Sunday, January 22, 2012

Theater Review: The Picture Box

Arthur French and Jennifer Van Dyck. Photo: Carmen L. deJesus
A Portrait of Love, Friendship and Changing Times
By Lauren Yarger
When Carrie (Jennifer Van Dyck) wraps her arms around 89-year-old Mackie (Arthur French), his deep, warm, loving smile is the expression of the security she has found in his guidance and caring. Somehow, we also know that without him as her caretaker, she would have ended up a very different, troubled person.

Such is the sweet story that unfolds in Cate Ryan's The Picture Box, being presented Off-Broadway in a limited engagement by the Negro Ensemble Company, Inc.

It's election day, 2008, and Mackie, who worked as a servant for Carrie's mother at her large Florida home, is tickled that he has gotten to see a black man running for president of the United States during his lifetime. The white folks who have arranged to buy the house following the death of Carrie's mother, Bob (Malachy Cleary) and Karen (Marisa Redanty) aren't happy about the prospect of Barack Obama sitting in the Oval Office, however. In fact, Bob isn't too pleased that there is a black neighborhood nearby and he makes plans to install an alarm system and ensconce his personal arsenal of weapons in the new house once they renovate by knocking down most the existing structure (set design by Patrice Davidson).

Their fears might be moot, however, as Carrie has been unable to bring herself to sign the purchase agreement, even as Bob and Karen do their walk-through before heading over to the closing (after stopping to vote for the other guy). Carrie's relationship with her absent and oft-married mother wasn't ideal, but she did care about her deeply and she doesn't want to sell the house. Mackie's wife, Josephine (Elain Graham), feels the presence of her best friend still in the house too, and understands Carrie's reluctance. She tells her it is what her mother wanted, however, and urges Carrie to move on with her life in Manhattan.

While cleaning out the house, Carrie finds a box of photos left by her mother for Mackie and as the three reminisce, we discover how Mackie came to look after Carrie, what happened to the man's son and even a secret about the family dog. It's a lovely stroll down memory lane with touching, layered performances, particularly from French, directed by Charles Weldon.

Ryan's script manages to convey a sense of family and how it can provide an anchor during changing times despite some structure flaws. We have to wonder, for example, why Bob, the most unbelievably, horribly stereotypical personification of a white bigot that ever lived, would even consider buying a home near a black neighborhood. It's also unlikely that a real estate closing would be taking place in a couple of hours if the papers hadn't been signed already and with boxes and furniture still in the house at the walk-through. There also are unanswered questions about why Carrie's mother had a box of photos mostly containing snapshots of Mackie's life, or why everyone loved her so much (what we know about her doesn't necessarily indicate that scenario).

Regardless, the play is a lovely slice-of-life piece that focuses on how family -- and the people and love by which we define it -- form the people we become.

The Picture Box runs through Jan. 29 at the Beckett Theatre, 410 West 42nd, St., NYC. For tickets and information visit http://www.necinc.org/.

Christians might also like to know:
-- No content notes. Enjoy.

The mission of the Negro Ensemble Company, Inc. (NEC) is to provide African-American, African and Caribbean professional artists with an opportunity to learn, to work, to grow and to be nurtured in the performing arts. The overall mission of the NEC is to present live theatre performances by and about black people to a culturally diverse audience that is often underserved by the theatrical community.

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Gracewell Prodiuctions

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Our reviews are professional reviews written without a religious bias. At the end of them, you can find a listing of language, content or theological issues that Christians might want to know about when deciding which shows to see.

** Mature indicates that the show has posted an advisory because of content. Usually this means I would recommend no one under the age of 16 attend.

