Beverly Friend

This outstanding world premier musical, based on an Oscar-winning short
film, tells a coming of age story of a 13 year old struggling with his
sexual identity. While it is set in 1981 and times have changed, there is
still a universal recognition for all who have experienced the angst of
youth and remember the pain of being an outsider, the isolation of being
different. So important is the story that response to this brief film
(only 17 minutes in length) led to the Trevor Project —

Each of the youngsters is deliciously and yet endearingly flawed:
perfectionist overachiever Marcy Park (Shana Dagny), athletic,
hormone-driven Chip Tolentino (Mark Yacullo), and very touchy, stressed
out William Barfee (Dustin Rothbart).

The solid cast handles all the complications brilliantly. Special kudos to
Grant and young Grey in portraying the volatile mother/daughter
complexities. Throughout, the family members come together and separate in
violent, angry combinations, achieving a certain amount of sympathy as
well as dismay. Sometimes close to being two-dimensional, they manage to
avoid becoming mere caricatures. The whole, compelling experience is
heightened by the physical arrangements of a stage which intersects the
audience. Twenty-four seats in tiered rows flank either side of the set.
This combination of dining room, living room, and kitchen is merely a
handbreadth away, drawing the audience into the action.

The star, Sally Staats, is not Fanny Brice. Neither is she Barbara Streisand. It doesn’t matter because Staats has made this stage her own with a winsome, touching performance. She and Rob Ibanez, as the gorgeous, gambler Nick Arnstein share a magical chemistry. Even those who may think the 1968 movie version with Streisand and Omar Sharif can’t be topped will be surprised by what the immediacy of a well-done stage production can achieve. Staats and Ibanez are surrounded by a talented ensemble of actors, singers and dancers. Fanny’s long suffering mother is played with verve by Meagan Piccochi, who is especially delightful in interactions with her comedic poker-playing girlfriends. Jessica Noelle Evans nearly steals the show as noisy neighbor Mrs. Strakosh, and stately Bob Sanders is perfect as the often-thwarted showman, Florenz Ziegfield.

Last February, as I sat reviewing a one-man play in a Florida theater, an immediate thought hit me: “This is a perfect show for Skokie!”

I was right! Brad Zimmerman’s My Son the Waiter: A Jewish Tragedy just opened at the North Shore Center for the Performing Arts for a 4- week run, and it is a perfect match — just as funny and delightful the second time around as it was originally.

Northanger Abbey is a charming coming-of-age novel, filled with wit, humor and insight, and this musical version certainly does justice to the original. For Austen fans, there can never be too many adaptations, but one need not have read the book to enjoy this play; it stands on its own, providing a delightful evening of entertainment.