Bruce Apar

What did our critic think of THE 39 STEPS IS A DELIGHTFUL ROMP AT ELMWOOD PLAYHOUSE at Elmwood?So pronounced is the raucous, madcap flavor of the show – consciously channeling the vaudevillian humor of early 20th Century English music halls, a setting that bookends the play – that the plot itself virtually plays second fiddle to the non-stop shenanigans, which are enough to make you plotz with guffaws throughout.

Ms. Gunderson’s ingenious play, directed by Lisa Spielman with her usual standard of excellence, is a marvelous creation, a paean not only to the Bard of Avon but a celebration of the magical potion, the curative powers, of live theater and, yea, of storytelling itself.

Both author Topher Payne and director Paul Russo offset the seemingly dark and heavy-handed state of affairs at the state department with effective, tongue-in-cheek deftness. The seriousness of the subject matter is no less impactful when filtered through light moments laced with wit that is delivered expertly by Dylan Coonrad as Jim, a teacher, and by Elinor Greenway as Millie, a prototypical 1950s sitcom housewife. There’s more than a little “Lucy” in her portrayal, yet her serious moments carry the requisite credibility.

Those dramatis personae (ha!) and more are animated to a fare thee well by only two – count ‘em – two actors, Mr. Guy and Mr. Lang, who bring to their poly-personality assignments proficient physical suppleness and chameleon-like chops. I started to keep track of how many characters they essay, and then gave up – their number outpaced my jottings. Within a single scene, the two actors might exit and enter the stage as four different characters with seamless precision. It’s a wonder audience members don’t suffer whiplash. 

As Tess and Frank, Ellen Adair and Michael Frederic skillfully bring to the stage the requisite range of emotions engaged when lovers go a-quarreling, then make up, then rinse, repeat. We all know how that goes and they keep it going with the right rhythm of dramatic impact. Director Joe Brancato is masterly at keeping his productions light on their feet, rooted in a canny instinct for audience appeal. in an exquisitely rendered performance by Alexander Rios as AI Percy, he leaves an indelible impression through carefully articulated physicality that captures the essence of a bot without caricaturing it. His soft, soothing vocal inflection recalls iconic computer HAL in Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey.

For anyone who appreciates riveting theater robustly staged, All My Sons should be on your must-see list. Here’s something else to consider as to why we owe homage to this timeless work: As he embarked on writing All My Sons, young Arthur Miller still hadn’t tasted the success he sought in his career. He considered it his last-ditch effort to make a name for himself or he’d give up playwriting. The moral of the story is that were it not for the success in 1947 of the award-winning All My Sons, we might never have had, two years later, Death of a Salesman. Shudder the thought. 

In Ms. Rodgers and Mr. Zeller, this production has two superlative actors who attack their meaty roles with unvarnished relish, and the audience is the beneficiary of their talents.

Though based in Westchester, presenting its work within the county is a first for State of Play Productions, which has spent the past 10 years honing its craft by helping playwrights bring their work to stages in New York City.

It may or may not be true that within each of us exists a book waiting to be written, or a full-length monologue of the story of our life waiting to be staged. But few of us have the kind of story to tell as fraught and fascinating as Jimmy Georgiades.

In its current incarnation as the mainstage production of Musicals at RIchter (all of whose shows are performed under the stars at Richter Arts Center in Danbury, Connecticut), Evita’s undeniable spectacle remains joyfully intact – along with its other charms that easily hold an audience in its thrall throughout a thoroughly diverting couple of hours that move with potency, delivering numerous delights along the way.