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Jeffrey Sanzel

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The cast, from left, back row, Briana Bronzetti, Liam Marsigliano, and Elizabeth Ladd; second row, Carly Paris, Barbara Walsh and Heather Rose Kuhn; and front row, Ryan Worrell and Steven Uihlein Photo by Peter Lanscombe/Theatre Three Productions, Inc.
A scene from Theatre Three's 'The Adventures of Peter Rabbit' Photo by Peter Lanscombe/Theatre Three Productions, Inc.
A scene from Theatre Three's 'The Adventures of Peter Rabbit' Photo by Peter Lanscombe/Theatre Three Productions, Inc.
A scene from Theatre Three's 'The Adventures of Peter Rabbit' Photo by Peter Lanscombe/Theatre Three Productions, Inc.
A scene from Theatre Three's 'The Adventures of Peter Rabbit' Photo by Peter Lanscombe/Theatre Three Productions, Inc.
A scene from Theatre Three's 'The Adventures of Peter Rabbit' Photo by Peter Lanscombe/Theatre Three Productions, Inc.

By Heidi Sutton

Looking for something fun to do with the kids during Spring Break? May I recommend the most adorablest show around, Theatre Three’s The Adventures of Peter Rabbit, a tale based on the characters and stories created by Beatrix Potter. As a child, Beatrix and her brother were homeschooled and kept sheltered from other children. She turned to her pets, especially her two rabbits — Benjamin Bouncer and Peter Piper — who served as inspiration for her first book, The Tale of Peter Rabbit. 

Now the stories of Flopsy, Mopsy, CottonTail, Peter and Mrs. Rabbit come to life on Theatre Three’s stage in the form of a musical written by Jeffrey Sanzel and the late Brent Erlanson, with musical arrangements by Kevin F. Story. 

The story follows the antics of the mischievous Peter Rabbit and his cousin Benjamin Bunny who have an insatiable appetite for carrots, lettuce, tomatoes, parsley, cucumbers and string beans. Where can they find such a cornucopia? In their neighbor Mr. McGregor’s garden, of course! 

But taking without asking is not very nice and one too many trips to the garden patch gets Peter caught by the farmer. Will he end up as rabbit stew or will the McGregors and the Rabbits come to a compromise?

Directed by Sanzel, the incredible cast of eight adult actors present a high-energy, fast-paced show that keep children at the edge of their seats with audience participation as the cast walk or run up and down the aisles.

This year’s production has stepped it up several notches with so many special little details including adorable new costumes and wigs by Jason Allyn, colorful lighting along the walls of the theater and fresh choreography. The bunnies even sport new ears and a tail!

The show uses the set from the theater’s Mainstage production, Steel Magnolias, for the rabbit house and quickly transform it into the McGregor’s garden with a fence, bushes and trees. 

The most special part of the production is the musical numbers. From the catchy duet “One More Time Around” with Peter and Benjamin to the hip hop number “Peter’s Socks,” the songs are heart of the show. The final number incorporates all of the songs in a super mega-mix extravaganza.

This wonderful spring production is guaranteed to keep both kids and parents entertained. Don’t miss it.

Souvenir bunnies in spring colors will be sold before the show and during intermission for $5 (proceeds will help maintain the historic building) and the entire cast will be in the lobby for photos after the show.

Sponsored by Furnari Exit Realty, Theatre Three, 412 Main St., Port Jefferson presents The Adventures of Peter Rabbit on April 21, 22, 23, 30 and May 7 at 11 a.m. with a special sensory sensitive performance on April 24 at 11 a.m. Children’s theater continues with Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs from May 28 to June 18, and Puss-In-Boots from July 8 to 30. All seats are $10. To order, call 631-928-9100 or visit www.theatrethree.com.

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Photo courtesy of A24

Reviewed by Jeffrey Sanzel

“Happy families are all alike; every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way.” The famous opening line of Tolstoy’s Anna Karenina could also apply to the chaos and vexation that emanates from Everything Everywhere All at Once, the twisty science fiction black comedy from writer-directors Dan Kwan and Daniel Scheinert (known collectively as “Daniels”).

Photo courtesy of A24

The film opens with Evelyn Wang (Michelle Yeoh) struggling to get ready for an IRS audit while the family prepares for a Chinese New Year party. Her kind but mostly ineffectual husband, Waymond (Ke Huy Quan), does all he can to calm her, but his eagerness to please is more of a hindrance. Adding to the familial strife, Waymond has just served Evelyn with divorce papers, which barely registers with his overwhelmed spouse.

Evelyn’s father, Gong Gong (James Hong), for whom Evelyn has been a life-long disappointment, has arrived from China to live with them. Her conflicted daughter, Joy (Stephanie Hsu), tries to get the family to accept her girlfriend, Becky (Tallie Medel). Finally, they are confronted with Deirdre Beaubeirdra (Jamie Lee Curtis), the IRS inspector who embodies the worst elements of bureaucracy.

There is enough here to generate a domestic drama of complexity and interest. However, Everything Everywhere All at Once is an exploration of multi-universe theory. As Evelyn and Waymond ride the elevator to their IRS meeting, Waymond shifts to his Alpha/alternate self, explaining that the Alpha Evelyn is dead and only this version of Evelyn can save the multiverse. The entire structure of parallel existence is threatened by Jobu Tupaki, Alpha Waymond and Alpha Evelyn’s daughter. Jobu Tupaki experiences all universes simultaneously and can verse-jump and manipulate matter.

