“Blizzard ‘67” at the New York International Fringe Festival at the Robert Moss Theater
“Blizzard ‘67” at the New York International Fringe Festival at the Robert Moss Theater Written by Jon Steinhagen Directed by Kevin P. Hale Reviewed by Joseph Verlezza Theatre Reviews Limited
Four men willingly locking themselves together in a small confined space with little means of escape for about an hour every weekday; it is not a social gathering, they don’t even know each other’s first names. They are brought together for a matter of convenience and economic reasons, sharing nothing and hiding almost anything, so as not to reveal deep seeded feeling of resentment. They accept many challenges and are finally tested when confronted with danger and those ugly feelings push through and surface. Involved in an unfortunate crisis, human nature, conscious behavior and deliberate choices take control and steers them down a path of uncertain guilt and regret. It is conceivably a study of social climate carefully monitored by playwright Jon Steinhagen, as he provides the subjects with intelligent, fluent and expressive dialogue. Guided by director Kevin P. Hale, they subtly and skillfully avoid the usual potholes of melodrama and keep within a comfortable speed. When reaching the destination the results are revealed to the audience, who ultimately will make their own thoughtful judgement as they ponder the proceedings, which have been presented.
The four participants are William Franke, Graham Halstead, John Pieza and Andrew David Rubensteine. This cast is first rate with the ability to build an insidious community that is real and for that reason absolutely frightening. They create common, everyday characters that the audience relates too, never afraid to incorporate the slightest nuance to expose a bit more of their uncommitted soul. All make discerning choices, aware of physical communication and never overacting but reacting to the situation or circumstance.
The script is valid yet long and could easily be cut to ninety minutes without intermission to fuel the intensity of the moment. Time spent on extraneous information supposedly character exposition is sometimes not beneficial and pulls down the second act causing it to lose momentum. Sound by Trevor Dallier is absolutely brilliant and lighting by Jennifer Linn Wicox sets a dramatic tone. It is definitely worth getting caught up in “Blizzard 67” for a couple of hours, happening now as part of the NY International Fringe Festival.
BLIZZARD ‘67
“Blizzard ‘67” is presented by The New York International Fringe Festival and Playlab NYC at the Robert Moss Theater, 440 Lafayette Street, 3rd Floor (Astor Place and East 4th Street).
All performances of “Blizzard ‘67” take place at on the following schedule: Tuesday August 20th at 8:45 p.m.; and Saturday August 24th at 4:15 p.m. Tickets are $18.00 at the door and $15.00 for advance purchase. The running time is 2 hours. For more information about the show and the cast and creative team, please visit www.playlabnyc.org For more information about the 17th Annual New York Fringe Festival visit www.FringeNYC.org.
Permalink | Posted by David Roberts on Monday, August 19, 2013
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