By a happy coincidence, two area theater companies are producing world premieres of plays. Both are available this week. A happier coincidence is that both are enjoyable experiences.
In downtown Troy, Troy Foundry Theater is offering “Hard Candy and Misdemeanors” Wednesdays through Saturdays until Oct 7. It’s a work about young African-Americans trying to keep a small convenience store afloat.
The five individuals meet in varying configurations at a break room in the shop to joke, flirt and reveal their life stories. Actually what they are doing is forming a trust that permits them to bond almost like the family each individual is seeking.
The acting might not be always polished, but it certainly is comfortable. By the end of the 90-minute work you not only know every character well, you truly root for a better life for each of them.
This makes
the star of the show the director Angelique Powell. She takes a cast of actors ranging from very experienced to relatively new and nurtures them to form a relaxed, funny and engaging ensemble.
Plus she does it all in a minuscule space. That space is an unusual stark white set and actors also are dressed in white likely to emphasize the sterility of their lives. As they grow collectively and individually, color is gradually introduced to support their new outlook on life. Everything is helped by the work of Willie David Short’s light and sound design.
Playwright Chris Eli Blak has created a very funny and wise examination of the lives of people who are adrift but able to survive through friendship and trust in the future. It’s not yet the perfect play and the lack of a solid ending shows it. But remember, it is still a work-in-progress. “Hard Candy and Misdemeanors” happens to be a pretty good one.
In Albany, Harbinger Theatre is producing the never-before-seen play, “Custom Cuts.” It’s an autobiographical work about a young man learning how to take charge of his life and to stand up to an abusive father.
It’s a tough, honest look about a hurtful issue. It is made palatable by the skillful and honest story-telling ability of local playwright Brian Sheldon.
In telling the story of his life he focuses on courage rather than weakness and finding light in the dark. He’s able to accomplish this because of a talent for creating natural sounding dialogue and an ability to create humor in a dreadful situation.
He is given a boost with a fantastic performance by Tyler Cardona as Anthony, Sheldon’s on stage alter ego. It’s a heartfelt performance by a talented young actor.
Cardona is a magnetic figure on stage. He can be both introspective and funny which makes his characters vulnerable and endearing. Most importantly, he makes the character’s inner turmoil over his situation clear and disturbing.
In the role of the abusive father, Danny, Peter Delocis creates a vile character who is easy to despise. That it is a one note role is more the fault of the playwright than it is the acting. Delocis and his director made a correct choice in not trying to soften the character. But, the play needs at least another scene – perhaps one between brother and sister as they recall some more pleasant memories of their father, or counsel each other on their mutual conflict of loving and honoring a man who is not worthy of respect.
The rest of the cast’s skills all are solid. Even the occasional awkward performance seems ideal for the character being portrayed.
Here, too, director AngeIa Ledtke is expert in staging the work in the round, or in this case, a rectangle. Best of all, she guides her individual performers to create distinctive characters who orbit Anthony in loving, kind, supportive ways. It’s good work in an awkward space.
Her blocking skills are helped by a minimalist set designed by Michael McDermott who creates a world using only a few pieces of furniture.
A final coincidence is that, except for one actor, both plays are cast with actors of color. It shows the depth of minority talent this area has developed over the last decade who are choosing theater to share those stories. More important, they are good stories performed by competent actors that teach us about human beings - not categories of human beings.
Tickets and schedule for “Custom Cuts” which runs at the Albany Theatre Barn until Saturday can be had by going to actingclasswithpatrickwhite.net. “Hard Candy and Misdemeanors” plays at the Collectiveffort Kickback Studios, 10 Second Street in Troy through October 7. Info can be had at troyfoundrytheatre.com
Bob Goepfert is theater reviewer for the Troy Record.
The views expressed by commentators are solely those of the authors. They do not necessarily reflect the views of this station or its management.