What fascinates is this Evelyn is the worst of all the Evelyns. Alpha Waymond tells her she has made every wrong choice and bad decision. But ironically, since she is the least gifted, she has the greatest capacity for change. Drawing on her many selves, she begins to own not just the powers of these different incarnations, but she becomes more connected to herself in “the present.”

The film presents a range of universes during the brisk (if slightly long) two hours and fifteen minutes. Evelyn’s many faces included a martial arts film star, an opera singer, a chef, and more. Some are glimpsed; others are revisited multiple times. From each, she gains not just skills but understanding.

Photo courtesy of A24

Along the way, the filmmakers present well-known sci-fi tropes, dramatic and emotional encounters, and a plethora of action sequences. But added to the mix are outrageous concepts, including a world where the inhabitants have hotdogs for fingers. The mispronunciation of Ratatouille results in a story focused on a cook and raccoon and the most nihilistic and heart-warming encounter between two rocks on a planet with no life. The extreme absurdity somehow plays winningly into the overall chaos.

Jobu Tupaki’s manifestation of oblivion is a black hole that she refers to as the Everything on a Bagel. The idea is that evil is when nothing matters.

The uniformly strong cast adeptly portrays various versions of themselves. And while they play the story straight, their comedic timing appropriately shines. Yeoh anchors the film in her pain and triumph, facing her foes and her inner demons, sliding from one manifestation to another.

Quan’s alternating between the self-actualized Alpha Waymond and the Thurber-esque husband is seamless. Hsu manages to embody the stressed, frustrated daughter and the manipulative destroyer and allows elements of both personalities to inform the other. Hong easily goes from the vaguely unaware grandfather to an almost militant leader. The always wonderful Curtis brings depth to the most extreme characters.
Everything Everywhere All at Once is an artistic triumph, due in no small part to Larkin Seiple’s peripatetic, vivid cinematography. Jason Kisvarday’s production design, along with Shirley Kurata’s costume design, create a range of unique worlds, from the pedestrian reality to the wildly inventive.

The smallest decision creates a new branch in time; a missed chance affects the course of both the individual and the entire world. Deftly harnessing the concept of infinite parallel universes, Everything Everywhere All at Once’s heart suggests every choice is an opportunity. But more than that, as Alpha Waymond states: “We are useless alone.” The final message of connection rises above all else. Don’t miss the chance to take this very meta, often bizarre, but finally uplifting journey.

Rated R, Everything Everywhere All at Once is now playing in local theaters.

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Clockwise from back row left, Ginger Dalton, Stephanie Moreau, Christine N. Boehm, Marci Bing, Linda May and Michelle LaBozzetta. Photo by Steven Uihlein/Theatre Three Productions, Inc.

By Tara Mae

“Laughter through tears is my favorite emotion.”

This famous line from Robert Harling’s Steel Magnolias embodies the ethos of the comedy-drama, which is Theatre Three’s next Mainstage production, opening on April 9.

Spanning three years in the lives of a group of Southern women, the play explores how the depth of their bonds sustain them through triumphs and tragedies. Harling wrote the play in 1985 as a way of processing his sister’s death and paying homage to the women from his childhood. It was later adapted into an award-winning film starring Sally Field, Julia Roberts, Shirley MacLaine, Dolly Parton, Olympia Dukakis and Daryl Hannah.

Unlike the film version, the play exists strictly in the world of women, featuring female characters with the male characters only referenced through dialogue. 

“Working with an all-female cast was absolutely wonderful, and we all talked about how we connected to material both as mothers and daughters. I love that in this show every single person is integral to the play, and it really celebrates the strengths of these women and the beauty of their souls and personalities,” said director Mary Powers. 

Starring Stephanie Moreau (Truvy), Christine N. Boehm (Annelle), Marci Bing (Clairee), Michelle LaBozzetta (Shelby), Linda May (M’Lynn), and Ginger Dalton (Ouiser), Steel Magnolias is a personal favorite of Artistic Director Jeffrey Sanzel, who first saw the play when it debuted off-Broadway in 1987.

“I believe it is an absolutely perfect play. Very few plays are as well constructed as Steel Magnolias. It is one of the top ten theater experiences of my life. I do not think there is one moment that is false or one moment that does not work. This is the second time we have done it…and we felt it was time to bring it back for our 50th season,” Sanzel said. 

Unfortunately, the 50th anniversary season (2019-2020), designed to showcase some of the of the theater’s most revered productions, was cut short due to the pandemic lockdown.  The cast was completing the rehearsal process and preparing to open the show when the world around it abruptly shut down, and  the show was postponed. After a two-year delay, rehearsals resumed in February of 2022.

“We were very committed to the project. We thoroughly enjoyed the rehearsal process the first time around and were all very invested in coming back, which everyone did,” Powers said. “We kept our schedules clear for that time. It was like riding a bike; one rehearsal and we were back to where we had been with the exact same casting, exact same roles. Nothing changed at all. We all had our scripts and got to work. We get along so well, and the cast and crew are a delight to work with.” 

Interpersonal, emotional connections onstage are reflected in the dynamic between the actresses, who also kept in touch with Powers and Sanzel during the hiatus. 

“One of the best feelings I’ve had thus far was at our read through this year. Finally being together again, hearing everyone’s voices, laughing and crying as we read was such a unique experience and I’ll cherish it forever,” said LaBozzetta. 

The dedication to the material, its message, and each other are highlights of the process, according to Bing, who played the role of M’Lynn in Theatre Three’s production in the 1990s. “We have a strong connection onstage as well as offstage. I love the whole group, which makes it easy to connect,” she said. 

