of Pensacola
Review by John Olson
Yes, the playwright is that Amanda Peet: the movie actress who played Diane Keaton’s younger rival for the affections of Jack Nicholson in “Something’s Gotta Give”. She was inspired to write this play, her first apparently, after seeing Ruth Madoff, the wife of convicted Ponzi schemer Bernie Madoff, on “60 Minutes”. It was a good inspiration – to explore the aftermath of such heinous crimes on the family of the criminal. Were they somehow complicit, even if only tacitly? And, whether they were guilty to some extent or not, how do they deal with the court of public opinion and ensuing shunning? And the loss of financial security as well as the companionship of a family member? Sadly, Ms. Peet’s 80-minute play does little to explore these themes, though it does tee them up. Instead, she packs in a bunch of characters with a bunch of conflicts that have nothing to do with her main topic and have been done better in other plays and screenplays.
Becca and Gabe plan to film a TV documentary on the family, in the hopes of gaining some public sympathy. There’s also a thread later in the play in which Judith is found to have a secret stash of cash, illegally undisclosed to the Feds who monitor her every move. Little is made of these plot strands, though. Instead, we’re given scenes of conflict between Judith and Gabe, Becca and Gabe, Becca and Lizzy, Lizzy and Judith – and the lead-up to a sexual encounter between Lizzy and Gabe. Only the no-nonsense but empathetic Caribbean-accented nurse Lorena (Lily Mojekwu) escapes these harsh exchanges. The other sister, Ali, is a particularly ridiculous role – arriving late in the play, frantic and angry and peak volume – playing at peak emotional levels when we barely know who she is.
The early expository scenes are so clumsily written we’re tempted to give the actors and director Robin Witt a pass on the inorganic feel of these moments.. Even with Peet’s weak script, though, Strus and Hellman are particularly flat. Strus gets to emote later in the play and begins to generate some empathy for her character, but by then one has long since lost interest in her Becca. Ms. Kimbrough, though, does a fine job with what she’s given. Presumably the central character, though she’s onstage no more than half of the play’s 80 minutes, Kimbrough still suggests a specific and nuanced character. Her Judith seems tough enough on the outside – trying to be s survivor in spite of having lost her status, standard of living and her husband of 50 years even as she battles aging and declining health while living far away from her remaining family members. Judith maintains a sense of humor and stiff upper lip, but Kimbrough’s performance suggests Judith’s pain underneath. The other element that rings true is Jeffrey D. Kmiec’s set – simply but realistically depicting a modest beachfront condo.
Judith gets the last words in the play and they suggest how good a play might have been written – and still someday may – on this subject. Somehow Ms. Peet or people around her lacked the confidence in that inspiration and lost their way.
Rating: ★★
The Commons of Pensacola continues through October 19th at North Shore Center for the Performing Arts, 9501 Skokie Blvd., Skokie (map), with performances Wednesdays 1pm and 7:30pm, Thursdays 7:30pm, Fridays 8pm, Saturdays 2:30pm and 8pm, Sundays 2:30pm and 7pm. Tickets are $25-$78, and are available by phone (773-673-6300) or at NorthShoreCenter.org (check for half-price tickets at Goldstar.com). More information at Northlight.org. (Running time: 80 minutes, no intermission)
Photos by Michael Brosilow
artists
cast
Linda Kimbrough (Judith), Lusia Strus (Becca), Lily Mojekwu (Lorena), Erik Hellman (Gabe), Leah Karpel (Lizzy), Lori Myers (Ali), Diana Coates, Benjamin Cormalleth, Heidi Katz, Carol Ludwick, Becca Savoy (understudies)
behind the scenes
Robin Witt (director), Jeffrey D. Kmiec (scenic design), Sarah Hughey (lighting design), Nick Keenan (sound design), Rita Vreeland (production stage manager), Emily McConnell (costume design), Kara Foster (asst. director), Christopher Neville (props master), Kelli Kovach (production assistant), Shannon Higgins (costume supervisor), Kristin Leahey (dramaturg), Sean Douglass (asst. dramaturg), Christina Gorman (fight consultant), Michael Brosilow (photos)
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