New Haven Register (Sunday) (New Haven, CT)
Stones at a glass house
Family dysfunction at center of ‘The Engagement Party’
“The dynamics between the family and friends, I thought,
were really fascinating and fun and juicy.”
Beth Riesgraf
New year, new play and a new acting venue for one of the stars of “The Engagement Party,” which begins a Jan. 10-Feb. 3 run on Thursday at Hartford Stage.
Beth Riesgraf, who starred as goodhearted thief Parker in USA Network’s entertaining TV show “Leverage” from 2008-2012, will portray Katherine in a rare stage role.
“The Engagement Party” received a 2018 Edgerton Foundation New Play Award, which provides funds for extended rehearsal time for world premieres deemed to be of special merit. And Hartford Stage, which developed “A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder” and is led by artistic director Darko Tresnjak and managing director Michael Stotts, fit the bill.
“It’s been really wonderful to have the time to get to know one another,” said Riesgraf via phone during the third week of rehearsals, “and work and play and explore the different dynamics with these characters. It’s been really, really fun.”
Los Angeles-based Riesgraf said she always wanted to do live theater but had quick success in TV (including “My Name Is Earl,” where she worked with the actor who would become her son’s father, Jason Lee) and in movies (2007’s “Alvin and the Chipmunks” and “I Love Your Work”).
She met “Engagement Party” writer Samuel Baum in 2013 on a CBS pilot film called “The Surgeon General” — when they recently reconnected, he asked her to consider this play. She auditioned and won the role, alongside Zach Appelman, Richard Bekins and Mia Dillon.
“(Baum) has a style of writing that really keeps you moving and thinking and engaged as a character but also as an audience member reading it,” said Riesgraf of the script.
“It was a real page-turner, and the dynamics between the family and friends, I thought, were really fascinating and fun and juicy.”
Says Tresnjak, in a release, “We have put together a splendid ensemble for the
world premiere of ... Baum’s apprehensive play about the consequences of secrets and lies.”
Under Tresnjak’s direction, the suspenseful modern drama centers on a young couple’s gathering with family and friends to celebrate their engagement. There’s a spiraling sequence of events and revelations that will irrevocably change their lives, says a show description.
“There’s a lot bubbling under the surface for these people, and some things happen that create a situation,” said Riesgraf. “And everyone is kind of caught offguard ... the way that people react when ... the rug is sort of pulled out, you know? That element of surprise and suspense, that journey, is really a lot of fun.”
Riesgraf’s character Katherine “is discovering things along with the audience, which I think is a lot of fun,” she said, careful not to reveal too much about the plot details. “One thing I really love about Katherine is her pureness of heart and her love for everyone around her ... and the way she responds when her world begins to shake and things start to crumble.”
There are light moments, but there’s a darkness about this play,” Riesgraf said, “... a twistedness. And Darko (Tresnjak) is a master at crafting that sort of thing.”
Baum created the Fox TV series “Lie to Me” and co-wrote the 2017 Emmy-nominated HBO film “The Wizard of Lies,” with Robert DeNiro and Michelle Pfeiffer, about the downfall of Bernie Madoff. So he arguably has his finger on the pulse of this age.
Riesgraf, 40, is proud of her five seasons on “Leverage,” she said, and is still friendly with the cast, led by Timothy Hutton.
“The sad thing is we got canceled and then won the People’s Choice Award,” she said. “It was sad to see it go but it was a gift . ... The chemistry was so good from the start.”
And that leads Riesgraf back to “The Engagement Party” at Hartford Stage, where “I’m finding this environment really welcoming and lovely.” She will have to use slightly different acting muscles to play for a live audience instead of the cameras, however.
“It’s just a different playing field, I guess. But because we’ve been rehearsing in the space that’s marked out, and we’re walking around our fake kitchen and hiding in places and scaring each other,” she laughs, “it naturally creates a different feeling from the moment I walked in . ... I’m just really enjoying the time; it feels like a luxury to have this time to do this process.”
Riesgraf has a movie coming out Jan. 18 with Titus Burgess and Tom Everett Scott called “I Hate Kids” (on demand in selected theaters).