Ronnie’s Charger
A
Play by Lawrence Kessenich
Peformed
at Hovey Players
Waltham,
MA
also
9 other plays
Review
by Zvi A. Sesling
The
concept of the Hovey Players is wonderful: ten 10-minute plays by talented
playwrights
blended
with experienced and new actors. The play I was to review was Lawrence
Kessenich’s Ronnie’s Charger, which was recently a prize winner in Chicago. It was ably directed by Jess Viator. Frank Bartucca and Kate Blair are the parents whose grief thirty years after their
son was killed in action in Vietnam has not abated. Both actors portray their thirty years of
suffering realistically and Kessenich has dialogue that is perfectly
believable, portraying anger and heartbreak at Ronnie’s death. The Charger, of
course, is the auto that Ronnie owned and was proud of, which has become a
metaphor for life, death and rebirth: the car at first serving as Ronnie’s life
then as it rots in the driveway, symbolizes his death and finally, after the
car is vandalized and the trunk popped open, raccoons move in to raise their
ones and the final symbol of resurrection culminates the play.
There
are five dramas, all of which in one way or another are didactic. The first Life Choice is about abortion, a mother
(Kate Forrestall) and her daughter (Kate Blair), argue about life, death and
abortion. It is written by Andrea Clardy and directed by Jesse Strachman. The
second, It Doesn’t, is about a Good
Samaritan-like counselor (Jon Nuquist) and a young man (Richie DeJesus). The
latter, who has been outed in school as being gay wants to commit suicide and
calls the counselor who tries to talk him out of suicide. The play is written by George Smart and
Directed by Kaitlyn MacPherson. The
third is entitled Fork in the Road and
has a wonderful concept of four women – all one person? speaking about cancer
survival. The four women are Sami Malnekoff, KC O’Connor, Nicole Pavol and
Tristyn Sepersky. The drama is written by Eoin Carney and directed by Mike
Haddad.
The
final drama is Rosie the Teddy Bear acted by Tristyn Seperksy. Written by
Steven Bergman and Liz Fenstermaker it is a sad monologue by a teddy bear who
has been discarded and waits for its child to return. It is also about abuse
and abandonment, and like the others is didactic and attention getting.
Of
the five, however, Ronnie’s Charger stands
out as being the best acted, least didactic and most easy with which to
associate.
Hovey
Players also performed five comedies, Diamonds
& A Girl’s Best Friend is a very humorous play with some great lines,
well acted by Stephanie Grinley, Kimberly Truon, KC O’Connor and Sami
Malnekoff. Clever writing by Katelyn
Tustin and well directed by Kristine Mackin.
The
theme song to the movie and TV show M.A.S.H. was “Suicide Is Painless.” Playwright John Greiner-Ferris and director
Katelyn Tustin show us that while suicide is not painless, as acted by Kimberly
Truon, Ron Gabrielli and Matthew Hathorn, suicide can be funny.
Dan in the Lion’s Den is clumsily funny. A family
watches as the father-husband enters a zoo’s lion area and emerges intact. Cody
Tustin, just out of high school plays the son, Kristin Riopelle, the daughter
and Carolyn Cafarelli is the mother.
The Change along with Ronnie’s Charger were clearly the
night’s best. The Change is about a man entering a hospital for an appendectomy
and waking to find they made him a
woman. Written by Peter Floyd and acted by Kate Forrestall and Robin Gabrielli,
it is extremely funny
especially
when discovering his/her plight Ms. Forrestall provides the audience with the
ultimate
look
of horror.
Not Funny lives up to its name. It is the final “comedy” but as conceived by
playwright Chris Lockheardt and director Mike Haddad it is more of a
serio-comedy, perhaps more drama and
well
performed by Kristie Norris and Andy Leburn.
More and more the grazy life on people sivilisation, but sometimes can feel a little moment spirit of forest.
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