For LaBozzetta, after the interrupted pre-production process, opening the show is a relief. “I am most looking forward to finally having an audience! We’ve been having so much fun in rehearsals and I just cannot wait to share what we’ve created.”

Theatre Three, 412 Main Street, Port Jefferson presents Steel Magnolias from April 7 to May 9. Tickets are $35 adults, $28 seniors and students, $20 for children ages 5 and up. For more information, call 631-928-9100 or visit www.theatrethree.com.

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Jared Leto as Dr. Michael Morbius in a scene from the film. Photo courtesy of SONY Pictures

Reviewed by Jeffrey Sanzel

There are good superhero pictures. There are memorable vampire films. Some movies fall under guilty pleasures — entertainment for the sake of fun. Then there is Morbius which manages to get almost everything wrong.

Morbius, the Living Vampire, first appeared in Marvel Comics’ The Amazing Spider-Man (issue #101; October 1971). Due to a failed experiment intended to cure a rare blood disease, the former biochemist, Michael Morbius, was imbued with vampire-like abilities. While he became one of Spider-Man’s antagonists, he was also an adversary of Blade, the vampire hunter. (Originally, Morbius was to appear in Blade (1998) but was cut.)

Morbius follows a similar origin story. A prologue in a private clinic in Greece shows genius ten-year-old Michael Morbius (Charlie Shotwell) joined by the younger Lucien (Joseph Esson), whom he dubs Milo. The boys share the same blood illness that requires constant infusions. They form a deep and lasting connection.

Twenty-five years later, Michael (Jared Leto) is now a successful scientist who has just declined the Nobel Prize. He has now received funding to develop a treatment using vampire bats, and he creates a lab on a private vessel in international waters. Unfortunately, the remedy causes him to have vampiric characteristics, and he murders the entire crew. 

He escapes the vessel and returns to New York. Endowed with new powers (strength, speed, reflexes, and super-hearing), he struggles with a bloodlust he staves off with the serum. However, the efficacy and duration become shorter. The now wealthy Milo (Matt Smith) discovers that Michael has found a cure but becomes furious when Michael refuses to share it. Incensed, Milo goes rogue. Meanwhile, FBI agents Simon Stroud (Tyrese Gibson) and Al Rodriguez (Al Madrigal) investigate Morbius’ victims.

While there is nothing original about the plot, in the right hands, the story is potentially engaging. However, Daniel Espinosa’s uninspired direction of Burk Sharpless and Matt Sazama’s inept script make for an anemically leaden, mostly unwatchable hour and a half. 

The dialogue is an insult to clichés. “You get to live, and I get to die,” says Milo. To which Michael responds, “It’s a cure. Forget me, brother.” Later, Morbius says, “Where is the brother I used to have?” Even better is his statement: “I’m starting to get hungry. You don’t want to see me when I’m hungry.” But the nadir is given to Rodriguez, who, looking at one of the victims, is forced to deliver with a straight face: “Those puncture wounds … do they look like fang marks to you?”

Even if The Batman’s noirish cinematography is not to your taste, there is a commitment to style. Here, Oliver Wood provides a murky atmosphere. The desaturation creates a dullness that reflects the film’s lack of energy. When Morbius isn’t drinking his artificial plasma from what looks like Sunny D pouches, there is action, but it feels pedestrian and predictable. The extended fights are not so much by the numbers as they are just numb. Worst of all, the visual effects are bizarre, bargain basement, and just plain annoying. However, it’s a good day to be a CGI bat.

Jared Leto is surprisingly bland in a role that calls for grand strokes. Even when declaring, “I brought this into the world — it’s up to me to take it out,” he lacks passion, running the gamut from A to … well, A. Michael is not so much a mad scientist as a mildly peeved one. He growls and snarls when transformed into the beast, but the ferocity is just above an irritated puppy. 

Matt Smith, best known as the eleventh Dr. Who, has quirky fun with the antagonist, but the homoerotic connection between Michael and Milo is underdeveloped. While the writers hint around the edges (the Spartan reference “We are the few against the many” has multiple levels), they pull punches by introducing a pallid love interest for Michael with scientist Martine Bancroft (Adria Arjona, drastically underused). Poor Gibson and Madrigal have little screen time and even less to do. (Maybe they’ve been spared.)

The epilogue more than hints at a future crossover into the Spider-Verse. Michael Keaton appears in a cameo in the credits as Adrian Toomes, a.k.a. The Vulture. It speaks volumes that ninety seconds in the credits have generated more interest than the ninety minutes of film. 

Sadly, Morbius is not a traditional vampire tale, so it cannot be vanquished by stake, sunlight, or holy water. Morbius says, “It’s not a curse. It’s a gift.” Sorry. You got that reversed.

Rated PG-13, Morbius is now playing in local theaters.

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A scene from 'I Am Here'. Photo courtesy of @Micha Serraf/ Sanktuary Films

By Jeffrey Sanzel

The opening of Jordy Sank’s documentary I Am Here is a montage of news reports from recent anti-Semitic events. It is a visual and emotional assault, with the ever-present and always disturbing swastika. From this, he cuts to a disc jockey at a Jewish radio station talking about Holocaust survivor Ella Blumenthal’s response to a hateful attack from a Holocaust denier. In Blumenthal’s letter, she offers to meet with the author. She wants to answer hate with a connection. 

I Am Here is an account of Blumenthal’s life. Celebrating her 98th birthday in Cape Town, South Africa, surrounded by her children, grandchildren, and friends, she relates her story. 

