[NoHo Arts District, CA] – A NoHo Arts theatre review of The Collaborative Artists Ensemble’s “The Eccentricities of a Nightingale,” by Tennessee Williams, directed by Trace Oakely playing at The Sherry Theater through May 26.
Tennessee Williams is one of America’s most honored playwrights and with good reason. “The Eccentricities of a Nightingale” is not perhaps one of his most well-known plays, but it seems to have sustained itself over the years, being produced regularly, and on Broadway and in the West End fairly recently.
The story revolves around Alma, the daughter of a minister and her love affair with the boy next door. For her it was love, but for him it could have been perhaps at one point. But ultimately, it never was. Alma is what was then called “highly strung.” I suppose she may have been based on William’s sister Rose who was diagnosed with schizophrenia and lobotomised in her early 20s. A horrible practice, which sadly put her in care for the rest of her life.
Alma’s character is fraught with a sweet kind of awkwardness. She sings in her father’s choir, teaches singing and performs occasionally, becoming known as a little eccentric over the years. Her longing for the boy she grew up with, John Buchanan, is constantly thwarted by his overprotective mother who could never bear the thought of her son marrying Alma and would rather dramatically show up when they did spend any time together, doing her best to keep them apart as much as possible.
It’s a sad play, edgy in the way that we, as the audience, are always preparing for the very worst to happen. There’s a thread of tension running through it. A relentless unraveling, which is really what the play is about I think. A hovering probability of disaster. It makes for a terrific play though and the characters Williams populates this tale with are vivid and engaging and phenomenal fodder for actors.
“The Eccentricities of a Nightingale” is beautifully cast. Every actor’s performance is believable and really wonderfully done. The direction is both complex and restrained with some truly lovely touches.
The two young actors who play Alma and John as children and quaintly introduce each scene are adorable and add such a lovely reminder of where it all began and the possibilities of life.
Collaborative Artists Ensemble is always so ambitious with the plays they select. I love that. All these wonderful plays they choose capture classic important moments from the American panorama without judgment, giving such an incredibly important reference point for drama and our own human condition.
“The Eccentricities of a Nightingale” is well worth your time, and how often do we have the chance to see such a brilliant, subtle and exquisite writer’s work on the stage? Tennessee Williams was a genius. A sad and tortured soul perhaps but an absolutely stunning writer…
Tickets:
https://3common.com/event/the-eccentricities-of-a-nightingale/661814fdac490f7164c6e42e
When:
May 3-26
Fridays and Saturdays at 8PM, Sundays at 7PM.
Two performances on Sunday, May 24, at 3PM and 8PM
Where:
The Sherry Theatre
11052 Magnolia Blvd., NoHo Arts District
The Cast
Shannon Creedon Axtell, Kathy Bell Denton, Monica Mauro, Rory McLaverty, John Ogden, Daniel Pietruszka, Calliope Quinn, Jael Saran, Reagan Shen-Kao, Jason Sino, Meg Wallace and Pamela Wylie