<html><body><div style="color:#000; background-color:#fff; font-family:garamond, new york, times, serif;font-size:18pt">Interesting that this reviewer deems it inappropriate to spell the word "Motherfucker " instead substituting it with motherfu**ers, but felt it OK to use the word "Nigger" in its entirety. What does that say about this reviewers ethics? Ifor one am confused.<br><br>Sincerely,<br>Marc Moritz<br><div><span><br></span></div><br><div><b><span style="font-weight:bold;">From:</span></b> Roy Berko <royberko@gmail.com><br><blockquote style="border-left: 2px solid rgb(16, 16, 255); margin-left: 5px; margin-top: 5px; padding-left: 5px;"><div style="font-family: garamond, new york, times, serif; font-size: 18pt;"><div style="font-family: times new roman, new york, times, serif; font-size: 12pt;"><div dir="ltr"><font face="Arial" size="2"> <b><span style="font-weight: bold;">To:</span></b> post@neohiopal.org <br> <b><span style="font-weight:
bold;">Sent:</span></b> Monday, February 11, 2013 9:22 AM<br> <b><span style="font-weight: bold;">Subject:</span></b> [NEohioPAL] Berko review: A BEHANDING IN SPOKANE @ none too fragile theater<br> </font> </div> <br><div id="yiv2120778969"><div dir="ltr"><br><br><span style="color:rgb(255,0,0);">••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••</span><br>
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<div class="yiv2120778969"><b>none too fragile’s A<span style="">
</span>BEHANDING IN SPOKANE…not for the language police!</b></div><b>
</b><div class="yiv2120778969"> </div>
<div class="yiv2120778969">Roy Berko</div>
<div class="yiv2120778969">(Member, American Theatre Critics Association &
Cleveland Critics Circle)</div>
<div class="yiv2120778969"> </div>
<div class="yiv2120778969">Sean Derry, the artistic director of none too fragile
theater, is known for his love of off-the-wall scripts and characters.<span style=""> </span>He fears no plots, language or the
macabre.<span style=""> </span>In Martin McDonagh, the
author of none too fragile’s latest brain teaser, A BEHANDING IN SPOKANE, he
has met his mate.</div>
<div class="yiv2120778969"> </div>
<div class="yiv2120778969">McDonagh, who is the first dramatist since Shakespeare to
have four works professionally produced on London stages in a single season,
has won every major British theatre and film writing award.</div>
<div class="yiv2120778969"> </div>
<div class="yiv2120778969">McDonagh, who is considered by some to be the most important
living Irish stage and film writer, is fascinated with wretched, ill fated,
jaded, obsessive characters.<span style=""> </span>These
malcontents are often liars with imaginations that know no limits.<span style=""> </span>They flourish in self-mythology and are
usually self-destructive.<span style=""> </span></div>
<div class="yiv2120778969"> </div>
<div class="yiv2120778969">The playwright also has no regard for the word police.<span style=""> </span>He peppers his scripts with language
that can make some audience members cringe.<span style=""> </span>He makes playwright David Mamet (GLENGARRY GLEN ROSS,
SPEED-THE-PLOW), noted for his constant use of profanity and vivid words,
appear almost to be a member of the clean mouth club.<span style=""> </span></div>
<div class="yiv2120778969"> </div>
<div class="yiv2120778969">In BEHANDING IN SPOKANE, for example, words like hillbilly,
fag, and fu***in’ are spoken freely.<span style="">
</span>I stopped counting after the first fifty motherfu**ers and twenty uses
of niggers.<span style=""> </span>If you aren’t offended
yet, there’s a fight in which the characters throw multiple numbers of severed
hands at each other.<span style=""> </span>It’s like a
macabre pillow fight of digits.<span style="">
</span>Some of the bloody fists bounce off audience members as some observers
are seated within three feet of the action.</div>
<div class="yiv2120778969"> </div>
<div class="yiv2120778969">A BEHANDING IN SPOKANE is McDonagh’s first play set in
America.<span style=""> </span>It opened in New York in
2010.<span style=""> </span>The king of mean, actor
Christopher Walken, was nominated for a Tony Award for his portrayal of the
leading.</div>