A scene from ‘I Am Here’. Photo courtesy of @Micha Serraf/ Sanktuary Films

Born in Warsaw, she was 18 years old when World War II broke out in 1939. She lost 23 family members—“dear souls”—sent from the Warsaw Ghetto to the Treblinka death camp. She, her father, and her niece, Roma, went into hiding, but following the Ghetto uprising, the three were deported to Majdanek. She witnessed her father struck down by a guard—which was the last time she saw him. In 1943, she and Roma were sent to Auschwitz-Birkenau (where she was tattooed prisoner 48632) and finally ended in Bergen-Belsen before liberation. 

Blumenthal shares her harrowing journey with passion and raw honesty. Speaking of things that she had held inside for years, her details evoke deep pain. She remembers the smell of burning feathers in the destruction of the Ghetto. She tells of the room in which they were held before deportation. At night, guards would come and take young girls and rape them. 

The camps’ horrors are told in vivid, clear detail. She relates of nearly being gassed but getting a reprieve because the quota of five hundred exterminations had been filled. She describes the hanging of a prisoner after an escape attempt. At one point, Roma was contemplating suicide by throwing herself on the electrified fence. When they arrived in Bergen-Belsen, the camp had become nothing more than a charnel house, with the dead and dying everywhere. But even in this nightmare, she states: “I never lost hope, even in the darkest times of my life.”

She believes it was neither luck nor chance but God that helped her survive. Even in her tenth decade, she shows joy, light, and appreciation for all she has. She strives to bond with people, making visits, going on Facebook, and talking to her niece, who lives in New York. She believes that we must “make friends and show kindness.”

Her post-war life led her to Paris, then Palestine, where she met her South African husband, Isaac. They wed after only knowing each other for thirteen days. After that, they moved to Johannesburg, where they opened a business and raised a family. Her married life is shown in a wealth of home movies.

A scene from ‘I Am Here’. Photo courtesy of @Micha Serraf/ Sanktuary Films

Juxtaposed with her history are clips of her current life: spending time with family, swimming, walking, and even making the Sabbath challah. References to “no food must be wasted” and “the plate must be cleared,” as well as a certain frugality (the use of one tea bag to make multiple cups), are presented with humor tinged with the shadow of one who went without.

What separates I Am Here from similar documentaries is the 2D animation. Created by Greg Bakker, the rough cartoons enhance the narrative with muted colors and stilted movement. These sections are more effective and affecting than the standard archival photos and stock footage that are employed elsewhere in the film. These moving illustrations create haunting images.

At the behest of her husband’s family, Blumenthal had her tattoo removed, an unusual and disturbing request, essentially eradicating her experience. She claimed the resulting scar was from a freak car accident. For years, she did not tell her children about her suffering “because the open wounds were still bleeding.” And yet, the adult children speak of her waking up screaming from nightmares. Blumenthal said that these terrible dreams were of the Nazis taking her children. Unfortunately, these questions and ramifications are not fully addressed. The letter from the beginning of the film is never mentioned again.

Blumenthal touches on some of the things that still haunt her. When speaking of her lost family, she muses, “Every person has a grave to go to. I have none. Not even ashes.” She admits that she had trouble mixing with people after the War for they did not know what she went through. She had to build a family to find a new world.

I Am Here offers a portrait of survival but a celebration of life. Blumenthal demonstrates gratitude for the family “next to her now” and “who can hear her when she laughs or cries.” People come to her for blessings as they see her as a source of positivity. She fears that what happened could happen again, and “we should not forget.” But her final message is “We must love people around us. Love everybody” — a powerful statement from a remarkable person.

Rated PG-13, I Am Here is now playing in local theaters.

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Zoë Kravitz and Robert Pattinson in a scene from the film. Photo courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures

By Jeffrey Sanzel

Batman first appeared on screen in the 1940s serials Batman and Batman and Robin. His next appearance was in the high camp television series, where Adam West fought a rogues’ gallery of villains played by beloved Hollywood character actors. In 1989, he resurfaced in the Tim Burton Batman, with Michael Keaton in the title role and Jack Nicholson as the Joker. Three sequels of descending quality followed. 

Robert Pattinson as Batman in a scene from the film. Photo courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures

Director Christopher Nolan rebooted the franchise in 2005 with Batman Begins and Christian Bale donning cape and cowl. The Dark Knight and The Dark Knight Rises followed in 2008 and 2012. Ben Affleck became the most recent Batman, taking on Batman vs. Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016) and Justice League (2017). Throughout the Caped Crusader’s history, he was seen in various animated incarnations, ranging from the tame Saturday morning cartoons to the challenging Batman: The Killing Joke.

After several false starts with Affleck helming as actor, director, and co-author, The Batman has reached the screen with a different vision. Matt Reeves took an alternate approach, co-writing the screenplay with Peter Craig. Leaving behind Affleck’s action-driven script, Reeves explores Batman in a real-world environment. 

If it’s always sunny in Philadelphia, it’s always raining in Gotham. Undoubtedly, this cinematic Batman is the darkest. And while the Dark Knight rises, the sun does not. Gotham is a world of shadows, a city of chaos and utter corruption. A perpetual sense of disease permeates every corner of a world devoid of safety.

The plot centers around Edward Nashton (Paul DanPaul Dano, channeling the Zodiac Killer), a.k.a. The Riddler, who is eliminating people he feels have abused their power. The film opens with the murder of the mayor who was stepping out on his wife with a woman connected to the Iceberg Lounge, run by underworld mob boss Carmine Falcone (John Turturro). 

