[NEohioPAL] Berko review: NEXT FALL @ Blank Canvas

[Roy Berko]

*NEXT FALL, emotionally challenging, thought provoking at Blank Canvas*



Roy Berko

(Member, American Theatre Critics Association, Cleveland Critics Circle)



When Blank Canvas opened its doors in a funky hard to find near-west side
arts building, the question was whether artistic director Pat Ciamacco’s
underfunded endeavor of love would make it.  The first show, THE TEXAS
CHAINSAW MUSICAL, was an artistic smash hit.  It was followed with
critically acclaimed OF MICE AND MEN and then HELLCAB.



Their newest offering, NEXT FALL, is an emotionally challenging, thought
provoking drama which continues the theatre’s “wow” streak.



Geoffrey Nauffts’s NEXT FALL opened off-Broadway in 2009 to extremely
positive reviews.  Sold out shows resulted in three extensions and then a
move to a successful Broadway run.



Termed as “artful and thoughtful and very moving,” and “humorously
absorbing and touching,” and “the funniest heartbreaker in town,” it
concerns

Adam, an older, gay, neurotic atheist, and his relationship with Luke, an
impulsive, closeted gay actor who is a devout Christian.



This is a match that defies the odds.  Luke prays before meals, after sex,
and won’t reveal his sexuality to his traditional Southern Bible-belt
family.  Adam is a hypochondriac, who doesn’t believe in heaven, *The Bible*,
or the power of prayer.  They prove the adage that sometimes love conquers
all.



Their five-year relationship seems to be hitting a road bump when, while
Adam is out of town, the taxi Luke is riding in is involved in a horrendous
accident, leaving Luke in a vegetative state.  Adam, and Luke’s family and
friends, are forced to deal with life, death and challenges to their
individual belief systems.



The play, which starts with a loud crash ends with the audience in a state
of emotional angst, should leave even the most emotionally void members of
the audience reaching for Kleenex and questioning their own convictions.



The Blank Canvas’s production, under the adept guidance of Patrick
Ciamacco, is absorbing.  The cast doesn’t portray the characters, they live
their individual roles.  Motivations are clear, with each performer so well
texturing their roles that each person becomes transparent.  Wisely, there
is an avoidance of the fey physical and vocal affections that are often
woven in the creation of gay characters.



Slight Timothy J. Allen’s Luke is believable as the obsessed young man who
clings to religion to make his world work.  He cannot and does not waver
from Jesus-centered path in spite of the fact that his intransigency leaves
him in a quandary regarding his life style, and may end his relationship
with Adam.



Curt Arnold, as Luke’s lover, Adam, creates a clear daddy figure who allows
Luke to live his gay life in New York, while hiding his sexual identity
from his family.  Arnold clearly establishes both the character’s
theological ambivalence and emotional bonding to Luke, with an underlying
insecure hysteria.



Anne McEvoy, with a southern accent highlighting her history of drug and
non-conventional life decisions, is both humorous and pathetic as Luke’s
biological mother, who abandoned him early in his life.



Lindsay Pier, as Luke and Adam’s friend and candle store employer, creates
a focused character, as does Jason Elliott Brown as Brandon, Luke’s
closeted friend.



Jeffrey Glover captivates as Luke’s explosive Bible thumping, homophobic
father.



The play takes place in a series of settings, which, because of the limited
size of the venue’s thrust stage, creates crowded areas.  Though it is
possible to figure out where each scene is taking place, reference to the
program’s scene settings list is often needed.



Time eras, which cover 2007 to 2012, are identified by musical bridges.



*CAPSULE JUDGMENT:  NEXT FALL continues the Blank Canvas’s streak of well
conceived productions of challenging scripts.  Though viewers may have to
set aside their own individual beliefs in order to buy into the play’s
ending, this is an overall positive theatrical experience and very well
worth seeing.*



NEXT FALL runs through October 21 in its theatre at 1305 West 78th Street,
Suite 211, Cleveland.  Get directions to the theatre on the website.  (My
GPS was of little help).  Once you arrive at the site, go around the first
building to find the entrance and then follow the signs to the second floor
acting space.  It’s an adventurous trip, but worth the effort. For tickets
and directions go to *www.blankcanvasthetre.com*
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