Phoenix Theatre's Twigs
(out of 
)Mark S.P. Turvin
(home office) (602) 912-0117
I can be reached for comment via e-mail at: mspt@goldfishpublishers.com
Reviewed 11/5/99
(out of )Some productions are wildly successful because of a surefire script, pinpoint-accurate direction and design elements, and hardworking actors who imbue every line and emotion with a perfect mix of spontaneity and craftsmanship. Some productions succeed with varying degrees of the above requirements. Phoenix Theatre's current offering, George Furth's sentimentally comedic character study, Twigs, is an interesting mix: An unbalanced script with a better second act than first; controlling direction that errs on the side of stagey; script-driven designs that are at times awkward and others obvious; and four performers, headed by the almost frighteningly talented Robyn Ferracane, that carry the evening off in a way that obliterates most of the problems of the other three elements. If you look up "star turn" in the dictionary, it should have her picture next to it.
It's the day before Thanksgiving back in the time of disco and orange appliances, and three sisters and their mother are making their various preparations. Through their established rituals and chance encounters, the audience gets a peek into how four women hewn from the same wood have been shaped by the forces in their varying surroundings. While these women are definitely made of the same quirky material, each has grown stronger or been broken by their choices. In a theatrical twist, the four women are played by the same actress, making for a dream/nightmare of a role that very few women are capable of pulling off. Fortunately for Director Michael Barnard, Phoenix has three women up to the task, and while one is pregnant, and the other was wowing 'em in ATP's The Baltimore Waltz, the third has been able to take the time from her busy directing schedule to carry this evening on her very capable shoulders.
Ms. Ferracane has the gift of making intricate comedy, sudden drama, and complex emotions look easy. It's a trap, though, and one must always be aware of just how difficult a balancing act such requirements are. As each manic sibling or matron supplants the prior, the audience is treated to the width and breadth of her talents. She can talk a blue streak with hilarious results in one section, and slink across the stage in abject despair in the next in such a way as to break our collective hearts. Ms. Ferracane is working every millisecond of stage time, and that Herculean effort can often help us to forgive some of the failings of this production. Her efforts nearly balance Messrs. Furth and Barnard's inclination to take the obvious choice over the subtle, exemplified by the well-telegraphed pontifications strategically placed and annoyingly broadcast through staging and lighting that occurs at the climax of each of the four scenes.
Mr. Barnard's other casting choices are also generally right on. J. Clay Lawson is indistinguishable from lonely divorcee to uncomfortable houseguest, and Larry Soller is artistically honest as both loving husband to eldest daughter and loving father to the entire brood. The equally talented Bruce Miles, though, seems a little off in his two roles. Specifically, he is too rough in his presentation of middle daughter's militaristic hothead-of-a-husband, and his and Mr. Barnard's choices throw off-balance the second scene, making for an uneven presentation to close the first act.
Mr. Furth's play is a rough challenge for the design team, calling for four different kitchens and nearly-impossible set changes in the middle of each act. Mr. Barnard and Scenic Designer Gro Johre have taken up this challenge through incorporating the changes into the evening by choreographing four late-'70s clothed stagehands to make the transformation before the audiences eyes, all to the soundtrack of familiar period songs. While it's a great concept well-executed, it does cut a bit into the flow of the evening. James Clotfelter's Lighting is often as obvious as the script, and sometimes feels more like pandering than supporting. Impressive work, though, comes from Sound Designer Ricky Tambor and Costume Designer Rebecca Powell.
One can't avoid the barest whiff of a dinner theatre feel to this script and presentation. Ms. Ferracane's utter professionalism, though, with the support of her fellow actors, helps to raise this evening above such obviousness. She is a one-woman tour de force that must be experienced, bringing grace and subtlety wherever she goes.
Production Details:
Twigs by George Furth
Phoenix Theatre, Phoenix
(602) 254-2151
November 5th - November 21st, 1999