THE TWILIGHT OF THE GOLDS By Jonathan Tolins*
Uptown Players

*REVIEWED 10/06/07 PERFORMANCE

Directed by Doug Miller
Scenic Design by Doug Miller & Dennis Canright
Lighting Design by Jason Foster
Costume Design by Suzi Shankle

CAST:

Daniel Gold...........Clayton Farris
Walter Gold...........Francis Fuselier
Phyllis Gold..........Lois Sonnier Hart
Rob Stein.............Joe Nemmers
Suzanne Gold..........Jody Rudman
 

Last week Microsoft announced a mind boggling new computer contraption. It is a computer screen that sits flat on any surface and you
use your fingers to touch images, pictures, etc. to move around on
the screen. That means no more monitors, mouse pads, or keyboards to
clutter your desk. Ah technology.

On NBC's THE OFFICE this past week the new boss Ryan has informed the
staff that a spanking new website will be used to lure new clients
and make the office much more efficient. He also demands that everyone
start to use and carry blackberries. Meanwhile in a misguided attempt
to show that technology is wrong, Michael tries to woo clients that
left Dunder-Miflin by visiting them with gift baskets. But while using
his car's navigation system he mistook the directions wrong and drove
straight into the lake. He put his faith and trust in that technology.

Our world has leaped so far advance in technology that it seems that
we can't keep up with it anymore. I'm still trying to figure out the
basics of the damn computer itself. Technology is great in so many
ways, but also extremely dangerous. Cell phones really come in handy
in a myriad of ways, but they also cause so many car accidents now
because of either talking on the phone or txt messaging while driving.
Everyone has now seen fallen pop tart momma Britney Spears txt messa
-ging while driving thanks to all those photographs.

So let me give you a frightening hypothetical question that just might
actually become a reality down the road because of the way technology
keeps advancing. If there was a medical test that could determine that
your child was born with defects, hearing or sight problems, or that
it is a girl-but you wanted a boy, or that it will have black hair
instead of blonde hair, or that he or she would become gay.what would
you do? Would you have the child? Or have an abortion? Give it up for
adoption and try again? What would you do? What would our parents have
done if that testing was available during their time?

That is the alarming question presented in Jonathan Tolins disprop-
ortionate & rutted play, THE TWILIGHT OF THE GOLDS, now playing at
Uptown Players.

We are introduced to the Golds, a Jewish family set in New York circa
1989-1990. We have parents, Walter & Phyllis (played by Francis
Fuselier and Lois Sonnier Hart) whose daughter Suzanne (Jody Rudman)
did not finish medical school. She switched majors from medicine to
marketing, becoming a buyer at Bloomingdale's. She is married Rob
Stein (Joe Neemers), a research scientist at a large, booming company.
The Golds also have a son, David (Clayton Ferris), who works as a set
designer for the Met, is in a three year committed relationship with
his partner Steve. Yep, David is gay.

Before dinner on Rob & Suzanne's three year anniversary we discover
she is pregnant. This brings Rob to reveal that his company has
created a medical test that can help determine if the child has
medical problems and so on. This causes major debates within the
family, but then the test reveals that the unborn boy will be "Like
David", meaning gay. This is the match the lights the explosion of
emotional bloodshed within the family.

Tolins has a brilliant concept for his play, but it never fully
develops organically or emotionally. All the references & comparisons
to Wagner's final opera that is the Ring Cycle go all over the place
and become too grandiose and symbolic. You feel like one of the
detectives from DRAGNET while watching the play, "Just the facts
ma'm." There are scenes that do bring out the organic, emotional
conflict-but just when you are about to well up in tears as the pain
is being splattered all over the stage, Tolins returns to the opera
comparisons and you are once again trying to match emotion with
symbolism. And if you're like me who knows nothing about opera, then
you're really lost.

When you hear a piece of very famous music play in one scene, my brain
immediately whispers to me, "Oh that's `kill da wabbit' with Elmer
Fudd and Bugs Bunny!" It was right at that moment that David tells
the audience how furious it makes him when people say that exact same
thing to him about that particular music. Oops.

I've seen this play only once before, and I still have the same issues
with the playwright as before. Too much medical jargon and endless
opera references weigh the piece down. I wanted more of the gut
wrenching pain come forth from the pages of the play within the
family. There are scenes of that, and when Tolins focuses on those
emotions, the play is riveting, powerful, and cathartic. Such as the
Act Two scene between David and his parents. That fight struck hard
within many in the Saturday night audience-you knew that for a fact
by the sniffles echoing in the darkness. That's what Tolins needed
more of in his play.

Doug Miller's direction is crisp, clean, and solid from beginning to
end.  This highly acclaimed and well respected director provides some
of his best directorial work in this piece. The pace is perfection.
He keeps the action moving at solid speed, only allowing the organic
dramatic moments within the piece to slow the pace down for excellent
dramatic pauses and intensity. But look at the blocking, it is
sublime. There is constant movement, but he covers the entire space
with rationale within the blocking. Notice how he wisely makes sure
certain family members are close to each other in key moments, thereby
allowing the audience to watch the Golds react emotionally and
physically at each other during those key scenes. Miller's direction
shines beautifully within the piece.

I will admit the underlying opera music playing in the background
during some emotional scenes was a little distracting. It comes in
out of nowhere and slowly becomes like an irritating mosquito buzzing
around your ear.

I honestly do love theater companies that really take the time, skill,
and knowledge to design and create the best they can within their
production elements. Uptown has never disappointed me in that depart-
ment-ever. Having said this, the set for this play is absolutely
exquisite and a feast for the eyes.

