Dylan Aquaviva

Westfield comedy ‘greets’ holiday anxiety in unusual way

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By John Lyle Belden

We tend to recall the past as somehow an easier time, but each era has its own anxieties. Many of us remember the 1990s, still it’s easy to forget how the feeling of imminent change at the end of a millennium carried a lot of uncertainty, even before the Y2K panic.

In the holiday comedy, “Greetings!” by Tom Dudzick, presented by Main Street Players of Westfield, they don’t have today’s terms like “autism spectrum” to describe the personal struggles of Mickey Gorski. The words “mentally handicapped” are briefly mentioned, then not said again as it is better to think of the young man as just a happy member of the family whom his parents cherish, accepting any little word he adds to his limited vocabulary as a divine gift.

Mickey (Dylan Acquaviva), with doting mom Emily (Barb Weaver) and sullen but loving dad Phil (James LaMonte), are preparing their Pittsburgh home for a Christmas Eve visit by big brother Andy (Nathaniel Taff), flying in from New York with his girlfriend Randi (Megan Fridenmaker). A couple of things seem to feel off from the start, including frequent issues with the house’s electrical wiring and Emily’s insistence that she recently heard Mickey say – for the first time ever – the word “greetings,” a feat she seems unable to make him repeat.

The stress of caring for this son has become routine, however, the arrival of Andy gives former minor-league pitcher Phil emotional curveballs he can barely handle. The good news is that Andy and Randi are engaged; the distressing part is that she is an atheist Jew and he has reconsidered aspects of the family’s Catholic faith.

As the inevitable argument ensues, Mickey calmly stands up straight and declares, “Greetings!”

And then, he says even more.

Directed by Jeremy Tuterow, this charming and funny family drama gives a meaning-of-Christmas lesson that blends aspects of “All in the Family” and “The Twilight Zone” with how the Shepherds at the Nativity must have felt.

LaMonte gives us in Phil a solid sitcom-esque Dad who lives with unresolved issues and regrets, as well as resistance to anything more that he feels he can’t understand. Weaver’s Emily greets it all with attempts at understanding and unconditional love, though she can be overwhelmed. Taff plays Andy as caught between his wanting to be there for the brother he loves and wanting to run from what he sees as inevitable parental disapproval. Fridenmaker gives Randi a demeanor in which you can almost see her psychological armor, already forged by friction with observant Jewish parents before being brought here to deal with potential new family. She, like the others, will find her own test of faith – or lack thereof.

Acquaviva is simply outstanding as Mickey. He emulates the tics and eccentricities of his autistic character with respect for the condition and smoothly transitions to other aspects of the role with precision delivery that makes its whole fantastic nature work within the world of the play. A high school freshman with already a few other notable roles on his CV, he has us looking forward to where his talents will take him next.

One weekend of performances remain, Thursday through Sunday, Dec. 12-15, before “Greetings!” becomes goodbye. Find it at Basile Westfield Playhouse, 220 N. Union St.; find tickets at westfieldplayhouse.org.

BCP presents charming ‘Memoirs’

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By John Lyle Belden

The legendary Neil Simon’s semi-autobiographical “Eugene plays” hearken to a nostalgia for a time that came before our time, yet feels familiar. The comedy “Brighton Beach Memoirs,” now on stage at Buck Creek Players, adds the tensions of Jewish life in the 1930s and the issues of being a teenager in any era.

Eugene Morris Jerome (Dylan Acquaviva), our 14-year-old narrator, obviously didn’t make the Yankees later in life, as he fervently wished, because otherwise he wouldn’t become a writer and we wouldn’t have this story. This is one of many frustrations that he details in this surprisingly dramatic look at two important days in his young life.

The Jerome house, headed by overworked father Jack (Jeremy Tuterow) and ever-worried mother Kate (Barb Weaver) has made room for her widowed sister Blanche (Letitia Clemons) and nieces Laurie (Quincy Carman) and 16-year-old Nora (Brooke Dennis), whose physical development Eugene can’t help but notice. With the girls in one upstairs bedroom, Eugene bunks with his older brother Stanley (Tallon Wynne) in the other.

The family members’ good nature and guarded optimism are their bulwark against the otherwise crushing stresses of their lives – money always short, young people acting impulsive, the spectre of various diseases (one of which claimed Blanche’s husband years ago), and the constant news from Europe in the papers as well as letters from family facing oppression as the Nazis expand their influence. Thus we both laugh and feel their pain, sometimes simultaneously, as only Simon can make us do.

