#david gow

The 2024 Thriller; The Intruder takes a long time “to get there,” but this sauntering pace is necessary. This is a slow buildup that few will appreciate but it all works at the end. In terms of a climax, The Intruder takes its time. Rather interestingly, There are two films by the title of “The Intruder.” Each of them released in 2024. Both fall into the Thriller/Horror category. This film is…

REVIEW: “Mothers and Sons” at Shakespeare & Company

REVIEW: “The Waverly Gallery” at Shakespeare & Company

  Kenneth Lonergan’s play The Waverly Gallery had its off-Broadway debut in 2000 and was a finalist for a Pulitzer Prize the following year. It dramatizes the story of Gladys Green who, over a two-year period, slips from mild senility to full-blown dementia. The original production and the recent revival, which brought Elaine May back to Broadway after a 50-year absence, obviously had an emotional effect on audiences and reviewers. The current offering at Shakespeare & Co. in Lenox, Massachusetts, however, is more labored than profound.

  Directed by Tina Packer, the founder and former artistic director of the company, the first act works fairly well. Gladys, a lawyer and activist when younger, is now the owner of a small unprofitable art gallery on Waverly Place off Washington Square in Manhattan. We meet Gladys (Annette Miller) and her grandson Daniel Reed (David Gow) at lunch. Her failing memory is obvious, but she is still in touch with reality. Their conversation is primarily expository and Gladys’s tics, repetition of comments and questions, and her search for memories, though comic, effectively foreshadow her slow decline.

  In addition to the main thematic thread, the play also focuses on the effect the disease has on Daniel, his mother Ellen Fine (Elizabeth Aspenlieder) and step-father Howard Fine (Michael F. Toomey.) Through a series of monologues directed to the audience, Daniel informs us of Gladys’s disintegration and the family’s angst. Don Bowman (David Bertoldi), an inept artist, shares Gladys’s delusional dreams. She allows him to live in the back room of the gallery as he prepares for a longed-for art show. It is soon revealed that the owner of the gallery’s property intends to take it over and turn it into a restaurant resulting in even more severe consternation.

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Though the subject matter is what is important in this play, the script is repetitive. Oftentimes characters comfort Gladys with the same expressions or repeatedly complain to each other about her behavior and/or needs. A number of dialogue sequences overlap preventing the audience from clearly understanding what is being said. These elements may be found in real life, but on a stage, especially with the number of times it occurs in this production, it is problematic. This may be the director’s choice. The set changes, eat up a lot of time. The cast, especially in the second act, occasionally over-acts; comforting embraces, for instance, are held for an extended amount of time as are occasional silences.

  Playwright Lonergan has based Gladys on his grandmother. Annette Miller’s performance as Gladys rings with truth as many of us can probably verify from personal experience. Her descent into the disease is skillfully portrayed and her pain is real. Daniel deals with his grandmother more often than the others and David Gow’s performance is very sensitively played; he is supportive and tender until, unable to withstand Gladys’s constant demands, he is finally engulfed by emotional turmoil. Aspenlieder and Toomey effectively portray the frustration and anger provoked by the helplessness they encounter. David Bertoldi’s inept artist Dan Bowman is the most compassionate of the people in Gladys’s life and he plays it with great sincerity. His inability to accurately assess his talent mirrors Gladys’s unreal expectations to find a job and live on her own.

  The set, basically black and white, designed by Juliana Von Haubrich is an open space with several chairs, a sofa, and a table that is taken offstage and reset several times. The upstage wall rotates to delineate different locations. As mentioned above the numerous scene changes take a goodly amount of time. The lighting by James W. Bilnoski is unobtrusive as is Brendan Boyle’s sound. There is a puzzling choice by costume designer Elizabeth Rocha. Gladys and Don change costumes as time goes on, while Daniel, Ellen and Howard wear the same costume from beginning to end.

  Director Packer has effectively mined the humor in the play to help contrast with the harrowing and heartbreaking situation the characters face, but it could be even more effective if the production were tighter.