Falcone’s number two is thug Oswald “Oz” Cobblepot (unrecognizable Colin Farrell), nicknamed “the Penguin.” The missing woman’s roommate is lounge server Selina Kyle (a phenomenal Zoë Kravitz), a burglar and drug dealer, who is—or will become—Catwoman. Throughout the slightly bloated three hours of playing time, skeletons come to light, including an unsavory history of Bruce Wayne’s parents and a connection to an orphanage where Nashton was raised.

Zoë Kravitz and Robert Pattinson
in a scene from the film.
Photo courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures

For the most part, Batman’s communication style has been a monotone growl. As played by Robert Pattinson, Batman maintains a gravelly, tight-lipped demeanor. But he introduces an underlying neurotic intensity, reflecting that he is only two years into his crime-fighting career. Pattinson’s Bruce Wayne is not the millionaire playboy living in splendor. Instead, he broods in a decaying Gothic manor worthy of Miss Havisham. 

In addition, Bruce is trapped in a codependent relationship with antagonistic butler Alfred (Andy Serkis, given not enough screen time). Alfred reminds him that he is ignoring his responsibilities. This original approach works, giving depth and insight into the struggle of maintaining two separate existences.

While Batman has often been on the perimeters of society, here he is a true outcast. The police—infested with crooked dealings—see him as a freak. His sole ally is Lieutenant James Gordon (Jeffrey Wright, in a first-rate, definitive interpretation), who truly understands his value.

“Fear is a tool,” states this Batman. “They think I’m hiding in the shadows, but I am the shadows.” His motto is straightforward: “I am vengeance.” Part of him believes Gotham is beyond saving—“maybe it’s eating itself.” With monomaniacal drive, he tries to eradicate the criminal element on all levels to exorcise his demons. He has not yet found a more altruistic drive.

The Batman draws on multiple sources from the comic book but eschews the whimsical villainy for true horror. The Riddler is ridding Gotham of those he feels have betrayed the people. He is “unmasking this cesspool of a city,” a distorted reflection of Batman’s mission. Gone are the green tights with a question mark emblem. Instead, he is a sadistic serial killer cut in the Seven vein, often enacting crimes that call to mind Saw’s Jigsaw. While never fully seen, the vicious murders are suggested clearly. He does not have henchman but instead online followers. This is a timely and more frightening proposition, especially in the film’s finale.

Farrell’s Penguin little resembles anything in the Batman canon. Absent are the traditional umbrella, top hat, monocle, and cigarette. Instead, buried under a fat suit and layers of prosthetics, Farrell’s hoodlum is a plotting opportunist. Perhaps closest to expectations is Kravitz’s conflicted and complicated Catwoman, generating heat and danger.

The Batman focuses on the idea that choices have consequences, and responsibility must go beyond vengeance. In the end, Reeves aims for nobility in the final message. Batman embraces survival to transform. He will endure not for payback but to make the world a better place. He acknowledges that there will be people who will take advantage of Gotham’s vulnerability. But, for him, it must be about not dwelling solely in darkness. Whether this is an earned, uplifting coda or just pulling punches from the film’s true grit is left to the individual viewer. Either way, a forthcoming sequel will find a Batman with a higher purpose, continuing those steps into the light.

Rated PG-13, The Batman is now playing in local theaters.

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The cast of the 23rd annual Festival of One Act Plays
A scene from 'Confessions of a Successful Playwright' with Stephen Wangner and Tamralynn Dorsa
A scene from 'The Turn Around' with Antoine Jones and Steve Ayle
A scene from 'The Turn Around' with Antoine Jones and Steve Ayle
A scene from 'Benign Departures' by Mary Ellin Kurtz and Tamralynn Dorsa
A scene from 'Benign Departures' by Mary Ellin Kurtz and Tamralynn Dorsa
A scene from 'The Beat Goes On' with Sari Feldman and Steve Ayle
The cast of 'The Beat Goes On'
A scene from 'Bad China' with Brittany Lacey and Evan Teich
A scene from 'Bad China' with Brittany Lacey and Steven Uihlein
A scene from 'Play Date' with Bradlee Bing, Stephen Wangner and Eric J. Hughes
A scene from 'Play Date' with Bradlee Bing and Eric J. Hughes

By Heidi Sutton

After a two-year delay because of COVID, the Festival of One-Act Plays returns to Theatre Three in all its glory. Now in its 23rd year, the One-Acts are a wonderful opportunity for audiences to watch actors hone their craft up close and personal on the theater’s Second Stage. The festival opened last Sunday for a 10-performance run.

Festival founder and Executive Artistic Director Jeffrey Sanzel was tasked with selecting six original works from over 500 submissions and then selected an uber talented cast to tell their story. Fantastic costumes designed by Jason Allyn (with special mention to The Beat Goes On) tie it all together resulting in an incredible evening of live theater. 

“For the first time on any stage, these works come to life,” said Sanzel. “How challenging and exciting to present a unique universe in the space of no more than 25 minutes—and often as short as ten…” in a two-hour marathon in the cozy setting of The Ronald F. Peierls Theatre on the Second Stage, a space so intimate that “there is no wall. There is no division.” 

The show opens with Philip Darg’s Confessions of a Successful Playwright, a hilarious look at One-Act Festivals of all things. Wade Lawson (Stephen T. Wangner) meets up with a reporter (Tamralynn Dorsa) for an interview to share his struggles, triumphs, determination and eventual obsession to becoming the most produced, but least known, playwright in history.

Next up is The Turn-Around, by Cary Pepper. In a constant battle with his next door neighbor Lester’s many assault rifles and gun range, Robert (Antoine Jones) approaches Lester (Steve Ayle), with a change of heart in their ongoing war over the Second Amendment. The Turn-Around addresses one of today’s hot button issues from a wickedly humorous point-of-view.  