Theater Critic Lauren Yarger

Theater Critic Lauren Yarger

My Bio

Lauren Yarger has written, directed and produced numerous shows and special events for both secular and Christian audiences. She co-wrote a Christian musical version of “A Christmas Carol” which played to sold-out audiences of over 3,000 in Vermont and was awarded the Vermont Bessie (theater and film awards) for “People’s Choice for Theatre.” She also has written two other dinner theaters, sketches for church services and devotions for Christian artists. Her play concept, "From Reel to Real: The Jennifer O'Neill Story" was presented as part of the League of professional Theatre Women's Julia's reading Room Series in New York. Shifting from reviewing to producing, Yarger owns Gracewell Productions, which produced the Table Reading Series at the Palace Theater in Waterbury, CT. She trained for three years in the Broadway League’s Producer Development Program, completed the Commercial Theater Institute's Producing Intensive and other training and produced a one-woman musical about Mary Magdalene that toured nationally and closed with an off-Broadway run. She was a Fellow at the National Critics Institute at the O'Neill Theater Center in Waterford, CT. She wrote reviews of Broadway and Off-Broadway theater (the only ones you can find in the US with an added Christian perspective) at http://reflectionsinthelight.blogspot.com/.

She is editor of The Connecticut Arts Connection (http://ctarts.blogspot.com), an award-winning website featuring theater and arts news for the state. She was a contributing editor for BroadwayWorld.com. She previously served as theater reviewer for the Manchester Journal-Inquirer, Connecticut theater editor for CurtainUp.com and as Connecticut and New York reviewer for American Theater Web.

She is a Co-Founder of the Connecticut Chapter of the League of Professional Theatre Women. She is a former vice president and voting member of The Drama Desk.

She is a freelance writer and playwright (member Dramatists Guild of America). She is a member if the The Outer Critics Circle (producer of the annual awards ceremony) and a member of The League of Professional Theatre Women, serving as Co-Founder of the Connecticut Chapter. Yarger was a book reviewer for Publishers Weekly A former newspaper editor and graduate of the University of Missouri’s School of Journalism, Yarger also worked in arts management for the Bushnell Center for the Performing Arts, the Hartford Symphony Orchestra and served for nine years as the Executive Director of Masterwork Productions, Inc. She lives with her husband in West Granby, CT. They have two adult children.

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All material is copyright 2008- 2022 by Lauren Yarger. Reviews and articles may not be reprinted without permission. Contact reflectionsinthelight@gmail.com

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Key to Content Notes:

God's name taken in vain -- means God or Jesus is used in dialogue without speaking directly to or about them.

Language -- means some curse words are used. "Minor" usually means the words are not too strong or that it only occurs once or twice throughout the show.

Strong Language -- means some of the more heavy duty curse words are used.

Nudity -- means a man or woman's backside, a man's lower front or a woman's front are revealed.

Scantily clad -- means actors' private areas are technically covered, but I can see a lot of them.

Sexual Language -- means the dialogue contains sexually explicit language but there's no action.

Sexual Activity -- means a man and woman are performing sexual acts.

Adultery -- Means a married man or woman is involved sexually with someone besides their spouse. If this is depicted with sexual acts on stage, the list would include "sexual activity" as well.

Sex Outside of Marriage -- means a man and woman are involved sexually without being married. If this is depicted sexually on stage, the list would include "sexual activity" as well.

Homosexuality -- means this is in the show, but not physically depicted.

Homosexual activity -- means two persons of the same sex are embracing/kissing. If they do more than that, the list would include "sexual activity" as well.

Cross Dresser -- Means someone is dressing as the opposite sex. If they do more than that on stage the listing would include the corresponding "sexual activity" and/or "homosexual activity" as well.

Cross Gender -- A man is playing a female part or a woman is playing a man's part.

Suggestive Dancing -- means dancing contains sexually suggestive moves.

Derogatory (category added Fall 2012) Language or circumstances where women or people of a certain race are referred to or treated in a negative and demeaning manner.

Other content matters such as torture, suicide, or rape will be noted, with details revealed only as necessary in the review itself.

The term "throughout" added to any of the above means it happens many times throughout the show.

Reviewing Policy

I receive free seats to Broadway and Off-Broadway shows made available to all voting members of the Outer Critics Circle. Journalistically, I provide an unbiased review and am under no obligation to make positive statements. Sometimes shows do not make tickets available to reviewers. If these are shows my readers want to know about I will purchase a ticket. If a personal friend is involved in a production, I'll let you know, but it won't influence a review. If I feel there is a conflict, I won't review their portion of the production.

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