Stage Write

Can women really “have it all”? Do they want to? The Theatre on the Square’s production of Rapture, Blister, Burn explores this topic with a stark honesty and balance that’s rare with such a hot button issue. Two former grad school roommates reconnect in their 40s. Catherine is a literary success who lives in New York and is single. Gwen is married (to Catherine’s former boyfriend) and raising kids in a small town. Both women can’t help but feel curious about how their lives might have unfolded if they’d made different decisions.    Shows like this often have a hard time not infuriating one side or the other of the issue. All women seem to be both defensive and opinionated about the “right way” to live your life. Somehow this play, written by Gina Gianfriddo, manages to avoid all of those pitfalls. Instead of attacking either side it opens the discussion, guiding the audience to consider both sides equally. Using a college course as the vehicle to drive the exploration...

A mysterious murder presented in the round is the latest offering from the EclecticPond Theatre Company. Sherlock Holmes is back in The Speckled Band in Irvington. With a limited set and six-person cast, the show builds suspense quickly with a locked-room murder and a dangerous villain. Kelly Gualdoni is particularly good as Enid Stonor, a strong young woman willing to stand her ground even after her twin sister is murdered. She plays Enid as intelligent even in the midst of her fear. Her menacing uncle, played by Dan Flahive, controls her every move and most days he can barely keep his temper in check. Bradford Reilly plays the infamous Sherlock Holmes. He struggled with his lines at times, but he’s well suited for the role. He embraced the presumptive air of the brilliant detective and never slowed down to let his well-meaning sidekick catch up with his thought process. Ryan Maloney makes a very young Dr. Watson, but was a calm balance to Holmes’ impatience. ...