People's Light & And Theatre Company Presents Six Characters In Search Of An Author–a masterful production of a classic masterwork

Theater: People's Light & Theatre Company
Show Title: Six Characters In Search Of An Author
Opened: October 12,2007
Seen: October 14, 2007
Reviewer: Arnie Finkel
Submitted: October 14, 2007

I read Six Characters In Search Of an Author in college.  I found it confusing and, although the ideas were interesting, I couldn’t see why it was so highly rated.   I needed to see the new translation by Playwright in Residence with People’s Light & Theatre Company Louis Lippa.  His translation and free adaptation of the classic Pirandello work makes it not only accessible, but downright enjoyable.

Nobel Prize winner for literature Pirandello’s tragi-comedy asks many questions about reality versus illusion, the truth and what constitutes the truth and the very nature of theater.

From the beginning, when we arrive at the pre-rehearsal activities of the stage manager and her assistant, we start to get messages.  At the rear of the stage the door to the scene shop is open and there is loud music and construction noise coming from there.  Before anything happens the assistant closes the door and we are symbolically told that we are to pay attention and no distraction is to be allowed.  Arthur R.  Rotch designed a simple set that makes us focus on the ideas being provided.  The lighting, designed by Dennis Parichy, was in the hands of Gregory Scott Miller who has effective dialogue with the director.  Nice added touch.

The plot (although it’s not much more than a peg on which to hang ideas) begins at a rehearsal of a Pirandello play.  The actors and director are interrupted by six characters from an unfinished play who are looking for an author to complete their story.  They only exist in two or three scenes and need closure.  They demand that the story be told only on their terms.  They enlist the Director to finish their play.

The cast is uniformly excellent.  Stephen Novelli is superb as the eloquent, outspoken, passionate Father.  Kim Carson is equally effective as the sexy, impudent and equally  passionate Stepdaughter. Their counterpart in the “real” world, Peter DeLaurier, is the harried, questioning Director of the acting company. These three carry the burden of conveying Pirandello’s ideas.  I particularly liked the conversation between the Father and the Director concerning who we really are.  The human being is in a constant state of change whereas a character in a play is doomed to repeat his actions each time the play is produced-no matter how it is interpreted.  Although an actor can bring his own experience and feelings to the part, they can never feel exactly what the character feels.

Pirandello points out that the words spoken by a character are filtered through the hearer’s experiences and are not necessarily what was meant by the character.

The others of the six characters; Ceal Phalen as the much put upon Mother, Evan Jonigkeit as the angry sullen Son, Conner Murtagh as the mute brain damaged Young Boy and Julia Giampietro as the beautiful but doomed Little Girl, were well cast and very well played.  Marcia Saunders contributed a super hilarious cameo as Madame Pace.

The acting company; Cathy Simpson as a down to earth Stage Manager, Matt Mezzacappa as the eager young Assistant Stage Manager, Kevin Bergen as the self important Lead Actor, Melanye Finster as the easily offended Lead Actress, Elena Bosser as the young beautiful (I’ll do anything for the director) Young Actress and Mark Del Guzzo as the underappreciated Young Actor, were all terrific.  What a talented cast.

The People’s Light and Theatre production of Six Characters In Search Of An Author is a production that you will think about and talk over long after you see it. It runs until November 4th at the Steinbright Stage