This is a comedy in so many ways, and Radcliffe in particular is up to the task with Cannavale not far behind. In addition there are a few intimate scenes that let us in on the closets these characters keep stocked with secrets and intrigue. These could be caricatures, but the authors avoid that trap. The veneers are peeled away until these three are left with only belief and the willingness to defend theirs.
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Jez Butterworth knits characters into characters, then into stories, then into worlds that are larger than the stage that holds them. What you don’t realize, sitting there for 3 hours and 15 minutes that fly by, is that this knitting has trickled into every element of “The Ferryman”. The story has woven you into its web without your knowing it.
The result is that, when this play over, you wish it were not. The Mighty Carney Family has become your own. How can you ever say goodbye?
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As the title suggests, Mother of the Maid at the Public Theater, is a story of Isabelle Arc who is the mother of – well YOU know. St. Joan. This story is both narrated and experienced by Isabelle (Glenn Close). She appeals to the adult in all of us: how to make a living, feed yourself and your family, keep yourself connected to spirit, and protect those who are younger than you from making mistakes that might ruin them. Nothing new in that.
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I first saw Rita Wilson a year ago at the Café Carlyle and was immediately enchanted. Wilson is the real deal. She is talented and generous, exuberant ant thoughtful, hopeful and pragmatic. With her recent show at the Café Carlyle, Rita Wilson: Liner Notes, she is extending her reach to bring other artists into our spheres of reference. It is not enough for Wilson to stand in the spotlight. She wants to spread the wealth.
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Early on in Sakina’s Restaurant, Aasif Mandvi – both author and sole actor – is a narrator, Azgi, who a recent arrival to America from India. Soon after he gets here he tells us, I have found that in America, if you just smile and nod your head, and say “yes, yes, yes, you are absolutely right” people love you! This is pretty much how this play is structured. There is a lot of yes, yes, yes as we empathize with these characters’ journeys. There is not, however, some specific element that ties them all together, other than their heritage.
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