The first half concludes with the darkest offering of the evening. Joshua Young’s disturbing Bad China shows Nos (Steven Uihlein) asking for a favor from his sister, Reba (Brittany Lacy), which she keeps from her husband, Del (Evan Teich). A brutal portrait of the opioid crisis is played out within a dysfunctional family, where choices lead to harrowing results.

After a brief intermission, the show continues with Benign Departures, Tony Pasqualini’s vision of a national health crisis from a catastrophic perspective. Set some fifty years in the future, Dr. Elizabeth Baker (Tamralynn Dorsa) visits the homeless Maggie Elmer (Mary Ellin Kurtz) and a battle of wills ensues in which the two very different people find a common ground and a deeper understanding.

Ariana Rose’s comedy The Beat Goes On takes a peek at what goes on inside a display case at the Smithsonian, as various musical containers vie for superiority. Hilarity ensues as Cass (Sari Feldman), Trax (Steve Ayle), L.P. (Antoine Jones), Cee Dee (Brittany Lacey), and Dayta (Steven Uihlein) all hope for a transfer to the newer adjacent display case, leaving the audience in stitches.

The evening closes with Frank Tangredi’s Play Date, a whimsical look at fatherhood from two very different perspectives. The elderly Lou Gershwin (Bradlee Bing) just had a child with his second wife who is 30 years younger and 15-year-old Tyler Hill (Eric J. Hughes) gets limited visitation rights with his child. Meeting at a park bench, the two fathers share their stories and connect in a poignant, charming story.

With an excellent lineup and incredible cast, this festival is not to be missed. Get your ticket before they’re sold out.

Sponsored by Lippencott Financial Group, Theatre Three, 412 Main St., Port Jefferson will present The 23rd annual Festival of One-Act Plays through April 2. Please note: The plays contains adult language and subject matter. Parental discretion is advised. Running time is two hours with one 15-minute intermission. All seats are $20. To order, call the box office at 631-928-9100 or visit www.theatrethree.com

All photos by Peter Lanscombe/Theatre Three Productions, Inc.

 

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A scene from the show. Photo by Peter Lanscombe/Theatre Three Productions, Inc.
A scene from the show. Photo by Peter Lanscombe/Theatre Three Productions, Inc.
A scene from the show. Photo by Peter Lanscombe/Theatre Three Productions, Inc.
Josie McSwane as the Wicked Witch of the West and Stephanie Moreau as Glinda in a scene from the show. Photo by Peter Lanscombe/TheatreThreeProductionsInc.
A scene from the show. Photo by Peter Lanscombe/Theatre Three Productions, Inc.
A scene from the show. Photo by Peter Lanscombe/Theatre Three Productions, Inc.
A scene from the show. Photo by Peter Lanscombe/Theatre Three Productions, Inc.
A scene from the show. Photo by Peter Lanscombe/Theatre Three Productions, Inc.
A scene from the show. Photo by Peter Lanscombe/Theatre Three Productions, Inc.
A scene from the show. Photo by Peter Lanscombe/Theatre Three Productions, Inc.
A scene from the show. Photo by Peter Lanscombe/Theatre Three Productions, Inc.
The cast of 'Dorothy's Adventures in Oz'. Photo by Peter Lanscombe/TheatreThreeProductionsInc.
The cast of 'Dorothy's Adventures in Oz'. Photo by Peter Lanscombe/TheatreThreeProductionsInc.
A scene from the show. Photo by Peter Lanscombe/Theatre Three Productions, Inc.

By Heidi Sutton

Extra! Extra! Read all about it! Theatre Three in Port Jefferson has a brand new children’s show and it’s over the rainbow!

First published in 1900 as a children’s book titled The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum, the story of Dorothy Gale and her three travel companions in the Land of Oz has given rise to many sequels, spin-offs and adaptations including radio shows, musicals and the iconic 1939 MGM film starring a 16-year-old Judy Garland.  

Now Theatre Three presents a brand new take on the classic tale with the world premiere of the family-friendly musical Dorothy’s Adventures in Oz. While the message stays the same, the show features over 10 original song and dance numbers as it travels down the Yellow Brick Road.

We first meet Dorothy at the L. Frank Baum Central School in Harrison Corner. As the editor of the Baum Bugle, she is on deadline trying to get the paper out when a big storm approaches. A wind knocks her down and when she awakens she finds herself in Munchkinland. 

Her news stand has landed on the Wicked Witch of the North causing her demise. When confronted by the Wicked Witch of the West, Dorothy is protected by Glinda the Good Witch who gives her those famous ruby slippers and sends her down the Yellow Brick Road to the Emerald City to find the Wizard of Oz who can help her get home.

Along the way Dorothy meets a Scarecrow who wants a brain, a Tinman who yearns for a heart, and a Lion who longs for courage. The three join her on her quest and the adventure begins.

Directed by Jeffrey Sanzel, the cast of nine adult actors embrace the wonderful script and run with it. Incredibly all of the scenes from the iconic movie are there: the talking apple trees, the poppies, meeting the Wizard, the flying monkeys, the Winkies and the melting scene, with several actors playing multiple roles.

With a wonderful singing voice, Katie Lemmen is perfectly cast as the sweet yet determined Dorothy who learns many lessons on her journey. Sari Feldman knocks it out of the park as the limber Scarecrow with a great tap dance number titled “I Think” and Steven Uihlein is excellent in the role of the Tinman who keeps rusting up. 

However, it is Finn MacDevitt, in the role of that fraidy-cat Lion terrified of his own tail, who draws the most laughs and is simply divine. His “I’m a Lion” solo is terrific.

