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<p class="" style="text-autospace:none"><b style><span style="font-family:Palatino;color:black">GOOD PEOPLE—funny and compelling at Cleveland Play House</span></b><span style="font-family:Palatino;color:black"></span></p>
<p class="" style="text-autospace:none"><span style="font-family:Palatino;color:black">Roy Berko</span></p>
<p class="" style="text-autospace:none"><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Palatino;color:black">(Member, American
Theatre Critics Association, Cleveland Critics Circle)</span></p>
<p class="" style="text-autospace:none"><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Palatino;color:black"> </span></p>
<p class="" style="margin-bottom:16pt"><span style="font-family:Palatino">What happens when you combine a
well-crafted script with an interesting story, a focused director, an excellent
cast, and effective visual effects?<span style>
</span>The results is a funny and compelling production, like GOOD PEOPLE, now
on stage at the Cleveland Play House.</span></p>
<p class="" style="margin-bottom:16pt"><span style="font-family:Palatino">GOOD PEOPLE was written by David
Lindsay-Abaire, who received a Pulitzer Prize for the play RABBIT HOLE.<span style> </span>He also was awarded the Ed Leban
Award as America’s most promising musical theatre lyricist.<span style> </span>Among his creations is SHREK THE
MUSICAL, which will be getting a Cleveland production this summer at Mercury
SummerTheatre.<span style> </span>GOOD PEOPLE
received two Tony nominations for its 2011 101 performance run which featured
Frances McDormand, Tate Donovan, and Estelle Parsons.</span></p>
<p class="" style="margin-bottom:16pt"><span style="font-family:Palatino">There are many stories about cell phones
in the theatre, but one of the legends actually took place during the final
night of the GOOD PEOPLE run.<span style> </span>An audience
member’s cell phone rang, the phone’s owner shrieked, then answered the
phone.<span style> </span>The VILLAGE VOICE reviewer
reported, “McDormand stopped in her tracks, put her arm around co-star Renee
Elise Goldsbery, and deadpanned, ‘Let’s wait.”<span style> </span>After the woman finished her call, McDormand made a rewind
gesture and said to Goldberry, ‘OK, ask me the question again’ and they resumed
the scene.”</span></p>
<p class="" style="margin-bottom:16pt"><span style="font-family:Palatino">The comedy centers on Margie Walsh, a
sharp-tongued product of Irish-Catholic South Boston, a working class
neighborhood where most people live from paycheck to paycheck and where a night
on the town is a few rounds of bingo, which might supplement their income.<span style> </span>Margie, who has an intellectually
limited adult daughter, loses her minimum wage job at the local dollar store because
of her constant lateness.<span style>
</span>Desperate for money, she seeks out her old flame, Donovan, now a
successful infertility doctor.<span style>
</span>Donovan is one of the few who escaped the projects and the humdrum
Southie life.<span style> </span>She goes to his
office, wrangles an invitation to his birthday party at his palatial house
where she hopes to locate someone who has a job for her.<span style> </span>A series of plot twists leads to humor,
pathos, awareness, and a surprise ending.</span></p>
<p class="" style="margin-bottom:16pt"><span style="font-family:Palatino">Under the well honed direction of Laura
Kepley, the CPH production is excellent.<span style>
</span>The comic and dramatic timing is on target.<span style> </span>The acting of the high quality.<span style> </span></span></p>
<p class="" style="margin-bottom:16pt"><span style="font-family:Palatino">Kate Hodge walks the fine line between
comedy and tragedy with fidelity.<span style>
</span>She has the right Southie attitude and sound, never feigning Margaret,
but being Margaret.<span style> </span>Denny Dillon
is delightful as Margaret’s landlady and ditzy upstairs neighbor.<span style> </span>She has a mobile face, a bird-like
voice and a great touch with exaggerated comedy.<span style> </span></span></p>
<p class="" style="margin-bottom:16pt"><span style="font-family:Palatino">David Andrew Macdonald, effectively
develops the role of Mike, the Southie who went to college and became a “lace
curtain Irishman.”<span style> </span>He’s divorced
himself from his background by losing his accent and creating an illusion of
who he was and where he came from.<span style>
</span>When he gets angry, the accent returns as does his rough
underbelly.<span style> </span></span></p>
<p class="" style="margin-bottom:16pt"><span style="font-family:Palatino">Elizabeth Rich as Margaret’s long time
friend, is spot on.<span style> </span>Patrick
Halley, as the nebbish dollar store manager and Zoey Martinson, as Mike’s wife,
develop clear characterizations.</span></p>
<p class="" style="margin-bottom:16pt"><span style="font-family:Palatino">Mimi Lien’s scenic design, Jessica
Pabst’s costumes, Michael Lincoln’s lighting, all enhance the production.</span></p>
<p class="" style="margin-bottom:16pt"><i style><span style="font-family:Palatino">CAPSULE
JUDGMENT: CPH’s GOOD PEOPLE is one of those special evenings of theatre that
combines a well-written script,<span style>
</span>excellent direction, and fine acting into an evening of humor and pathos
to create a must-see production. <span style="color:black"><span style> </span></span></span></i><span style="font-family:Palatino"></span></p>
<p class="" style="text-autospace:none"><span style="font-family:Palatino">GOOD PEOPLE runs through April 14, 2013 at the Allen Theatre.<span style> </span>For tickets call 216-241-6000 or go to <a href="http://www.clevelandplayhouse.com">http://www.clevelandplayhouse.com</a>.</span></p>
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