This has been the weekend to visit old friends. First was the Fritz Blitz's rerun of Bets and Blue Notes. Now, admittedly one of my favorites, John Patrick Stanley's charming blend of romance, dark comedy, music, and dance in New Village Arts' production of Sailor's Song.
Director Kristine Kurner is again at the helm with repeats Amanda Morrow, Amanda Sitton, Robin Christ, and Manny Fernandes (but in a new role) being joined by Joshua Everett Johnson on stage. Much of the same design people joined in this new production.
Sailor's Song has its dark side as Uncle John (Fernandez) is in limbo waiting for his cancer-riddled wife, Carla (Robin Christ), to pass on. There is his love of his wife that he never expressed to her in life. There is romance as Rich (Johnson) is torn between the beauty and intrigues of two women, Lucy (Amanda) - who is seriously falling in love with him - and the very strange Joan (Amanda Sitton) - who toys with him. There is fantasy in dance pieces heavily into Strauss. There are waltzes, of course, as well as ballets. There is romance expressed through the music and dance.
The dance of Rich with Lucy and Joan is sensual and very dramatic. Uncle John's dance with Carla is passionate and captivating. Choreographer Robin Christ, who designed the original dance numbers last year, created an even more dynamic dance for herself and Fernandez this year. The show opens with music accompanying a monologue by Rich.
It is almost impossible to cite just one great moment from Sailor's Song; the script and production are that good. However, a series of scenes by Morrow are unforgettable and truly fascinate me. This actress has the ability to react to another's conversation by a mere change of her eyebrows, a twist of a lip, and absolutely no other physical manifestation. In one scene in which Rich appears captivated by the wiles of Joan, Lucy's intense look tells of the hurt, anger, jealousy, disappointment and fear she feels of possibly losing him. I'm sure it telegraphed that to the entire audience.
The sound and lighting design (Adam Brick and Justin Hall) is dynamic. At times the audience is saturated with the passion of the music as the lighting enhances and changes the mood to fit the dialogue.
Sailor's Song goes to the heart of emotions. Just how is one supposed to react to the imminent death of a spouse? Is there a wrong way? How does a man react to the advances of a strange very strange yet captivating lady? How can he not see the love in the eyes of another? What is this thing called human interaction? Again, what is right and what is wrong? Playwright Shanley simply gives us his examples and leaves it for us to justify or not this scripted actions taking place on the stage or the events in our own lives.
I started this review with the admission that Sailor's Song is one of my favorite plays and, if anything, this production surpasses last year's offering. I quite naturally recommend it highly. It is an intense 80 minutes of drama, romance, music, dance, and boating in the lagoon (almost forgot that). The performances are as perfect as you'll get on any stage.
