Theater Online - New York Theater Reviews

Irish melodrama has a flare for amalgamating the complexities of repressed emotional and familial issues with serio-comedic wit, everyday circumstances, and a dash of tragedy. Phare Play Productions latest work at the Beckman, Jellyroll Shoes, adequately blends together these ingredients within the setting of Naples, NY. Bill Svanoe has captured the essence of conversational dialogue between brothers vying for their father’s approval and the conflicts of sibling rivalry. Although the surfacing of these issues seems a bit contrived, overall the dialogue is well crafted and the plot is well developed. The strength of Svanoe’s dialogue aromatically fills the Anderson living room in Act I.i and Act II.iii, as the family dishes some witty banter for exposition and resolution. Directed by Blake Bradford, the Artistic Director of Phare Play Productions, Bill Svanoe’s Jellyroll Shoes engages and enchants the audience.

The two Act melodrama about the Andersons, a family wedded to careers in law enforcement and legal courts in Naples, NY, centers on Billy’s birthday, the youngest brother, missing for over 20yrs. In the midst of the day, Dave, the eldest son and Naples’ honorable Sheriff, has invited a female guest, Alice, to dinner with the family. Eddie is constantly talking shop about his car and police work, while Joe stresses anxiously about his day at court. Meanwhile, Linda, the family girlfriend serves up dinner with a side of sarcasm. A drifter, Tim Jones, knocks at the door, giving rise to repressed familial issues and confrontation.

Blake Bradford has cast a strong group of men to play the brothers and Pop. Each actor carries the weight of his role within the family through distinctly suited physicality. The simple directions of talking the dialogue and subtly blocking the actors in natural positions on the living room furniture allow the actors to explore the text with a much more conversational approach. And with the audience in alley seating configuration on opposite sides of the room, the space becomes very intimate. It feels as if we are voyeurs, secretly observing family drama unfold.

The ensemble carries the script very well, even through the challenging Act II.ii, which is burdened by obligatory confrontations. Richard Flight, as George Anderson, or Pop, embodies a quick tongued Irishman full of hearty laughter, reminiscent of Lloyd Bridges. Jonathan Irons creates an endearing Eddie Anderson, physically portrayed through his revere for Pop and his older brothers. Jack Schaub dexterously stirs up an uptight, anxious Joe Anderson and then later contrasts his characteristics with a disentangled, relaxed Joe later in Act II. Jeremy Dahm conceives a believable older brother, Dave Anderson, ignorant of his own affects on the family dynamics. Danny Hilt manipulates the family and the audience well with his Tim Jones/Billy routine and counters the standard movements of the other characters with his own free form, punk-style gestures. The two female actresses Karen Brelsford, as Linda, and Paula Turanec, as Alice Beck, provide adequate balance to the otherwise male dominated plot.

The production values were pretty good considering the limitations in the Beckman. Lighting design by Mike Megliola effectively utilized the existing floodlights with charming additions of a table lamp, an overhead special that gave the ominous sense of a refracting chandelier, and lightning from outside to represent the thunderstorm. The costumes by Peggy Queener adeptly suggested careers that the brothers had each chosen and paths they were taking in their lives. The muted color palette complimented the burgundy toned set of the living room and worked well when bursts of color peeked through in the appearance of a newcomer to the Anderson home. 

Phare Play Productions has taken the classical Irish melodrama and given it captivating life in Bill Svanoe’s Jellyroll Shoes. It’s a dirty pleasure to watch the chaos and destruction that begins to unfold in the first Act. Through the character development and conversational dialogue, it’s easy to become engrossed with the complications within the Anderson home and to chuckle every so often at their witty allure.