  The Waverly Gallery by Kenneth Lonergan; Director: Tina Packer; Associate director: Michelle Joyner; Cast: Elizabeth Aspenlieder (Ellen Fine) David Bertoldi (Don Bowman) David Gow (Daniel Reed) Annette Miller (Gladys Green) Michael F. Toomey (Howard Fine); Set Designer: Juliana Von Haubrich; Lighting Designer: James W. Bilnoski; Costume Designer: Elizabeth Rocha; Sound Designer: Brendan Boyle; Stage Manager: J.P. Elins; Running Time: 2 hours; 45 minutes; one intermission; May 23 – July 14; Shakespeare & Company Elayne P. Bernstein Theatre, Lenox, MA

Shakespeare & Company Opens its 2019 Season with “The Waverly Gallery”

Performances Run May 23 – July 14

“An exquisite blend of humor and sorrow.”—Broadway News

(Lenox, MA) – Shakespeare & Company‘s season opens Memorial Day Weekend with Pulitzer Prize finalist The Waverly Gallery by Kenneth Lonergan, directed by Founding Artistic Director Tina Packer. This powerful story sheds a heartrending and humorous light on the effects of senility on a family. Performances ru…

“There is nothing permanent except change.”  –Heraclitus

As the lights come up we see two people, a mature woman wrapped in a mink and a handsome man on the outskirts of middle age, peering into the distance. They stand parallel, about a couple of yards apart, in a well-appointed New York apartment, but they are clearly making an effort to engage in polite small talk. Perhaps the man, Cal Porter (Bill Mootos) is trying a bit harder to entertain his guest, Katherine Gerard (Annette Miller), as he describes the sweeping view from their Central Park West window. He animatedly points out the reservoir, the Metropolitan Museum, the building where Jacqueline Onassis lived.

Occasionally he pauses to ask Katherine if he may take her coat (“I’m not staying”) or if she would like some refreshment (“I’m fine, thank you”). Her eyes never leave the view of Central Park, and we notice there is a profound sadness behind the pinched expression on her face. We notice that although Cal looks in her direction frequently as he continues chatting, Katherine continues to stare ahead for awhile. It takes her a bit of time to participate in the conversation.

Katherine’s son, Andre, who died from AIDS 20 years earlier, had been Cal’s partner. She has not seen Cal since Andre’s memorial service, and today’s visit was unexpected. She has been living in Texas and, we soon learn, her husband has recently died.

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Miller’s quietly blistering a performance is masterful. Her Katherine wrestles with despair, anger, and regret. As she states her belief that “Andre wasn’t gay when he came to New York,” that somebody “made him gay,” we learn that Andre had been a talented actor whose career was on the rise, yet she never attended his performances. Mootos elegantly conveys Cal’s capacity for forgiveness. He is a man who has learned to accept and embrace life’s changes. His is a steady, knowing portrayal, emanating loving kindness even as he steels himself for Katherine’s resentment.

Cal’s husband, Will Ogden (David Gow), and their six-year-old son, Bud (Evan Miller in the performance I saw, alternating with Hayden Hoffman) eventually burst into the apartment after a romp in the winter-slushy park. Gow’s performance seems effortless and natural, and the tender attachment between Cal and Will is palpable, as is the love for their bright, energetic son. (Evan Miller was thoroughly adorable.)

The contrast between Katherine’s life, and the life of this family, is arresting. Only because of the compassion and acceptance of Cal, Will, and Bud do we realize that the newly widowed Katherine has shown up here because, albeit unconsciously, she desperately craves love, and Bud’s friendly curiosity becomes her vehicle for redemption.

Director James Warwick has done a stellar job of casting and orchestrating Mothers and Sons. His work demonstrates a clear grasp of the complexity of human relationships, and of McNally’s message. The technical side of this production was satisfying all around, including Patrick Brennan’s set (a lovely, lived-in Central Park West apartment) and Stella Schwartz’s well-turned-out costumes. James W. Bilnoski’s lighting design beautifully underscored the significance of a cold winter’s day evolving into a warmly lit home. The sound design by Erik T. Lawson was first-rate and heartwrenching.