Toto, played by the incomparable and adorable Shay Francis Feldman, makes a well-behaved appearance in the first and final scene. 

Stephanie Moreau and Josie McSwane make a wicked good pair as Glinda and the Wicked Witch of the West, Jason Furnari is a wise Wizard, Liam Marsigliano is a hilarious Winkie and Heather Rose Kuhn’s winged monkey is charming.

The song and dance numbers choreographed by Sari Feldman and  accompanied on piano by Douglas J. Quattrock are energetic, creative and fun with special mention to “Pitta-Pat” and “Poppies!”

The astounding special effects with the lighting and sound, the awesome props (wait until you see the crystal ball!) coupled with the impressive polished costumes by Jason Allyn are the icing on the cake.

A fun afternoon for the entire family, Dorothy’s Adventures in Oz is a wonderful reminder that “there’s no place like home!”

Theatre Three, 412 Main St., Port Jefferson presents Dorothy’s Adventures in Oz through March 26. Children’s theatre continues with The Adventures of Peter Rabbit from April 16 to May 7 and Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs from May 28 to June 18. All seats are $10. For more information or to order, call 631-928-9100 or visit www.theatrethree.com.

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Haley Bennett and Peter Dinklage in a scene from the film. Photo courtesy of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer/ Peter Mountain © 2021 Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures Inc. All Rights Reserved.

By Jeffrey Sanzel

The works of prolific writer Edmond Rostand (1868-1918) included plays for legendary actor Sarah Bernhardt and Les Romanesques (1894), the inspiration for the musical The Fantasticks (1960). But his most enduring work is Cyrano de Bergerac (1897). Rostand based his drama on the life of French novelist, playwright, and duelist Savinien de Cyrano de Bergerac (1619-1655).

Haley Bennett as Roxanne and Kelvin Harrison Jr. as Christian in a scene from the film. Photo courtesy of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer

In the play, nobleman Cyrano is a cadet in the French Army. Articulate and talented, bold and brash, Cyrano has an exceptionally large nose. His extraordinary proboscis prevents him from expressing his love for his beautiful cousin, Roxanne, fearing his ugliness would cause her to reject him. So instead, he aids the handsome Christian Neuvillette in his courtship of Roxanne.

The first production opened on December 27, 1897, and starred Benoît-Constant Coquelin, who went on to play the role over four hundred times. Subsequent productions were mounted across the globe.

The longest-running Broadway production starred Walter Hampden, in a translation by Brian Hooker; his adaptation became the standard until the 1980s. The best-known Cyrano was José Ferrer, who received a Tony and an Academy Award for his portrayal. Other stars and other translators have since put their enduring impression on the story. Anthony Burgess turned his 1970 adaptation into the libretto for the musical Cyrano (1973), for which Christopher Plummer won a Tony. Steve Martin’s modern screenplay Roxanne (1987) earned him accolades as a writer and actor. 

The story of the selfless soldier with the large nose and eloquent soul has touched audiences on stage and screen for over a century. The newest incarnation, the musical Cyrano, is directed by Joe Wright (Pride & Prejudice, Atonement, Anna Karenina, Darkest Hour, Pan) from a screenplay by Erica Schmidt, based on her 2018 stage adaptation for the off-Broadway production presented by The New Group. 

Haley Bennett stars as Roxanne and Peter Dinklage as Cyrano in Joe Wright’s
CYRANO
A Metro Goldwyn Mayer Pictures film
Photo credit: Peter Mountain
© 2021 Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Starring Peter Dinklage, the production features music by Aaron Dessner and Bryce Dessner (of the band The National). Rather than focusing on an exceptionally large nose, it is Dinklage’s diminutive size that sets him apart.

The plot of the Rostand remains, with Cyrano in love with Roxanne, but, afraid of rejection, he pours his heart and words into writing and coaching another man to win her heart: “I will make you eloquent while you make me handsome.” 

But the tone is dark and raw, set in a gritty world. The sense of unrest, of a country at war, permeates the entire film. From the opening scene to the last moments, the unease reflects the restlessness of the story’s protagonist. Instead of the Cyrano beloved of his fellow soldiers and connected in the community, Dinklage is a figure of isolation. 

With the absence of comradery, the loneliness creates a deeper poignancy. He says wryly, “I am living proof that God has a sick sense of humor.” But the depth of his pain is present. His yearning and struggle with unrequited love are heartbreaking, never too far from the surface. “My fate is to love her from afar.” Dinklage’s performance is nuanced, subtle, and honest.

However, taken as a whole, the film is uneven. The dialogue is a mix of occasional rhyming (that seems to disappear), genuinely eloquent free verse, and jarring anachronisms. Many classic speeches are gone, often feeling like Hamlet without “To be or not to be ….” The absence of Rostand’s whimsy and warmth are replaced with a harsher edge that serves some but not all the film. 

Humor is rare. Oddly, one of the first lines, delivered by Roxanne’s duenna Monica Dolan), is one of the lone quips: “Children need love; adults need money.” But these flashes are rare.

Haley Bennett’s Roxanne is not a fluttering ingenue but as self-actualized as a woman of the era could be. She is best when paired with Dinklage, especially in the pastry shop that neatly bookends their final encounter. Wright directed the first scene in sharp cuts emphasizing the dynamic relationship. 

Kelvin Harrison, Jr., makes for a likable, if too aware, Christian. Christian and Cyrano should be a study in contrast, with the former tongue-tied and awkward; he is never allowed to commit to the character’s social clumsiness. Ben Mendelsohn’s De Guiche is predatory, going from storybook villain to full-on monster. Bashir Salahuddin’s Le Bret is marginalized. Le Bret is meant to be Cyrano’s confidante and confessor; here, he is reduced to a few small scenes. 

