The board room is not often a place one finds themselves transported when entering the theatre, but fledgling company Street Corner Arts does just that with its opening play, Men of Tortuga, and we're all the better off for it. The play follows a group of morally bankrupt businessmen who decide to put a hit on one of their rivals, and all the humor and harrowing action that comes along with it. It, of course, can't be that simple, as the play goes through several twists and revearsals to find itself in a very different place than it begins, taking the audience on a wild ride all the while. Under the skilled hand Andrea Skola Summers, a group of Austin's most amazing actors puts on one of the best productions of the year, all from a subject one wouldn't expect from the theatrical medium.
Men of Tortuga is a difficult play to find a favorite performance in, as each of the performers in turn do fantastic work, playing off each other with dazzling skill. It helps, of course, that the play utilizes some of the best talents in town, featuring a cast full of Austin's most acclaimed and award-winning actors, but here they elevate even their own fantastic abilities to stellar levels. There are, however, some actors who stood out brightest among the dazzling stars on stage.
Kenneth Wayne Bradley has made a name for himself playing tough guys, and has even broke into TV and films with the same kind of parts, but here Bradley also gets to stretch his comedy muscles. He plays his hardened hitman with a intellectual bent, spouting out random factoids and technical details that wow the audience with their intricacy. His timing is also on fine display here, as he quips and banters with the best of them, even as he is exerting his strength upon his cohorts. It's a pleasant departure for Bradley, and creates some of the most enjoyable moments in the play, including a hilarious look at the Judas story that brings some of the biggest laughs of the night.
Garry Peters also gives a powerful performance as Kid, a bold and haughty business partner, and the one that brings on much of the play's action. Peters has been praised in the past for his dynamism, and here is gives a varied and deep performance that only cements his place in Austin's elite. Peters plays the grizzled Ironside with gusto, buttering up his young underling Alan, played with admirable subtlety by Benjamin Summers, with a well-practiced smile and a glass of liquor, but it's when Peter's is able to lower his defenses and peel back the armor that he begins to truly shine. There's a sensitivity behind that fine black suit, and its a sensitivity that only comes with age, that feeling of being able to almost see into that lip of the void, and not liking what's waiting on the other side. With a single expression, Peters will find himself dancing on the line between polished businessman and emotional elder, letting his composure drop to reveal the real emotion seeping from deep within.
Finally, we have Joe Penrod. A seasoned actor in the Austin game, he might not be as well known to all as some he shares the stage with, but he inhabits a role that seems made just for him. He plays the perfect boss man, all black suit and placation, but when the final moments hit, we see the demon lurking below the surface. For much of the play's running time, Penrod seems the perfect gentleman, balking at any major confrontation and thinking about what would be in the best interest of his guest, but when his back is to the wall, we see a very different man emerge. We see this emergence as less of a transformation and more of a revelation, however, as we begin to see that all the glad-handing and kindness was all part of the plan all along, that we've been seeing this cold-hearted snake the entire time. Even at his most wicked, Penrod is still buttoned down and proper, making his final actions all the more despicable as a man who is simply too big to fail.
Street Corner Arts' Men of Tortuga could not have come at a better time. Summers and company give us an examination, and perhaps condemnation of the 1%, a play which gives us a look at the current corporate situation in a thrilling and exciting way, while still giving us sympathetic and fascinating characters, which are aided by the fabulous performances that fill the play. If this a sign of things to come, one can see Street Corners Arts becoming one of the most talked about companies in Austin. Either way, Men of Tortuga is a heck of a opening statement.
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