Sons of the Prophet
Written by Stephen Karam
Directed by PJ Paparelli
American Theater Company, 1909 W. Byron (map)
thru March 9 | tickets: $35-$40 | more info
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Gripping, fervent romp tries to tackle too much
American Theater Company presents
Sons of the Prophet
Review by Keith Glab
The third Stephen Karam play produced by American Theater Company over the past year, Sons of the Prophet depicts a Lebanese-American family living in rural Pennsylvania and enduring an improbable number of tragic events. Twenty-nine-year-old Joe Douaihy (Tyler Ravelson) lost his mother at a young age, then his dad dies as a result of a high school prank/dare. The responsible youth, Vinny (Tony Santiago), is allowed the opportunity to finish the football season prior to serving his punishment.
Under PJ Paparelli’s fervent direction, this loaded play clocks in at only 90 minutes. Snappy dialog often overlaps and major set changes take place in the blink of an eye. Yet much like Karam’s Speech & Debate, which ATC produced last summer, too many issues germinate and not enough find resolution.
Sometimes the lightning pace prevents the audience from really absorbing what’s going on. This has the benefit of distracting from several plot and behavioral points that don’t ring true. Even if you believe that a small town judge would take high school football into account in their ruling, you’ll have a hard time buying the scene in which the victim’s family invites the perpetrator into their home. The relentless series of tragedies suffered by the Douaihys is a bit hard to accept, but necessary in order to explain how the typically level-headed Joseph could make a couple of really poor, impulsive decisions at the play’s climax. Throughout the play, Joe himself remarks on how improbable it is that both he and his brother are gay, but in Karam’s world, anyone under 40 in the town of Nazareth is homosexual, so it’s really not so strange at all.
Counter-intuitively, the one character in the play who isn’t either gay or homophobic – the two character types that Karam seems to be the most comfortable writing about – comes off as the most interesting and authentic. West’s Gloria is both hilariously believable and chillingly sinister, as the Manhattan transplant pries into Joseph’s life while forgetting all of the details of her nosiness.
Billed as a tragic comedy, Sons of the Prophet attempts to tackle issues of loss, familial responsibility, health care, religion, and more in a whirlwind 90 minutes. In trying to do too much too quickly, the production doesn’t quite succeed on the dramatic level, particularly with an unsatisfying dénouement that comes out of left field. But Paparelli’s pacing, William Boles’ ingenious set design, and a comedically gifted cast conspire to realize Karam’s witty script and fun characters in a thoroughly entertaining way.
Rating: ★★½
Sons of the Prophet continues through March 9th at American Theater Company, 1909 W. Byron (map), with performances Thursdays and Fridays at 8pm, Saturdays at 2pm and 8pm, Sundays 2pm. Tickets are $35-$40, and are available by phone (773-409-4125) or online through PrintTixUSA.com (check for half-price tickets at Goldstar.com). More information at ATCweb.org. (Running time: 90 minutes, no intermission)
Photos by Michael Brosilow
artists
cast
Tyler Ravelson (Joseph), Natalie West (Gloria), Will Zahrn (Bill), Greg Matthew Anderson (Timothy), Marilynn Bogetich (Mrs. McAndrews), Michael Weingand (Charles), Carin Silkitis (Dr. Manor).
behind the scenes
PJ Paparelli (director), William Boles (set design), Jesse Klug (lighting), Rick Sims (sound design), Dominique Rhea Glaros (costumes), Liz Tanner (props), Katrina Herrmann (stage manager), Michael Brosilow (photos)
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