What Cyndy does well, she did well last night. Gathered her audience in an interesting old New York space where the fading of the wall paper and portraits of the Boothes, busts of the Barrymore's and Mark Twain captured the ghosts of theater past. Her two actors, Nancy Wolfe and Joe Cassese, were almost upstaged by those ghosts haunting their surroundings and seemed almost stifled by their presence. I was fully entranced by the magic spell of "Dragon Country" weaved by Ms. Wolfe, and so invested in Mr. Cassese in his "ice cream suit". Their acting style walked a razors edge between realism, and presentational theater. They were taking the material very seriously, as if these words needed some kind of reverence. What I know of Tenn, my impressions of him, is that he is irreverent in the most manipulative and devious ways. This is his innate genius. And last night, that shown through due to the brilliant efforts of the cast and crew working this sparse text with great artistic instinct and flair.
Joe Gianono's minimalist score perfectly captured the enigmatic mystery of this short story on stage. Debra Leigh Siegel's lighting ensured an intimate atmosphere would endure through out. Outstanding effort, and I can't wait for the next offering.
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