By: Janet Preus
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| The Poetry of Pizza - Photo by George Byron Griffiths |
Does anyone remember the days when sitcoms were topical and edgy, with just enough cynicism to be believable, and just enough stretch in the show’s premise to be funny? Pardon me for putting this charming play in the same paragraph with television, but I mean that in the best possible way – All in the Family, The Jeffersons and Mash, for instance. Yes, you will see the ending coming, but so what? Ever seen a Moliere play? The fun is in watching the characters discover what you, the audience, already know.
American poetry scholar, Sara (Stacia Rice) meets a Kurdish refugee, Soran (Ron Menzel), who works at a pizza restaurant in Copenhagen, where Sara is a visiting professor at the university. He, of course, is the romantic—creating “love pizzas” inspired by his passion for her. She can’t bear to eat them because they are so beautiful.
The supporting cast of suitably intriguing characters sets up a plot rich in comic twists and romantic possibilities with just enough roadblocks to engage all the characters, and check in with our sense of credible reality from time to time: Soran’s boss, Rebar (Omar Koury), whose distrust of Americans is based on his certainty that we are a promiscuous lot. Sara’s best friend, Pam (Michelle Hutchison), earthy and nothing like her cerebral pal. Sara’s snoopy landlady, Olga (Jayne Taini) titillated by the sensual atmosphere generated by Sara’s inamoratos. Olga’s fellow agoraphobic and phone support, Inga (Barbara Kingsley) and her husband, Ule (Patrick O’Brian), who is starved for a life beyond his living room.
Solid acting by this tight little ensemble went beyond skill to create warmth, color and nuance that honored the play’s truly serious premise, while never pointing fingers at us either culturally or personally.
I would, however, take issue with a couple of lesser directing choices: Inga and Ule did not seem properly matched in age, and if Inga’s transformation at the end would have been more dramatic, it could have tidied up this detail for me. Also, Sean Dooley’s stuffy scholar, Heino, would have been more believable for me from square one if he had not tried so hard. With that many quirky characters, his character was the perfect foil for their eccentricities. It would have been funnier if he’d been not just elitist, but boring, as self-absorbed people generally are.
However, you love all of these characters – even Heino – and fully expect them all to overcome their burdens and frailties and find real happiness. Poetry of Pizza gently lays at our feet the “why not?” of Mixed Blood’s vision of “radical optimism,” and reminds us that we, too, can move beyond our small worlds and prejudices.
Scenic and costume designer, Mathew J. LeFebvre nicely captured a Danish modern feel, with geometric shapes and levels, and blond wood set against shades of red. My companion thought it looked like it came from IKEA; we both loved its clean, bright lines, refreshingly free of needless props and set changes.
Transitions were seamlessly accomplished by artful lighting, allowing the story to clip along just slightly ahead of the next laugh. That’s a director and lighting designer (Marcus Dilliard) who understands timing.
The sound was impeccable, a rarity in live theatre. It was such a pleasure (and terrifically important to the play’s most sensitive scenes) that the slightest gradation of every whispered syllable was apparent. Pre-show and curtain-call music had a lively presence without being uncomfortably loud. Sound design was by C. Andrew Mayer.
While the ending may have been a little too pat, it is a farce after all, and it wraps up a most satisfying evening. In recording language, the first take was a near-perfect finished master.
The Poetry of Pizza runs through February 10 at Mixed Blood Theatre.
Location Info:
Mixed Blood Theatre
Artist Info: Mixed Blood Theatre
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