Word: bubriski
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Dates: during 1992-1992
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...Lisbon Traviata focuses on the painful dissolution of the longtime relationship between middle-aged Stephen (Peter Bubriski) and Michael (Peter Husovsky). Michael has fallen in love with a grad student named Paul (Christopher Dawson), leaving Stephen lonely, frightened and jealous. Mendy (Michael O'Hara), their flamboyant (also lonely and frightened) friend, rounds out the cast...
...Bubriski, as Stephen, is equally impressive. During Stephen's long conversation with Mendy, which occupies the entire first act, Bubriski effectively renders his character as a witty but melancholic man on the verge of desperation. The exchange between the two is a true feat of endurance, and these actors pull if off admirably. Ingrid Sonnichsen's direction is also superb--the dialogue is taughtly paced throughout this...
This act is weaker than the first. Husovsky and Dawson perform their parts well if unremarkably, and Bubriski remains strong. The problem mostly lies in the transition from "opera buffa" to "verismo tragedy," as McNally has labelled it. That contrast contains the play's power, but it also puts a strain on its credibility. It is a difficult trick to plausibly turn a witty, realistic play about aging professionals' romantic entanglements into a violent and grand tragedy, no matter how many references to operatic emotion are strewn throughout. Despite the fine acting, the second act drags a little...
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