Miss Reardon quenches a theater-goer's thirst
Times Herald Record Tuesday May 9 1995 by Marcus Kalipolites
Glen Wild- It may be socially passable to whisper "--and Miss Reardon drinks a little," but what fellow teachers and friends are saying about the three Reardon sisters is that they sure are peculiar. The comedy-drama, with the above quote as title, was written by Paul Zindell, who perceptively deals with the psychological problems of Catherine, Ciel and Anna. While each of them experiences stress in their careers, the crisis they share is less about education the about family problems dredged from the past.
Under the direction of Margery Wadkins, the Sullivan County Dramatic Workshop is staging a two-weekend production that boasts several outstanding performances. In Friday night's opener at the Workshop Theater, it was the resourceful acting of Angela Page that was most captivating. She plays a fragile woman who, besides having been tormented by students, suffers the angst of seeing animals harmed. The teacher, home on sick leave, also believes that she has rabies. In the reflection of taking care of a dying mother, Ms. Page's character whimpers, "I must be losing my mind." It's the latter situation that brings Ciel to the apartment hoping to get Anna confined. If Ms. Page exhibits, in her role of a troubled Anna, emotions that range from pitiable weeping to hysteria of having a fur coat draped on her, Kris Roth as Ciel, on the other hand, maintains the mostly stoic and detached demeanor of a sister who finagles for herself. The high echelon superintendent Ciel not only outranked assistant principal Catherine, but, notwithstanding - standing a frosty persona, was able to steal away her fiancee. "He only married you because you have more loot," says Anna. Catherine is played by Carol Scannell whose character -- distressed by one scheming and one unstable sister -- finds emotional release in caustic remarks as well as gastronomical comfort in eating chunks of raw meant and mindless drinking.
The otherwise weighty story is enlivened by the appearance of Fleur and Bob Stein, neighbors of Catherine and Anna, who are played by Sydelle Blatt and Ken Wells. Ms. Blatt as the social butterfly prattles on and on as her character butters up Ciel for institutional favors. Ken Wells for his part and with no bolds barred, is anything but syrupy as his character not only bluntly chastises Anna for her bizarre behavior, but also enrages her by placing Fleur's fur coat on her head. Rounding out the well-rehearsed players are Jeanne Landon as the busybody Mrs. Pentrano, whose gossip confuses Lebanese with lesbians, and Albert Beluli as the Delivery Boy who is able to survive the sarcasm of Catherine. The tasteful set of a New York City apartment was designed by Ken Wells, who also received warm applause for his riveting performance as he left the stage.
| Home | John | Angela |