Acquaviva balances his naïve nature with growing maturity to come off as a rather likable scamp. Wynne and Dennis deliver the complexity of putting up brave fronts while never sure if they are doing the right thing. Carman gets to play spoiled without being too bratty. Clemons has Blanche appear to enjoy a comfortable place in the household, yet her simmering guilt at imposing on the Jeromes never lets her fully relax. Weaver gives us a Mom whose love language is constant complaining, while Tuterow makes Jack a lower-middle class Atlas, shouldering the world as best he can with a wry smile on his tired face.

The director is Jim LaMonte, who also designed the nicely functional set with Tuterow. Chris Becker is stage manager. Also appreciated is Adrienne Reiswerg’s help as dramaturg and advisor on details of Jewish life.

A hilarious and heartwarming story, “Brighton Beach Memoirs” runs through Oct. 8 at the Buck Creek Playhouse, 11150 Southeastern Ave., Indianapolis (Acton Road exit off I-74). Get tickets and info at BuckCreekPlayers.com.

Holiday favorite ‘Elf’ returns to Civic

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By John Lyle Belden

Just two years ago (what seems a lifetime now), the Booth Tarkington Civic Theatre had one of their biggest-ever hits with the musical “Elf,” based on the 2003 Wil Farrell film that is already a beloved Christmas classic.

And as live theatre has returned around central Indiana, so, too, has Buddy and his friends. And – a holiday miracle? – this production is just as wonderful as it was before.

This presents the reviewer with a problem. How do I say practically the same thing I wrote in 2019?

Like this — To save you the click and page-load of a link to the previous review, the following is the same text that still applies, with updated cast and info as needed:

The book by Thomas Meehan and Bob Martin, with songs by Matthew Sklar and Chad Beguelin, allows Buddy the Elf to escape the shadow of Ferrell’s unique talent to make him his own wonderful character — portrayed happily here by Matt Bays. 

As in the original story, Buddy is a human who, as a baby, crawled into Santa’s sack, unseen until the end of the journey. Finding that the boy’s single mother had died, Santa Claus (Parrish Williams) lets him be raised by the elves, allowing Buddy to think he was one of them. 

The truth is inevitably revealed, and Buddy travels to find his biological father — who doesn’t know he exists — in New York City. The dad, Walter (Jack Tanselle), is a workaholic executive at a publishing house of children’s books who is rough on coworkers like good-natured Deb (Nina Stilabower) and neglectful of wife Emily (Carrie Neal) as well as son Michael (Dylan Aquaviva). Naturally, Walter doesn’t believe this strange man in elvish tights is his son, so has him sent away. Since Buddy claims to be from the North Pole, he is dropped off at the next-best thing — Macy’s. There he ends up among the store’s Santa’s helpers, where he falls in love with fellow “elf” Jovie (Emily Bohannon). 

From there, the story is Buddy’s struggle for acceptance and belonging, along with a chance to save Christmas for his father’s family, and the whole world — when Santa is stranded in Central Park, his sleigh too low on the Christmas Spirit that fuels it (PETA nixed his reindeer a while ago). Other notable roles include Jonathan Studdard as the stressed-out Macy’s Manager, Dick Davis and Kelsey VanVoorst as hapless children’s book writers, and Jeff Angel as Mr. Greenway, the curmudgeonly owner of the publishing company, who wants a new hit Christmas story from Walter — or else!

The feel of the show throughout is best described by one of its song titles: “Sparklejollytwinklejingley.” The mood is perpetually sweet, even when characters aren’t “Happy All The Time.” And even when they feel that “Nobody Cares,” there’s a fun dance break. 

Directed by Michael J. Lasley and Anne Beck with choreography by Beck and musical direction by Brent Marty, this is a magical ensemble effort. Seeing it on a matinee with an audience of mostly children, I noticed they were all entranced and swept up in the spirit of it all. 

Just as sweet and special as spaghetti with syrup, “Elf” is yet another holiday must-see in central Indiana, playing through Dec. 24 at the Tarkington theater in the Center for the Performing Arts in downtown Carmel, right next to the Christkindlmarkt. (Arrive early for hope of parking.) See www.civictheatre.org or thecenterpresents.org for info and tickets.