Reviewed 11/7/04
Desert Foothills Theatre’s Artistic Director Todd G. Ortone knows a good thing when he’s got one: Last season, when he secured Jared Sakren’s services to direct the contemporary comedy Lend Me a Tenor, he had a hit on his hands. This season, he has decided to score another hit both by bringing back Sakren and by mounting Tom Dulack’s mafia-infused backstage comedy Breaking Legs. Lightning can strike twice in the same place.
Mild-mannered professor and playwright Terence (Michael
Bailey)
needs money to mount an off-off-Broadway production of his play realistically
chronicling a murder, so he approaches a former student, the shapely and
connected Angie Graziano (Katrina Reyes) for an investment of $200,000. Angie,
who has a thing for older gents and especially those who wear argyles and
tweed, pitches investing to her dad Lou (Don Crosby), who then pitches the
idea to his associates Mike Francisco (Louis Palmieri) and Tino De Felice
(Evin Kennedy). The trio decides that Terence is thinking too small, and
offers him two million to mount his play on Broadway. Since this and Angie’s
advances are offers he can’t refuse, he finds himself in bed with everyone
in one way or another. However, the mob doesn’t quite get the whole
producing thing, and Terence must try to keep his integrity, and his head,
while treading through shark-infested waters. Dulack’s play is a clever
and self-referential gem that occasionally ambles into stereotyping but always
has a good excuse for it.
Sakren once again proves his prowess beyond the classical realm. He has put together an excellent cast and paced the play like a bullet. He keeps the actors moving around to avoid making this rather talky play die on its feet. He has also pushed a heavy regiment of northeast Italian-American dialects on his actors to a successful degree. The result is a play that punches all of the right points to make it caustically comedic.
Reyes and Bailey are quite the couple. Reyes is sexy in an
Italian princess way, and she makes quite the picture with the rumpled Bailey,
who is all fumbles and shyness. There is a good amount of sexual tension
between them, and Reyes avoids turning her character into a caricature. Crosby
is quite funny as the more laidback restaurant owner, and Kennedy is good
at hinting at being the muscle behind the man, but it is Palmieri’s
Mike that makes this evening the laughfest it becomes. Palmieri is deadly
earnest, important when playing such an easily overplayed character. While
all of them believe in their characters, Palmieri really seems to have donned
his Don, and everything from his quick temper to his odd laugh comes off
naturally. A cameo appearance by Richard Briggs as one of the underlings
is straight out of The Sopranos, and hilarious for all of his choices. Earnestness
is the key that all of them share, and they and Sakren have scored an inside
straight with this choice.
Ed Como is to be commended for his excellent recreation of the back room of an Italian restaurant, the place where all the real decisions are made. From the statues to the well-stocked bar, Como simply gets it. Mara N. Fishman’s lighting sometimes calls attention to itself, but is overall solid. Diane Welle’s costumes are dead-on, from Crosby’s Hawaiian shirts and gold chains through Palmieri’s striped ties on a black shirt to Bailey’s matching argyle sweater and bowtie. Though it had a very annoying mistake on Sunday’s matinee, Christopher Scinto’ssound design seemed to work well.
Italian Americans may balk at the fact that there’s yet another reference to our kind being labeled as gangsters, but there’s no denying that there are plenty of laughs in this clever script. If Ortone is smart, he’ll secure Sakren not only for their future openers, but perhaps a few times in their season to guarantee success. Head up to Desert Foothills or you may find yourself sleeping with the fishes.
