NORTH BENNINGTON – Nothing lasts forever. However when there is genius in our midst, we must – as society, community, and individuals – embrace it as long as we can.
This is where I am with Living Room Theatre, the tiny but powerful Brooklyn and North Bennington based professional acting company which has wowed small batch Vermont summer audiences since 2012.
And so, it was with great anticipation that I sat poolside at the opener of this year’s world premiere of “Get It Right,” written and directed by LRT co-founder and artistic director Randolyn Zinn. The show opened July 24 and will conclude its run on Aug 4.
The play is staged in the inactive Park-McCullough Historic Mansion estate swimming pool, about as creative and quirky – but also functional – a venue anywhere. The pool area is a repurposed “theater-in-the-round,” meaning the audience is situated on all sides of the stage.
“Get it Right,” is a lovely meditation on lifelong dreams, big breaks, and holding the line on one’s core values. Ivy Foster (Valeri Mudek), a New York playwright, is called to Hollywood to interview as script doctor for an action film. She meets the garrulous producers, Phil (Rick Howe) and Larry (Allen McCullough), and the obnoxious rookie director, Sam (Matt Dallal), and eventually, the movie star, Billy Mason (George Olesky). Along the way, Ivy’s actor friend Chloe (Elizabeth Kenney), gums up matters with a big break of her own, as does Ivy’s ailing mother (Janice Young).
Living the starving artist life, and with her own play about to premiere back in Brooklyn, Ivy has been handed a lucrative opportunity. But while making it big seems everything, Ivy hesitates and doubts. So, is “big” really all that? As Ivy struggles with ideals, Zinn cleverly weaves her passions for Sophocles and Shakespeare in yet another one of her morality plays – all with a healthy dose of laughter stirred into the brew.
We may find acting just as good elsewhere, but won’t see any better than right here in North Bennington, in the visceral realm of an extinct swimming pool, with audiences hovering just feet away from actors.
As such, there is no hiding faults or missed details. Year after year, Zinn gets her cast in shape with less rehearsal time than she might like, but must increasingly do so given the financial stresses of staging professional shows. How she does it is a mystery, but the hard work of her actors clearly pays off.
Young as Ivy’s Mom, as we have come to expect, perfected her cameo, making those of us around the pool who have dealt with aging parents relate directly to the both the dialogue and struggle Young set before us.
Kenney makes her LRT stage debut with an ethereally expressive Chloe, floating on and off the stage – as well as our conscience – like a rose petal in a soft breeze. In counterpoint, the debut of Olesky’s Billy was brash yet intelligent, testosterone-laden yet soft; his emotional see-saw while pacing from one end of the pool to the other was vividly animated.
More than once, McCullough and Howe as Larry and Phil were outrageously funny in their machine-gun pace banter and repartee, the hallmark of seasoned professionals who can turn on a dime and still keep hold of the audience’s serious sensibilities, all while drawing out its guffaws. Likewise, Dallal was excellently loathsome as Sam: huffing and puffing his way to his obvious inadequacy as a Tinseltown spoiled brat living on Daddy’s dime.
Finally, four-time LRT standout Mudek gets a play written with her talents in mind, and did she ever grab it, and then some. The stunning Mudek has presence and authority in droves, even when vulnerable. She radiantly projects an Ivy no different than any one of us, wrestling with her hopes and fears, full of nervous energy looking for a positive outlet. It’s a role that Mudek graced with both ambition and humility. Bravo, Madam!
Stay alert for the brief near-show-stealing scene by Kenney in her dreamy take of Antigone and Joan of Arc, enhanced by an on-stage costume change that outdoes anything you’ll see on Broadway. Also, the simulation, staging and portrayal of a long-distance drive through city and desert was not only hilarious, but also outrageously creative!
The production crew peaked in distinction: stage management by Aidan Ellison, stage and wardrobe assistance by Lily Hutcheson, video promo by Emma Baiada, graphic design by Corwin Levi, set design by Seancolin Hankins, music composition by Michael Chinworth and costumes by Broadway and Hollywood veteran Cynthia Flynt.
LRT regular audiences may be tired of my annual effusiveness over Flynt’s eagle eye for detail, so this year I’ll just say that for someone who has worked at the industry’s highest levels, Flynt is an artist who never forgets her roots and beginnings. She still reaches out visually to small town audiences, providing a glimpse of glitter while reading the room – or in this case the poolside – without overwhelming it. The aforementioned costume switch was one example. Flynt is an absolute treasure to have at little LRT.
The play ran for a crisp 70ish minutes – perfect for midsummer, sunset, and outdoors. This is an integral part of the LRT experience, and not to be understated. Another aspect of a Zinn production is that there is no wasted time, movement, or space – no wasted anything really. Zinn’s script is tight, efficient and purposeful. As a result, her actors are always doing something to keep the action moving, and the audience on its toes.
It’s a formula, whether directing, writing, or both, that has served Living Room Theatre well for the past dozen seasons. And audiences seem to agree, as the vibrant ovation signaled. I counted 65 on opening night, which is a full house and as much as you can pack around a swimming pool-turned stage.
It’s also as intimate as professional theater gets, as the outdoor setting echoes back to Zinn’s beloved ancient Greek amphitheaters. At 10 dates over 12 days this isn’t a long run, and tickets are limited. So, in this time when survival of grassroot arts has never been more important, do yourself a favor – as well as make a statement – and go see this gem of a play in this gem of a venue by this gem of a theater company.
“Get It Right,” will run through Aug. 3 at Living Room Theatre, on the estate of the Park-McCullough Historic Governor’s Mansion, 1 Park St., North Bennington, Vt. Performances are Wednesdays through Sundays at 7:00 p.m. Buy or reserve tickets at: 802-442-5322 or [email protected]
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