It would be easy to copy last year's review of Amy Chini and Tom Zohar's Off the Ground, change the names, and call it a day. But that's impossible. New Village Arts' seasonal offering is different this year. Aside from being a wee bit shorter, John Decal and Jo Anne Glover took over the roles of Joel and Donna this year.
The action takes place in 80-something Grandpa Dick's home, currently occupied by him (Charlie Riendeau) and grandson Joel (John DeCarlo, another new actor).
Not only is Off The Ground excellent holiday fare (happy endings and all), but it is also good theater with conflict and an insightful look into the extended family. And what a family it is. Susan (Wendy Waddell), the older sister of Joel, enters with enough flourish to be a winter tornado. She immediately intimidates her brother and is in verbal combat with her husband, Luke (Terry Scheidt). Just when things start to calm down, the whirling dervish herself enters with her entourage. Mother Virginia (Sandra Ellis-Troy) roars in with husband Jim (Jack Missett) and Donna (Glover). Donna just happens to be in-Joel's age bracket. You guessed it; mom has plans for the two young people. Both have been divorced. He has a young daughter, she childless. Both have scars and wounds from their splits.
This is not your everyday family reunion. The playwrights created major conflicts, heated arguments, and total embarrassment for outsider Donna. Glover's glances from one family member to another reveals an internal dialogue. She wishes she weren't even here, but Joel seems quite nice. She is embarrassed, yet amused. Oh, if we could only hear her thoughts.
Director Joshua Everett Johnson has done something not often seen on the stage. As arguments heat up, he has his actors stepping wildly on each other's lines a true slice of reality. He moves the action along at a fast pace and then has wonderful moments of unbearable silence, creating a point/counter point that puts even more punch into the lively script.
The cast works with such unity that one almost feels embarrassed, as if caught eavesdropping on the folks next door during a verbally abusive argument. Thank you cast, director, and New Village Arts for your continued excellence in theater.
