Word: sidney
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ASSISTANT EDITORS: Ursula Nadasdy de Gallo, Andrea Dorfman, Brigid O'Hara-Forster, William Tynan, Sidney Urquhart, Jane Van Tassel (Department Heads); Bernard Baumohl, David Bjerklie, Val Castronovo, Mary McC. Fernandez, Georgia Harbison, Ratu Kamlani, Sue Raffety, Susan M. Reed, Elizabeth Rudulph, Susanne Washburn, Linda Young...
Despite this slightly sappy plotline, Glenn Kessler is convincing as Sidney, the clownish con-man who is "tired of making other people happy." His delivery is energetic and humorous, and his joking, "aim to please Sid Freeze" mode is wonderfully shallow. While Todd Kessler trods some familiar ground in his choice of characters--he mocks yuppie stereotypes throughout the play--he provides some imaginative, funny material nonetheless. Sidney subscribes to his therapist's theory of "Rosenblatt reality" in which thinking oneself at a place is equated to being there, and Rose's first reaction to Sidney's proclamation that...
...Rose, Esme Howard plays foil to Kessler's Sidney, and depicts a woman who once wanted love but has gotten over it. The ice princess act grows a little tiresome toward the end of the play, but her scenes with Sidney are natural, anchoring Darlene amidst the zaniness of its other characters. One of the most amusing of these is Lucy, a new take on the earthy-actress image that provides a nice small role for Danielle Kwatinetz. Her portrayal is delightfully off beat, with flighty gestures and intonation perfectly matched to her nonsensical train of thought...
...lighting, by Chris Tiffany and Chris Scully respectively, are simple but well-fitting, and especially effective is the placing of Trish (Bethany Leeman), Rose's best friend, in a niche upstage for telephone conversations. The success of these inserts makes us wish we could hear the other side of Sidney's cellular conversations with his all-knowing secretary, who serves as his romantic adviser...
While Darlene has its awkward moments (at one point in the play, Sidney and Rose simply walk off stage for no apparent reason), the momentary lapses are worth the engaging dialogue that Kessler has created. While one of the characters warns "Don't mistake puns for personality," Darlene treats us to a helping of both, with dar-licious results...