<div class="yiv2120778969"> </div>
<div class="yiv2120778969">The none too fragile theatre is a 65-seat black box, which
is cramped, the seating is close, and no one is more than 10 feet from the
thrust stage.<span style=""> </span>It’s a perfect venue
for McDonagh’s grizzly dark comedy.</div>
<div class="yiv2120778969"> </div>
<div class="yiv2120778969">The lights come up on a seedy hotel room where Carmichel, an
unkempt, wild-eyed, hair-a-mess middle aged man is sitting on the bed.<span style=""> </span>Within seconds a noise comes from the
closet, Carmichel throws open the door, whips out a gun, shoots, slams the
closet door closed, and we are assured that “nothing good can come from this!” </div>
<div class="yiv2120778969"> </div>
<div class="yiv2120778969">In the next seventy-five minutes we are exposed to a can of
gasoline, a candle, handcuffs, a gun, racial and sexual terms, drugs, and lots
of questions over what’s going on.<span style="">
</span>Overriding all of this is the query, What was the author’s purpose in
penning this bizarre script?<span style=""> </span></div>
<div class="yiv2120778969"> </div>
<div class="yiv2120778969">We meet an interracial couple, a stoned main desk clerk,
Carmichel’s mother (via several telephone calls), see near deaths, view
Twinkies being consumed, and<span style=""> </span>view
an unexpected and bizarre ending.<span style=""> </span></div>
<div class="yiv2120778969"> </div>
<div class="yiv2120778969">The none too fragile’s production hits the audience on
various levels.<span style=""> </span>Some laugh
hysterically, others sit in shock, still others seem to turn off the entire
action and go inward with no means to escape the intermissionless exercise. The
reaction centers on what each person perceives to be going on and/or how much liquor
they have had before and during the show.<span style="">
</span>(Each production starts with an introduction, the director handing out
free shots, and waitresses taking drink orders.)</div>
<div class="yiv2120778969"> </div>
<div class="yiv2120778969">Michael Regnier is quite adequate as Carmichael.<span style=""> </span>He is not as menacing as Christopher
Walken, nor as crazed as the role calls for, but he gets his point across.<span style=""> </span>It would have been fascinating to see
the director, Sean Derry, play the role as this is the kind of part that he
does so well.</div>
<div class="yiv2120778969"> </div>
<div class="yiv2120778969">Nick Yurick, as the desk clerk who spends part of the play
shaving his knuckles and fingers, is properly spacey, but not always
believable. </div>
<div class="yiv2120778969"> </div>
<div class="yiv2120778969">Brian Kenneth Armour, as the emotional Toby, an African
American low level drug dispenser and wheeler dealer, is spot on.<span style=""> </span>His pretend macho, yet crying jag
portrayal, is nicely honed.<span style=""> </span></div>
<div class="yiv2120778969"> </div>
<div class="yiv2120778969">Kelly Strand as Marilyn, Toby’s air-headed girl friend, is
out and out funny and convincing.</div>
<div class="yiv2120778969"> </div>
<div class="yiv2120778969"><i>Capsule judgement: none too fragile’s A BEHANDING IN SPOKANE
is definitely not for everyone.<span style=""> </span>If
you have a macabre sense of humor, have a high tolerance for swearing and
offensive stereotypes, you<span style=""> </span>will
really get into this show.<span style=""> </span>Others
may be so offended and/or confused their only wish would be for the final
lights out.<span style=""> </span>Which one are you?</i></div><div class="yiv2120778969"><i><br></i></div>
<div class="yiv2120778969">A BEHANDING IN SPOKANE runs through March 9 at none too
fragile theater located in Bricco’s Restaurant, 1841 Merriman Road, Akron.<span style=""> </span>Use the free valet parking, as car
space is limited.<span style=""> </span>For tickets call
330-671-4563 or go to <a rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="http://www.nonetoofragile.com/">http://www.nonetoofragile.com</a></div>
<span style="color:rgb(255,0,0);">••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••</span><br><br><br></div>
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