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‘Faith Healer’ demanding; ‘Mouse’ a short, sweet treat
By: Russ Simmons, Theater critic
“Faith Healer” is the sort of play that actors love and audiences sometimes find hard to sit through. The original 1979 Broadway production starring the great James Mason ran for only 20 performances.
Dense, abstruse and gloomy in the extreme, this remarkable work by Irish playwright Brian Friel can sap viewers of their energy while providing actors with meaty roles of the highest order.
Under the sharp direction of Sidonie Garrett, three fine actors sink their teeth into Friel’s uncompromising look at the dark contradictions that haunt great artists and the toll taken on those close to them.
The play consists of four soliloquies. First we meet Frank Hardy (Mark Robbins), an itinerant faith healer who tours the British Isles in the 1950s. It appears as if he can sometimes heal the sick, but he never knows how or when this gift will work.
Frank’s estranged, chain-smoking wife (or mistress) Grace, played by Merle Moores, delivers the second discourse. We hear some of the same stories, but from a distinctly different perspective. Teddy (Bruch Roach), Frank’s gregarious agent chugs beer after beer while relating his differing views on the events Frank spoke of earlier. The truth, we learn, is elusive.
The actors are impeccable, ably demonstrating the calamitous co-dependence of their characters. Roach is particularly effective, making a smooth transition from lighthearted to dispirited as the alcohol kicks in.
“Faith Healer” demands close attention from its audience for the entire two hour and 40 minute run time or vital points will be missed. Those willing will be rewarded.
“Faith Healer” runs through May18 at the Unicorn Theatre, 3828 Main St., Kansas City, Mo. For information, call (816) 531-7529.
IF YOU GIVE A MOUSE A COOKIE
People who were toddlers when the book “If You Give a Mouse a Cookie” came out in the 1980s are now sharing the gentle tale with their own children.
The Theatre for Young America features Jody Davidson’s stage adaptation of Laura Joffe Numeroff’s popular story, directed by Valerie Mackey.
Mia Hedgpeth-Guerra plays the meddling mouse and Nick Padgett is the boy our furry subject takes advantage of. Once the boy gives in to the mouse’s request for a cookie, demands for milk, music, covers, and crayons are sure to follow.
The show’s oversized props and slapstick antics will distract the youngsters, and the genial cast keeps the story moving. The folks at TYA know that their youngest demographic has a short attention span, so the show clocks in at a tidy 35 minutes.
Adults who enjoyed the picture book can take a trip down memory lane while their children are introduced to the adventures of a famously greedy and frenetically messy rodent.
“If You Give a Mouse a Cookie” runs through May 17 at the H&R Block City Stage at Union Station, 30 Pershing Road, Kansas City, Mo. For information, call (816) 460-2083.
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Dense, abstruse and gloomy in the extreme, this remarkable work by Irish playwright Brian Friel can sap viewers of their energy while providing actors with meaty roles of the highest order.
Under the sharp direction of Sidonie Garrett, three fine actors sink their teeth into Friel’s uncompromising look at the dark contradictions that haunt great artists and the toll taken on those close to them.
The play consists of four soliloquies. First we meet Frank Hardy (Mark Robbins), an itinerant faith healer who tours the British Isles in the 1950s. It appears as if he can sometimes heal the sick, but he never knows how or when this gift will work.
Frank’s estranged, chain-smoking wife (or mistress) Grace, played by Merle Moores, delivers the second discourse. We hear some of the same stories, but from a distinctly different perspective. Teddy (Bruch Roach), Frank’s gregarious agent chugs beer after beer while relating his differing views on the events Frank spoke of earlier. The truth, we learn, is elusive.
The actors are impeccable, ably demonstrating the calamitous co-dependence of their characters. Roach is particularly effective, making a smooth transition from lighthearted to dispirited as the alcohol kicks in.
“Faith Healer” demands close attention from its audience for the entire two hour and 40 minute run time or vital points will be missed. Those willing will be rewarded.
“Faith Healer” runs through May18 at the Unicorn Theatre, 3828 Main St., Kansas City, Mo. For information, call (816) 531-7529.
IF YOU GIVE A MOUSE A COOKIE
People who were toddlers when the book “If You Give a Mouse a Cookie” came out in the 1980s are now sharing the gentle tale with their own children.
The Theatre for Young America features Jody Davidson’s stage adaptation of Laura Joffe Numeroff’s popular story, directed by Valerie Mackey.
Mia Hedgpeth-Guerra plays the meddling mouse and Nick Padgett is the boy our furry subject takes advantage of. Once the boy gives in to the mouse’s request for a cookie, demands for milk, music, covers, and crayons are sure to follow.
The show’s oversized props and slapstick antics will distract the youngsters, and the genial cast keeps the story moving. The folks at TYA know that their youngest demographic has a short attention span, so the show clocks in at a tidy 35 minutes.
Adults who enjoyed the picture book can take a trip down memory lane while their children are introduced to the adventures of a famously greedy and frenetically messy rodent.
“If You Give a Mouse a Cookie” runs through May 17 at the H&R Block City Stage at Union Station, 30 Pershing Road, Kansas City, Mo. For information, call (816) 460-2083.