Your Favorite Dramas Collide

Too Many Characters to Count

If you are in the mood for laughter, and loads of it, head to Alleyway Theatre for Death of a Streetcar Named Virginia Woolf, a brilliant parody of some of our more serious American dramas. Willy Loman, Blanche DuBois and Stanley Kowalski, and George and Martha, along with the Stage Manager from Our Town, and quite a few other well known characters are put through their paces in ways that could very well have the playwrights spinning in their graves, unless, of course, they have a sense of humor and can enjoy a good joke at their own expense.

It all begins with the Stage Manager inviting the audience into this wild mashup that has the famous characters coming together to, well, be themselves and create chaos at every turn.

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Stella, Stella!!

It seems Stella, who has disappeared, and Stanley have opened a boarding house in Big Daddy’s mansion, he having died of cancer due to his son Brick’s homosexuality. Very sad. Anyway, Blanche has escaped from the asylum, returned to New Orleans and is planning to marry the imaginary, or is he? Shep Huntleigh, who may or may not be the man on a train stuck in between the ever battling George and Martha who are on the way to New Orleans to meet their imaginary son. Willie Loman comes to the boarding house to attend a salesman’s conference that happened the week before his arrival, Willy being clueless about just about everything.  

The stellar cast under the direction of Kevin Leary turns the sublime into the ridiculous in this short comedy that takes us on an absurd journey into the minds, hearts, overheated libidos, and dysfunction of these phantasmal, yet somehow very real characters.

Nicholas Lama is The Stage Manager, a man weary of talking about green moss and who goes through the entire play with a twinkle in his eye as he draws us into this world of sweat-stained t-shirts, bowling alleys, and yes, I will say it, Desire. Mr. Lama lets us know that he knows just how serious (not) this all is.

Anna Krempholtz as Blanche languishes about the stage, seeming almost to melt when she speaks, a mere wisp of a thing in her diaphanous dress and pearls. She exudes the vapors as if she would disappear into the ether at any moment. But then, well…you know Blanche.

Jacob Albarella is a riot as the brooding Stanley, whose body is glued to the above-mentioned sweat-stained t-shirt. He also exudes, but in his case a macho musk that actually has no one swooning. No wonder he is so full of rage. But is there another side to Stanley unknown until now? Hmmm.

Peter Horn and Lindsay Brandon Hunter are the ever-bickering George and Martha, he with a quiet, biting, nasty wit, she with an in your face hostility that is stunning in its cruelty. They play off of each other beautifully, each capturing the essence of the originals, as do all of the cast members.

Last, but never least, is the defeated salesman, Willy Loman, played with such pathos by David C. Mitchell, that one could weep for him. Not really, but he is quite a mess, always being a day, or a week, late and a dollar short. Mr. Mitchell also shows his earlier mettle and cruelty in a short scene with his two sons. And then there is the ring scene with Blanche. But enough.

Each cast member has their character down to a T. They also play other characters in short scenes that hark back to other dramas, some with one-liners, others through sound effects. Is there a cat on that hot tin roof?

I counted six other mentions of plays, but there are probably more. Might have missed some because of laughing so much.

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Interplay of Themes and Ideas

Speaking of one-liners, Playwright Tim Sniffen is a master of those zingers. Willy says, “Excuse my sense of failure”, George describes Blanche and Stanley as “faded glory and anger management”. Emily in an Our Town scene says, “I want to travel. I want to see a minority.” Those are just the tip of the iceberg. There are so many more that the laughter in the audience was almost non-stop at times.

Also, a word about the physical comedy and timing of the actors. Terrific.

Kevin Leary, his crew and his actors have outdone themselves in creating a wonderful time for all. Kudos to them. As for you, go see it. You will be very glad you did.

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