Stage Write

Titus Andronicus is the Reservoir Dogs of Shakespeare. It’s the most violent of the Bard’s plays and a perfect fit for October. Director Thomas Cardwell has set the story of two warring clans in a post-apocalyptic world and the show sucks the audience in from the opening scene. The Indie Artist Colony provides a stark world in which EclecticPond can build its gritty new society. Everything from the costumes to the set design is intentionally rough, suggesting haphazardness to its creation. The costumes, an assorted mix of layered leather, fur, scarves, and vests enforces the scavenged look of a society that’s been put together in a piecemeal fashion.   The show hosts a large cast on the small stage and as the bodies start to pile up, the revenge plots grow darker. The play includes one of the most infamous dinner scenes in all of western literature.  Tamora is played by Kelly Gualdoni, in a wildly different role than the last time audiences saw her perform for E...

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. ...