‘Orphans’ debuts space; O’Reilly hosts comic Bard
The production of “Orphans” underway in Lawrenceville is a willful act of ground-up theater, from its “let’s put on a play” beginnings to the venue that it calls home. Each piece of the puzzle has been fitted to form a solid, searing drama in a raw and intimate space.
The project began with its cast of three, who determined to mount the 1983 Lyle Kessler play and made it their DIY project. Former University of Pittsburgh classmates Max Pavel and Dylan Marquis Meyers play brothers living on the edge, and their Pitt teacher, Ken Bolden, has the role of an edgy father figure. The characters’ paths collide when Mr. Pavel’s Treat, a petty thief with a violent streak, kidnaps Mr. Bolden’s Harold, a shrewd gangster who needs, among other things, a place to lay low.
Treat and younger brother Phillip (Mr. Meyers) have somehow slipped through the cracks of authorities, living on their own since their mother’s death while they were still children. In Treat’s need for control and his fear of abandonment, he has kept his brother under lock and key, stunting Phillip’s intellectual and emotional growth.
Mr. Meyers immerses himself in the role as a sensitive, near feral young man who hops atop tables and climbs steps like an animal who knows every inch of his habitat. He loves and fears Treat, his helicopter brother, and immediately gravitates to Harold’s show of affection and praise. The worldly Harold turns the tables on the brothers and, in his own warped way, tries to adopt them into his life, having himself grown up in an orphanage.
It’s all more than a bit unlikely — especially the brothers living under the radar. But the underlying tension rarely lets up, so that you feel ever on your guard while building a thirst for what’s next. The raw space at Aftershock Theatre acts as a fitting stand-in for the boys’ decaying Philadelphia row house. On a rainy night early in the run, a fan was employed to move the air around in the seating area for about 30 patrons.
Part of the “Orphans” experience is Aftershock itself. The building at 115 57th St. was unmarked as the play’s run began, but there was a bar on the walk-in level that featured brick walls and decorative metal ceiling panels. Drinks for sale were tied to the play, such as the “Dead End Kids” cocktail.
“Orphans,” which has had two Broadway runs and a movie, now finds itself in a developing piece of Pittsburgh real estate, one that’s ripe for a theatrical adventure.
“Orphans,” hosted by Aftershock Theatre, 115 57th St., Lawrenceville. Through June 23. 8 p.m. ThursdaySaturday; 2 p.m. Sunday. $15; https://orphans.ticketleap.com/aftershock.
‘William Shakespeare’s Long Lost First Play (abridged)’
I came, I laughed, and I laughed some more. And for those who don’t know Shakespeare’s works, you will find things to laugh about, too. There are enough pop culture references, slapstick and silliness to outweigh the, oh, say, “Henry” plays you may or may not have seen. To further allay any fears of not getting the jokes, the savvy Reduced Shakespeare Company has created what comic book fans would call an origin story in its10th work, “William Shakespeare’s Long Lost First Play (abridged).”
The conceit is that a longburied play has been discovered. It is hundreds of acts, filled with characters and plot points as the Bard first envisioned them, all in a single play, before he set everything to rights and built the canon of works we know and revere. And if you are worried that it sounds like the play that goes on forever, one of the RSC’s running gags is that scenes are constantly beingcut on the fly.
It all hinges on a competition between frenemies, Puck from “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” and Ariel from “The Tempest.” As is the wont of these RSC three — Reed Martin, Austin Tichenor and Teddy Spencer — much parody (and some audience participation)ensues. “William Shakespeare’s Long Lost First Play (abridged),” Reduced Shakespeare Company, presented by Pittsburgh Public Theater at the O’Reilly Theater, Downtown. Through July 1. 7 p.m. Tuesday; 8 p.m. WednesdayFriday; 2 and 8 p.m. Saturday and2 and 7 p.m. Sunday (with exceptions). $25, $15.75 for 26 and younger; ppt.org or 412316-1600.
Sharon Eberson: seberson@post-gazette.com or 412263-1960. Twitter: @SEberson_pg.