tissue bank temperature

The striking set is excellently designed by Nicholas Thornburg.  We see the corner of a recreation room of sorts, that has been nicely dressed to represent the musical interests of the characters, seniors in a retirement home for opera singers.  Lots of little touches make the setting seem realistic.  Jeff Brangan’s light design makes the porch beyond the room glow with natural seeming directional light that shows the passing of time.  Both lighting and sound have been well thought out and coordinate well together into a professional unit.

With the stage set in the corner, and a porch on the other side of a series of several upstage doors, I wish director Nancy Bloom had moved the cast around a little in the opening scene so that those sitting in a restricted view didn’t always lose one of the characters.  Instead, I had to lean over to hear Reginald, Cecily and Wilfred discuss their operatic careers and the nature of art itself. 

Vincent DeSanto plays Reginald, the “Dorothy” of the gentleman, while Jack W. Moore plays the unruly “Blanche”-like Wilfred Bond.  While the gentleman banter, Jane C. Dewberry listens to music as Cecily Robson, blissfully unaware of the conversation.  Cecily is the “Rose” of the bunch, clueless, spacey, but absolutely adorable.  I found her eccentricities hysterical, and her energetic character fun to watch. 

DeSanto works hard to portray the British stoicism of Reggie, but is trying so hard to “act” that his accent slips frequently.  DeSanto has good instincts and timing, but I was so often distracted by his accent that couldn’t fully enjoy several moments.  Words like "marmalade" would be delivered in back to back sentences in different ways over and over.  Marma-lay-d would turn into Marma – lah-d the next.  When poor Reggie gets excited over a Marmalade Nazi stiffing him his share, he loses his laughs as we focus in on his inconsistency.  A shame, as his earnestness is quite nice. 

Moore, on the other hand, has no accent at all.  I was trying to figure out if he was an American transplant to England, or not.  From his use of British vocabulary though, it would seem he is a native as well.  Dialects are tricky, and I wonder why Bloom chose for only some of her cast to employ them.  I’d rather have had them without, even leaving in the regional slang, than have to adjust back and forth.  Moore is quite funny as Wilfred, the amorous senior out to enjoy every bit of his last few years.  He works well with DeSanto, and I think even more could have been made of the chumminess between the two men. 

The trio is working on their act, a revival of their most famous scene from Verdi when they discover the new resident is Reggie’s ex-wife, the fourth of the famous quartet.  Jean Horton is the Opera Diva, before the word was shanghai’d by the pop industry for any woman with a strong personality.  Now past her prime and talent, this former star must cope with sudden poverty and only the memory of her former glory.  The four singers must decide do they, and more importantly can they, repeat the performance that was the highlight of their careers.  A nice discussion ensues about the difference between who we become and who we were. 

What type of mark does one want to leave behind?

Shirley Becker portrays the barbed Jean.  Though at times there are some issues with cue pick ups, Becker’s intentions are correct, and it is quite easy to see her character as the grande dame she once was. 

Jennifer Monument has done an absolutely wonderful job with the costume and make-up design for this show.  Not only are there the regular costumes, but the “show” costumes as well.  Some of these involve quick changes, and characters on stage in various states of undress.  Monument shows a keen and sensitive eye to the needs and physical ability of her cast.  Every purse, t-shirt, flip-flop, cape, and bit of jewelry is perfectly chosen for color and status of the character.  While costumes changed between scenes, Jean’s makeup stayed the same, and still matched her outfits.