Word: gelber
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...Training, has decided to stage Faith Healer in the Adams House basement. This two hour talkfest consists of four reminiscences about Francis Hardy (Ben Evett), an itinerant Irish faith healer whose ministrations actually succeed from time to time. Hardy, his wife Grace (Rebecca Clark), and his manager Teddy (Linus Gelber) recall his life, culminating in a disastrous return tour to Ireland. Each character gives his version of the events, with Hardy going first and last; like the famous Japanese short story and film Rashomon, their accounts do not quite measure up with each other. Playwright Brian Friel, who is undergoing...
CONTRARY TO the titular claim, Rosencrantz (Linus Gelber) and Guildenstern (Andrew Watson), those two fatuous forgettables out of Hamlet, have been revived once again. Poor fellows, they're forced once more to wrestle with the existential riddles of Tom Stoppard's 20-year-old classic. Lucky for us, though, because the Leverett House production is a compellingly clever and lively show, a splendid send-off for the house theatricals season...
These first moments hint at the high level of invention and energy sustained throughout the show. Watson's grimacing Guildenstern flips his coins from every conceivable angle and contorted stance, while Gelber's Rosencrantz picks up the coins with a flat unquestioning "Heads." In this way, each quickly establishes a distinct personality for his character; the contrast adds spark to their rapid-fire repartee...
Watson plays Guildenstern as a frustrated intellectual, spinning out syllogisms and setting up models in hope of discovering significance in the larger scheme of life. Gelber's Rosencrantz is more at ease making feeble, hilariously incongruent conversation...
...Gelber's straightforward direction showcases Stoppard's sharp verbal exchanges and dazzling wordplay. He and Watson make a fine team, both of them endearing in their pathetic plight. And but for a few swallowed lines, the supporting cast keeps the inspiring lunacy going at a quick, clever pace. Stoppard's stock of metaphysical puns and absurd rhetoric of despair flies so fast that they rarely become over-bearing. From all sides of the coin, a spirited showing for two of the Bard's interchangeable bit players...