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Tennessee Williams play, OUT CRY gets another voice
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Tonight I saw "The National Asian American Theatre Company's (NAATCO) production of OUT CRY, a revival by Tennessee William's, OUT CRY was first produced in London in 1967, and was written shortly after the death of Williams longtime companion, Frank Merlo. It is the work of a man who felt trapped by his past and terrified of what appeared to be an empty future. The play is surrealistic and tells of a brother and sister acting team trapped in a crumbling theater where they perform “The Two Character Play.” Or are they actually performing? Details of their childhood emerge in bits and pieces, and the audience cannot tell what is fact or what is fiction. According to an interview in Playboy, Williams stated it is about two people afraid to go out. Like most of Williams writing it is autobiographical about what he went through in the 60's. NAATCO's production is froth with problems. First: the actors. Eduardo Machado's, Felice has one note and that note is sour. It is like watching a bad imitation of Truman Capote and it becomes annoying. I can see how he would do well in film because I came to realize that most of his acting is done from his eyes and though this was a small theatre, it is not enough. Mia Katigbak's, Clare fares much better. Her acting has levels but it is not strong enough. She is miscast. These roles take tour de force actors who are skilled at playing more than one role on stage and keeping them both separate. Both actors are artistic directors of theaters and unfortunately it becomes a vanity production. The direction by Thom Sesma is voiceless and Williams words have so much to say. I did love the set by Czerton Lim and sound design by Jane Shaw. It was Ms. Shaws voice that resounded clearly and took us though William's painful and humorous look at fear.
I do recommend this production to playwrights and directors. The play shows what a lot of Americans are faced with now and I think a well directed and acted production of this piece, would be well received and add insight to society. This was a play ahead of its time.
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