Haley Bennett in a scene from ‘Cyrano’. Photo courtesy of MGM

But the largest flaw is the unnecessary and intrusive score. Sounding quasi-Broadway pop, it consistently detracts from the flow of both the action and the passion. Musical construction is designed to transition into song when the characters’ emotions become too large for dialogue. In Cyrano, it seems the opposite. The energy rises only to be arrested by generic tunes and painfully prosaic lyrics. 

Vocally, Harrison, Jr., has the strongest voice. Dinklage has a pleasant rumble, reminiscent of Leonard Cohen and Bennett is pleasant if unremarkable. An entire song is given over to the soldiers before battle. For some reason, the composers have opted for a Country-and-Western sound.

The designs are lavish, with a well-deserved costume Oscar nomination (Massimo Cantini Parrini and Jacqueline Durran). Jeff and Rick Kuperman’s choreography is intriguing if puzzling. The film is violent, with brutal sword fighting ending in death. Cyrano even sets fire to one of his attackers.

But ultimately, Cyrano belongs to Dinklage, and he shines. He says of Roxanne: “Even her imperfections are perfect.” The same could be said of Dinklage.

Rated PG-13, Cyrano is now playing in local theaters.

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'Hands of Gold'

By Jeffrey Sanzel

Author Roni Robbins

At the suggestion of his daughter, nursing home resident Sam Fox records his life story. “Now where to being with this taping for Eliza? I was a decent man, I suppose.” In that “I suppose,” author/journalist Roni Robbins sets in motion the engaging but unreliable narrator in Hands of Gold, subtitled One Man’s Quest to the Find the Silver Lining in Misfortune (Amsterdam Publishers). Sam refers to some of his dormant experiences as “a ravaging tapeworm” that he wanted to purge. What follows is a textured, first-person narrative reflecting turn-of-the-century European life and North American immigration, as well as struggles with money, family, and health. 

 

Robbins’ novel is based on cassette tapes left by her maternal grandfather. In a decade-spanning journey, Hands of Gold’s sweeping nature never loses its intimacy. 

Sam Fox was born in Jacovo, Hungary, in 1905, the ninth child of a poor Jewish family that would eventually grow to thirteen (with his widowed father marrying his wife’s sister to produce the additional offspring). It is a life of farming and prayer for the family. 

Robbins provides a vivid depiction of poverty, threatened by violence and unrest, both in the form of anti-Semitism and the threat of war. She creates the cramped, cold conditions of the shtetl, a large family where servings of food were almost rations. As Sam’s mother would tell them, “That’s what you have and that’s what you eat.” 

Robbins wisely eschews the easy, idyllic family life for one of constant challenges, exacerbated by Sam’s father’s passing and his elder brother’s return. Always in the background is the hope of America—the land where the streets are paved with gold. At age eighteen, Sam escapes the family (as well as dodge army service), ending up destitute in Prague, only to return home. With his second attempt at liberation, he spends time in Germany before crossing the Atlantic and jumping ship in Montreal. The book is a Brave New World adventure story, a unique take on “Go West, young man.”

In Canada, he falls in love with Hannah Stein. The seamstress-Yiddish theatres’ singer is dynamic, self-assured, and strong with an annulled marriage. From the first date to marriage and beyond, the courtship is beautifully chronicled.

At age twenty-one, Sam snuck over the Canadian border. His first impression is not the idealized United States. “As I stepped off the platform, I noted how closely packed the buildings, how shmutzy the streets were with blackened snow and fetid water …” Four of his brothers and four of his sisters had already made homes in America. But even then, it is not a joyous reunion; his sister, Sophie, greets him with a mixed reception.

He witnesses the conflict between immigrants who have forged uneasy assimilation and those who still cling to their old-world Jewish traditions. Robbins never evokes anything less than an honest picture.

Sam finds work and starts a family. Central to his story is tuberculosis developed at age twenty-six. The repercussions and medical setbacks coupled with the separations from his family plague him for years to come. He is in and out of employment, often spending weeks in the hospital or rest facilities, trying to work his way back to Hannah and his children. As in Europe, his existence was marred by poverty. The book chronicles the organizations that supported people like Sam—both government bureaus and Jewish agencies. The services aided but did not fully alleviate the burdens faced by poor and sick people. 

No book on this subject can avoid the effects of the Holocaust. Much of Sam’s family is lost in Europe. Sam’s oldest son served in the post-World War II army, and his experience going through the Displaced Persons camps is poignant and powerful.

Sam ponders generational gaps and muses on the contrast of his childhood with his children. “My children, like most, didn’t comprehend how good they had it. When I grew up, I didn’t always have shoes to wear […] Only on Friday nights did we have to wear shoes. They didn’t necessarily fit properly, but luckily, we only had to wear them for a few hours […] Children learn more when they have their own families to support …” 

Robbins captures Sam’s voice, with its European cadence and liberal use of Yiddish. (The words are easily understood in context or using the book’s glossary.) Sam questions many of his choices but accepts their eventual outcomes. 

“If there’s something I’ve learned, it’s that some days start out badly and don’t get any better. Other days are quite momentous and you have to hold tight to those. Be thankful for every day you experienced love and blessings because you never know when your faith will be tested again.” 

Hands of Gold explores and celebrates the gratitude of one man’s soul. Pick up a copy online Amazon.com or BarnesandNoble.com. For more information on the author, visit www.ronirobbins.com.

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