Alex Robertson and Jeff Berryman. Photo by Erik Stuhaug.
After an extremely successful (almost entirely sold out!) production of The Great Divorce in their new space, Taproot continues their 34th season with Donald Margulies' Brooklyn Boy.
Starring Taproot regular Jeff Berryman and featuring other frequently seen actors Nikki Visel and Jesse Notehelfer, Brooklyn Boy is a strongly written coming of age story with a twist: the man is middle-aged. It is a touching look at the identity crisis of a successful author who grew up in Brooklyn, but struggles with his past, not unlike the author of the play, Margulies himself. Donald Margulies is a Pulitzer winning playwright who grew up in the New York City borough in a Jewish family, attending Jewish school, and eventually leaving it all behind, much like his main character, Eric Weiss. Eric Weiss returns to his home to visit his sick and dying father, a brusque and hard-nosed man who takes a cynical view of Eric's fiction writing. Confronted with a close friend from his past, he is forced to explain how much of his most recent and most successful work is fictional, and how much is biographical.
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Nicholas Beach and Nikki Visel. Photo by Erik Stuhaug.
Directed by Karen Lund, this production effectively pulls out the comedic elements and the fun of the quirky characters, but maintains a deep connection to the heart of the story and the struggle of a man unsure of his true identity. Lund says "Comedy runs throughout the play, but it's also a heartfelt story about returning home and discovering one's roots and realizing how much the past has shaped who you are today, whether you like it or not."
Nicholas Beach and Nikki Visel play relatively minor roles in this show as the producer of Eric Weiss' movie option, and the actor who will portray the lead, but their scene steals the show! Their performances are strong and convincing, not to mention highly entertaining.
Alex Robertson as Eric Weiss' childhood friend is also deserving of note. His dialect work is spot-on, and he is both lovable and irrepressible. Without succumbing to stereotype, he portrays a man of orthodox faith, who desperately wants Eric to rejoin the religion of their childhood.
This show is an excellent family night out, and will have post-play discussions for the more inquisitive among you on March 31, April 7, April 14.
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