LATHAM - There are certain plays that read much better than they play on stage. My guess is that is why “The Common’s of Pensacola,” a first play by actress Amanda Peet, was produced by the prestigious Manhattan Theater Club in 2013 and was selected to be the fall production at Curtain Call Theatre in Latham.
The play’s premise sounds promising. The wife of a financial scam artist is living a very common life in Pensacola, Florida. Though she insists she was unaware of her husband’s bilking of clients, she did share and relish his lavish life-style. Should she be punished and ostracized for the actions of her husband, or is she culpable in his actions by ignoring the obvious?
One daughter, (Ali), insists her mother stashed some of the ill-gotten gains and believes her living a life more comfortable than those swindled is unjust. Another daughter (Becca) has compassion for her mother, but along with an opportunistic boyfriend wants to exploit, for gain, her mother’s situation by producing a reality show showing her atoning for her husband’s crimes.
The problem is the play does not pay more than lip service to the issue of guilt by association and rarely touches on the theme of forgiveness versus retribution. Instead, what could be a probing of moral dilemmas becomes a family drama about dysfunctional people. Making it even worse is there is not a character on stage that is even slightly likeable.
The mother, Judith (Barbara Richards), still has a sense of entitlement. Becca (Amy Lane) is a mess. At 43, she is a failed actress who lives a near-homeless existence. Her present is sad and her future is bleak. Ali (Rhiannon Antico) is an angry, self-righteous woman who lacks compassion. Lizzie (Lynn Stefani) is Ali’s daughter. She’s a selfish, potty-mouth seductress who is more a plot device than a character. Gabe (Andrew Mokey), Becca’s 29 year old boyfriend is anxious to exploit the situation no matter who gets hurt.
No one in the cast is able to improve on the personalities of the people in the play. And it isn’t fair to ask them to do the impossible. They do, at least, establish the essence of people who want to be better than they are.
Cindy Bates’ direction is best on mark in the scenes in which characters interact one-on-one. In such moments the agendas are clear and personalities defined. However in group scenes no one is able to make this fabricated melodrama interesting, let alone believable.
Combine this with the 90-minute play having a structure that is so awkward that at an opening weekend performance, the audience had no idea a blackout signaled the end of the play. It must read really well.
“The Commons of Pensacola” at Curtain Call Theatre, Latham. Through October 3. Performances 7:30 p.m. Thursdays, 8 p.m. Fridays-Saturdays, 3 p.m. Sundays. (a special matinee Saturday). 877-7529.
Bob Goepfert is the arts editor for the Troy Record.
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