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The forged surrounding Mary speaks within the elevated tone of melodrama: Tony Macht vivid and keen as Abe’s assistant, Simon; Bianca Leigh draggy and affectedly prim as Mary’s chaperone, Louise. Conrad Ricamora, as Abe, and James Scully, as Mary’s performing instructor, couldn’t be farther from their performances within the film “Hearth Island.” Gone is Ricamora’s Mr. Darcy-like reserve and Scully’s bland kindness, changed by comically feverish depth and keenness.
It’s all extremely stylized, and it’s all actual theater. “Oh, Mary!” may have been a single sketch, or a succession of them, however as a substitute it’s a clearly plotted comedy-turned-drama-turned … really, let’s not spoil the climax aside from to say there are gasp-worthy twists.
The scenic design, by the collective Dots, has the tacky naturalism of neighborhood theater till it’s stripped practically naked for a finale by means of “Chicago” by means of “Gypsy” by means of, nicely, Cole Escola. Sam Pinkleton’s route is breathlessly athletic, by no means letting the script sag because the actors leap throughout the stage and over furnishings; the presidential desk alone will get fairly the exercise.
Pay shut consideration to the theater’s foyer, which has been embellished with a pretend retrospective of Martha Swope-like pictures: of Escola as a Cassie on crutches in “A Refrain Line,” because the star of a John Doyle “Dying of a Salesman,” as a mane-haired Deirdre O’Connell in “Dana H.”
Not solely humorous, these quantity to Escola’s act of planting a flag in queer theater, after years of wickedly dancing on its periphery. And thank God, in a second of a lot comedy and theater that aspires to relevance, Escola follows the instance of “Dicks: The Musical” and “Spamalot” in going for one thing extra timeless: stupidity.
Oh, Mary!By way of Might 5 on the Lucille Lortel Theater, Manhattan; ohmaryplay.com. Operating time: 1 hour 20 minutes.
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