I left the theater feeling as if I knew the characters intimately, and I felt privileged to have joined Katherine as she burrowed mightily through sadness and resentment to emerge knowing something of the possibilities created by acceptance and optimism.

Mothers and Sons by Terrence McNally, directed by James Warwick, runs August 16 – September 9, 2018 in the Elayne P. Bernstein Theatre at Shakespeare & Company in Lenox, MA. Set Designer: Patrick Brennan. Lighting Designer: James W. Bilnoski. Costume Designer: Stella Giulietta Schwartz. Sound Designer: Erik Lawson. Stage Manager: Matthew Luppino. CAST: David Gow as Will Ogden, Hayden Hoffman and Evan Miller (alternating) as Bud, Annette Miller as Katharine Gerard, and Bill Mootos as Cal Porter.

Tickets for Mothers and Sons are available online at shakespeare.org, or by calling Shakespeare & Company’s box office at (413) 637-3353. The Elayne P. Bernstein Theatre is air-conditioned and wheelchair accessible. Shakespeare & Company is located at 70 Kemble St. in Lenox, Massachusetts. Mothers and Sons is generously sponsored by Jerry and Honie Berko.

  “Fantastic! McNally captures a moment of hope and promise… MOTHERS AND SONS feels like the sun on your face!” – NBC New York

(Lenox, MA) – Shakespeare & Company presents the critically-acclaimed drama, Mothers and Sons by Tony Award-winning playwright Terrence McNally, directed by James Warwick. Featuring Elliot Norton Award winner Annette Miller (4000 Miles, Golda’s Balcony), performances run in the Elayne P. Bernstein Theatre August 16 – September 9.

“What could be a more complex relationship than between a mother and her son?” asks director James Warwick. “Complex indeed. And challenging… and full of hope, expectation, sadness… and above all in my case… love. This beautiful play by Terrence McNally is about a mother and her son, and his partner. I hope you will join us as we see how assumptions about those with ‘alternative lifestyles’ have changed over the last few decades and how this has enhanced the lives of all of us in the process.”

James Warwick directs this deeply personal and timely production starring Company veteran Annette Miller (Katharine Gerard) and newcomers David Gow (Will Ogden), Hayden Hoffman (Bud), Evan Miller (Bud), and Bill Mootos (Cal Porter). The creative team includes Patrick Brennan (Set Design), James W. Bilnoski (Lighting Design), Stella Giulietta Schwartz (Costume Design), Erik Lawson (Sound Design), and Matthew Luppino (Stage Manager).

“The play captures growth and change of relationships,” said actress Annette Miller. “It’s a moving story about how we face challenges, and the necessity of learning new ways of living. Change requires self-discovery and that is the journey Katharine takes us on.”

Tickets for Mothers and Sons are available online at shakespeare.org, or by calling Shakespeare & Company’s box office at (413) 637-3353. The

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is air-conditioned and wheelchair accessible. Shakespeare & Company is located at 70 Kemble St. in Lenox, Massachusetts. Mothers and Sons is generously sponsored by Jerry and Honie Berko.

The Company’s 2018 Summer Season also includes three Shakespeare plays Macbeth, As You Like It and Love’s Labor’s Lost, as well as Creditors by August Strindberg, adapted by David Greig; Heisenberg by Tony Award-winning playwright Simon Stephens; and HIR by Pulitzer Prize finalist Taylor Mac.

