Becomes a Woman--One of the Season's Best

     By Joseph Cervelli

It is amazing and sad that Betty Smith's vivid and extremely engaging 1931 play "Becomes a Woman" was never published nor produced. Well, until now that is, thanks to the ever wonderful Mint Theater Company's presentation at City Center Stage ll. 

So many of the Mint productions of shows have not been seen for decades and yet when you now see them are taken back by how apropos they are to today's times. 

The plays starts off in a rather light hearted manner at Kress's Dime Store chain. While the action here take place in Brooklyn the actual Kress's never opened in there. And two of the characters Leonard Kress Sr and Jr. who play prominent roles bear no semblance to the original owner Samuel Henry Kress who remained unmarried. The carefree atmosphere clearly becomes more serious in the next two acts and most definitely had to cause a startling sensation when it was written. 

The lovely first act set by Vicki R. Davis who has provided her craft for many past Mint Productions has a section of the store filled with artificial flowers and another with  a piano along with a counter with mounds of sheet music. When customers come in to purchase the music they can not only hear the song being played by the piano player Florry (Pearl Rhein) but also have a singer there performing what they choose. Not exactly the nicest person with a flippant personality Florry is envious of the younger and more alluring singer nineteen year old Francie Nolan (Emma Pritzer Price.) She is the main reason   so many of the young men enter the store. The petite Francie dressed in a stunning black dress with fringes not only has a lilting voice perfect to sing the songs of the times but is attractive enough to be asked out by many of the male customers. The play takes a rather unflattering view of the male gender. In Smith's eyes most are interested in basically sex and not much else. 

Francie beautifully played by Price (keep an eye open for this exceptionally fine young actor) is not a fool by any means but is a sweet and kind young woman dealing with both male customers who call her "baby" and a family life we are soon to see which is none too happy. She seems very vulnerable and is, but as the title suggests she indeed becomes a woman and learns the hard way how to deal with what happens to her. The other character who plays a more prominent role in the second and third acts is the very likable and kind Tessie (Gina Daniels) who has had misfortune with men herself. 

Without giving too much away, the second act takes place in the slightly rundown home of Francie where she lives with her mother Ma Nolan (Antoinette LaVecchia) totally domineered by her obnoxious police officer husband Pa Nolan (Jeb Brown). He is both verbally and physically abusive to her and soon his behavior towards Francie is abhorrent. Living in the home are her two unlikable brothers played by Tim Webb and Jack Mastrianni (both men play customers in the first act)  who bear the wrath of their vile father. Brown does a good job of show how callous his character is. He could lower the volume because the theater is small so his bombastic voice does become a bit piercing. Also living upstairs as a boarder, is the lovable Tessie who proves what a source of help and inspiration she is to Francie.

It is the third act that is the pivotal moment in the play in which we meet two other characters. Both of whom try to manipulate Francie, but it is here where she lives up to the title of the play. Her subordinate nature can no longer rule her. She knows she needs to be a strong individual for several reasons. 

Britt Berke has directed with such clarity and hard-edged honesty which is what the play intends. 

While the performers are all fine it is indeed the radiant presence of Price whose character goes through a difficult transformation that she becomes the shining star of this production. 

The play concentrates on the inner strength and fortitude to get thought difficult times with the help of even one or two good friends to get you through. It may not be family at all but friends who reach out and help to make you survive what feels like insurmountable difficulties.  And besides that you need your own inner determination which Francie is ingrained with. 

Bravo to the Mint for presenting among the finest shows of the current season. 

Photos: Todd Cerveris

Tickets are available at City Center Stage ll 131 West 55th Street.

 A Bright New Boise

     By Joseph Cervelli

While Samuel D. Hunter's 2010 play "A Bright New Boise" which is having its off Broadway debut at the Signature Theatre is moderately fascinating and absorbing it never truly resonates for a number of reasons. 

Hunter has too many situations going on here. There is the issue of finding the son a character gave up for adoption, lonely people who don't know where to turn, and in the forefront religion. It is not clear exactly how Hunter feels about all kinds of religion but it does not seem to help the characters in his play. 

Interestingly, the action takes place in the break room of a Hobby Lobby Craft Store in Boise, Idaho. Those familiar with this company will be aware that the founders are ingrained in conservative religious beliefs along with strict Christian ideals. Yet, some things here just don't gel. Would one of the characters Leroy (Angus O' Brien) be allowed to wear provocative tee shirts he himself has designed outside of the break room. Hard to believe any store policy would allow an employee to wear such on the selling floor. Can you imagine a conservative Christian institution allowing "F***" to be worn for customers to see. There would be a riot. Hobby Lobby is also anti unions a topic that is gone over very briefly in the beginning of the play. And the manager of the store Pauline (Eva Kaminsky) who was hired to get its failing status back up to par spends most of her time screaming at the employees. Why indeed would she allow Leroy to wear a standard Hobby Lobby shirt without anything underneath? Not exactly realistic.

There is a new employee Will (Peter Mark Kendall) who is starting his first day. We find out Will belonged to a controversial non-denominational church in northern Idaho. He worked he says as both a janitor and bookkeeper. Something happened at the church concerning the pastor which sent the pastor to jail and closed the church down. Hunter does have the audience guessing what exactly transpired which is explained at the end. And it is the last fifteen or so minutes that are the most interesting. I kept wondering why not bring that part of the play into the limelight much earlier. And one of the characters may not be as unassuming as you are led to believe. 

Right from the onset (no real spoiler here) Will announces to the teenage boy Alex (Ignacio Diaz-Silverio) who works there that he is his father who gave him up as a child. Alex has loads of issues which include lying and panic attacks. He also despises his adoptive parents whom he calls alcoholics among other things. Not sure how much is true or not. We also find out that Leroy is his stepbrother. 

As if this is not enough we meet the rather banal Anna (Anna Baryshnikov) who has her own issues trying to find a boyfriend but is very jittery and a rather uninteresting character. For some strange reason the playwright has both entering the lounge area after the store is closed. Will needs the internet for his book and Anna goes there to read. Apparently Will has not service where he is currently living and Anna has to put up with disruptive brothers. Still makes little sense and it would be fine if Hunter had them meet once but twice becomes tedious. 

The performances are adequate but here is a stilted feeling here among all of them. I felt that Oliver  Butler's direction never clearly gives them the energy they should have. The storyline is original but never feels as developed as it should be because too much is transpiring that just never clearly coalesces into a play that should be more involving than it is. 

Tickets are available at the Pershing Square Signature Theater 480 West 42nd Street. 

PHOTOS: JOAN MARCUS