Designed by Miller and Dennis Canright, the set is a marvelous New
York apartment. It is not just flats connected to each other, instead
it has mini-arches for special lighting, and it has depth and scope.
The center glossy windows whisper open to reveal a mountain piece that
looks volcanic. This is used when the opera references are discussed
on stage. The color scheme and design of this set displays in profess
-ional beauty what amazing talent we have in our designers within
this metroplex theater community.

Jason Foster's lighting design is another layer of artistic genius
coming from the production team. He pours vivid, swirling, rich colors
onto the volcanic opera set within the glass windows, but gives the
New York apartment a nice, sunny, healthy glow. I also thought what a
terrific idea it was to light the DNA sculpture in Act Two.

Completing the design is Suzi Shankle's period costuming. She actually
has David in one of those mini jackets with huge shoulder pads that
we've seen WHAM wear in concert. To think we thought those were so
cool back then. Each costume piece fits the period perfectly and helps
seal in the time frame in which the play takes place in.

The five thespians within this production provide some of the best
chemistry that I've seen all season. The parents kiss, hug, hold hands
and look at each other with approval, disappointment, or deep
affection.

The brother and sister show a loving, sibling relationship with the
energy and playfulness between them. Finally you do believe in the
romantic-if strained-marriage of Rob and Suzanne by their passionate
kissing and holding onto each other. Or are they desperately trying
to hold on to their crumbling marriage? The chemistry between the
entire cast radiates the stage.

Clayton Farris does an admirable job as "David", but somehow never
reaches the organic reality within the raw, brutal center of David's
heartache and pain. He gets right to the cusp of the emotional arc,
but somehow not able to burst though that final subtext wall. Nonethe
-less the actor does give the role a sweet balance of humor with some
touching moments with his sister.

His sister is portrayed by Jodi Rudman, who provides a highly enter
-taining performance as the sibling who is the eye of this emotional
storm. As with Farris, Ms. Rudman also seems to have the same problem
of getting deep into the skin and subtext of "Suzanne". She gets so
close, but somehow never reaches the emotional apex. You wanted tears
to flow down her face in the second Act confession of what happened
to her. And while you hear the pain through her voice, you don't truly
see or feel it. Ms. Rudman is terrific in the role; you just wanted
that dark anguish to seep through much more within her performance.

Francis Fuselier delivers a solid performance as "Walter Gold", a
proud (yet disappointed) father who loves his family, as long as he
ignores their faults. The role could easily go into over the top
hysteria and stereotypical format. Fuselier steers his performance
far away from this. His touching monologue is restrained, but
immensely moving. His second act fight with his son is devastating to
watch, but Fuselier uses just the right inflections and emotion to
cause the audience to squirm in their seats. It's a very difficult
scene, but Fuselier's work really brings the unspeakable truth to
devastating reality. Watch also Fuselier's body language in several
scenes. Watch his facial expressions and body change when things he
does not want to hear come up; the subtext here from Fuselier is
riveting.

The two performances that did find their organic subtext and realism
were provided by Joe Nemmers and Lois Sonnier Hart.

Nemmers role could be the one role that disappears into the background
due to writing and placement of the character, which is more of a-if
you pardon the expression-the straight man to the Golds humor and
structure within the play. Instead Nemmers creates a fascinating
character that makes you so angry to watch, but damnnit, if his
performance actually does brings understanding to his side of the
argument.

As "Rob Stein", he must defend this medical testing, even though many
consider it a new form of Nazi selectiveness. With a firm, muscular
grasp of his character's voice and heart, Nemmers delivers the
emotional arc beautifully. His second act monologue is the best of the
evening, gripping you with heartfelt compassion of what Rob honestly
feels as Nemmers eyes fill with tears. Thereby he clearly shows the
audience Stein's subtext. Uptown's VALLEY OF THE DOLLS was my first
time to see Nemmers work on stage, which was a hilarious performance
as "Lyon Burke". Now to see what he does with a dramatic role, this
actor is indeed phenomenal in whatever genre he's in.

Ms. Hart is known around the theater community as a musical theater
actress, so to see her in a dramatic role was like opening an ornate
package to find a sparkling surprise. This was another role that in a
weaker actress would have become a cardboard copy of the Jewish mother
-not in Ms. Hart's capable hands. She pulls back on the Jewish
accent, instead letting it come out naturally.

Using her face and body like a see through chalkboard, we see every
arrow of hurt, pain, sorrow, anger, and devastation pierce through
her heart. Her facial expressions and body language is displayed in
finesse subtext. Observe how she reacts to key scenes, it is gut
wrenching. There were times I swore Ms. Hart used my own mother as a
character study-and I'm Catholic! Ms. Hart's second act monologue is
written a bit melodramatic and has a slight aura of LIFETIME movie of
the week. However Hart gives the monologue such overwhelming brutality
that it leaves you with a lump in your throat there in the darkness
of the theater.

Okay, so Tolins script is inconsistent and tends to go all over the
map, losing focus at times. But the production mounted by Uptown
Players is chockfull of reasons on why you should buy a ticket. The
production elements are superior, the direction is right on the money,
and the performances clearly rise way above the patchy script.

Uptown Players yet again has mounted a production that clearly shows
why they continue to be one of the finest, most professional theater
companies in the metroplex.


GRADE: B+





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Performances continue through October 21, 2007. Performed at the KD
Studio Theatre (formerly the Trinity River Arts Center), located at
2600 Stemmons Freeway (I-35 at Motor Street). Show are at 8 p.m. on
Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays and a matinee on Sundays at 2 p.m.
Tickets are $22-25 & can be purchased online at www.uptownplayers.org
or by phone at (214) 219-2718

Reviewed by: John Garcia