AT A GLANCE Production: Mothers and Sons Playwright: Terrence McNally Director: James Warwick Set Designer: Patrick Brennan Lighting Designer: James W. Bilnoski Costume Designer: Stella Giulietta Schwartz Sound Designer: Erik Lawson Stage Manager: Matthew Luppino Assistant Stage Manager: Cindy Wade

CAST MEMBERS David Gow (Will Ogden) Hayden Hoffman (Bud) Annette Miller (Katharine Gerard) Evan Miller (Bud) Bill Mootos (Cal Porter)

SCHEDULE AUGUST Thursday, August 16 – 7:30 PM (preview) Friday, August 17 – 3:00 PM (preview) Saturday, August 18 – 3:00 PM (preview) Sunday, August 19 – 3:00 PM (opening) Tuesday, August 21 – 7:30 PM Wednesday, August 22 – 3:00 PM Thursday, August 23 – 7:30 PM Friday, August 24 – 3:00 PM Saturday, August 25 – 3:00 PM Sunday, August 26 – 7:30 PM Saturday, August 25 – 3:00 PM Sunday, August 26 – 7:30 PM Tuesday, August 28 – 7:30 PM Wednesday, August 29 – 3:00 PM Thursday, August 30 – 7:30 PM Friday, August 31 – 7:30 PM

SEPTEMBER Saturday, September 1 – 3:00 PM Sunday, September 2 – 3:00 PM Friday, September 7 – 7:30 PM Saturday, September 8 – 3:00 PM and 7:30 PM Sunday, September 9 – 3:00 PM (closing)

About Annette Miller (Katharine Gerard) twenty-first season. S&Co; Elliot Norton and IRNE Award for best actress as Golda Meir (2003); Elliot Norton best actress nomination for Martha in Martha Mitchell Calling (2006). Florida Carbonell Award best actress nomination for Vi in August Osage County (2012). Currently touring her original theatrical collage Now is Our Time – the Pleasures and Perils of our Third Chapter. Favorite roles: Vera, 4000 Miles; Bernadette Kahn, Sotto Voce; Maria Callas, Master Class; Duchess, Richard III; Marjorie Taub, The Allergist’s Wife; Queen Elinor, King John; Maria, Twelfth Night; Ruth Steiner, Collected Stories (S&Co). Paula Strasberg, Nobody Dies on Friday; Lillian Hellman, Cake Walk U/S Elaine Stritch (American Rep. Co); Arkadina, The Seagull. B’Way: The Odd Couple Female Version. Film: Company Men, Next Karate Kid, Autumn Heart.TV: “As The World Turns.” BA & BFA Brandeis. Currently a resident Scholar at Brandeis University Women’s Studies Research Center.

About James Warwick (Director, Mothers and Sons) As a resident US theatre director since 1997, James has many regional and NYC productions to his credit. His training as an actor at the Royal Central School in London led to him playing leading roles in the West End and on Broadway in several TV series for Masterpiece Theatre for BBC/PBS. He was an associate director at BTF and Chester in the Berkshires and for 7 years ran two of the oldest drama schools in the country while based in Los Angeles. He is the recipient of BAFTA, Spotlight, Helen Hayes, Dramalogue, Ovation and Berkshire Eagle awards. He lives in South Egremont, and became an American citizen in 2015. He recently directed several productions for the Theatre Department at Bard College at Simon’s Rock.

About Terrence McNally (Playwright, Mothers and Sons) Terrence McNally was awarded the Dramatists Guild Lifetime Achievement Award in 2011. He is the winner of Tony Awards for his plays Love! Valour! Compassion! and Master Class and his books for the musicals Ragtime and Kiss of the Spider Woman. In 2010, the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts presented Terrence McNally’s Nights at the Opera, a three-play festival of his work. He won an Emmy Award for Best Drama with his teleplay Andre’s Mother. Among his many awards are a Citation from the American Academy of Arts and Letters, the New York Drama Critics Circle Award for Best New Play, four Drama Desk Awards, three Hull-Warriner Best Play Awards from the Dramatists Guild, two Obies, two Lortel Awards and two Guggenheim Fellowships. McNally has been a member of the Dramatists Guild since 1965 and served as its Vice-President from 1985-2001.

About Shakespeare & Company Located in the beautiful Berkshires of Western Massachusetts, Shakespeare & Company is one of the leading Shakespeare festivals of the world. Founded in 1978, the organization attracts over 40,000 patrons annually. The Company is also home to an internationally renowned Center for Actor Training and award-winning Education Program. More information is available at www.shakespeare.org.