“Made for Each Other” By Monica Bauer Performed by John Fico
Monica Bauer’s “Made for Each Other” is a charming and challenging performance piece brought to life with skillful grace by John Fico at 59E59’s “East to Edinburgh” Festival. Transcending the themes of most gay theatre (and those themes are important), “Made for Each Other” is a multi-layered piece which challenges all audience members with universal and powerful themes.
Sorting out meaning in a well-written, well-performed script replete with characters, conflicts, settings, and themes that connect to a broad spectrum of audience members is less than an easy task. But these characters – alive, about-to-die, and already dead – challenge the audience to deal with the importance of truth, honesty, love and the loss of love, loss of and restoration of self-worth, and the joy of experiencing undeserved grace.
There are four characters in “Made for Each Other,” all played by John Fico: Vincent, his mother, his love interest Jerry who cares for his mother, and Jerry’s grandfather who “lives in his head.” To attempt to unravel the conflicts here would be not only difficult but revealing too much to the potential audience member. It is enough to know that Vincent falls in love late in life with a man ten years his junior who cares for Vincent’s mother in a facility for Alzheimer’s patients. Fico lives these characters with amazing perceptiveness and skill.
It is enough to say that Vincent almost loses Jerry’s love and almost loses his own life. Realizing anew the importance of truth saves Vincent, honors his mother’s pain and past, rekindles Jerry’s sense of worth, and frees Jerry’s dead grandpa to enjoy the peace and quiet of the afterlife. This critic hopes that is enough to get you to this important piece of theatre.
MADE FOR EACH OTHER
By Monica Bauer. Performed by John Fico. Directed by John Fitzgibbon.
The final performances of “Made for Each Other” will be on Wednesday July 18 at 7:00 p.m. and Friday July 27 at 9:00 p.m. at 59E59 Theaters (59 East 59th Street, between Park and Madison Avenues). Tickets to each EAST TO EDINBURGH show range from $12 - $20 ($8.50 -$14 for 59E59 Members). Tickets can be purchased by calling Ticket Central at 212-279-4200 or online at www.59e59.org.
Permalink | Posted by David Roberts on Tuesday, July 17, 2012
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