BWW Reviews: THE PRISONER OF SECOND AVENUE at ACT

Times are tough, unemployment is on the rise, and people are struggling to make ends meet let alone keep their sanity.  Sound familiar?  Well ACT's current production of Neil Simon's "The Prisoner of Second Avenue" sounds like it could be set today but instead we go back not too long ago to 1971 to another recession in our country's economy.  But even with this dark subject, the cast makes this show frenzied, frothy and fun!

It's New York City and Mel and Edna Edison (R. Hamilton Wright and Anne Allgood) aren't wealthy but they do well enough.  They have a nice apartment (a beautiful set design by the way from Matthew Smucker), with kids in college.  But then comes the blow when the 53 year old Mel is laid off from his job.  So when Mel is unable to find another job which forces Edna to rejoin the workforce, the pressure builds until it's just a little too much for him and Mel has a nervous breakdown.  And the sparks really start to fly when you add in their home being robbed, noisy neighbors and Mel's well meaning siblings.

On the surface this doesn't seem like much of a lighthearted comedy, and at times I found it difficult to laugh at the situation, but then that's what Neil Simon does.  He takes family tragedy and turns it into witty banter.  As my theater companion the other night perfectly put it, Simon always takes the person with the most problems and makes him the funniest person in the room.  But with this particular Simon piece I find it difficult to laugh only because I feel so much for the only people on stage for the majority of the show.  So as manic and clever as they're being, they're not the ones I want to laugh at.  But then that all resolved itself in Act Two when the relatives appeared and I could focus my laughter on this hilarious group who wants to care for their brother but not at their own expense.

Beyond my personal feelings about the script, this production soars and mostly due to the incredible cast.  The always amazing Wright and Allgood turn in some amazingly manic performances with tons of nuanced subtly.  Yes, they're crazed and loud and hysterical but still manage to infuse their comedy with emotion and heart.  Wright goes from borderline insanity to wounded and broken at the drop of a pin (and in one instance in the middle of a sentence).  And Allgood (one of my favorites around town) matches him note for note, often with just a look.  So any issues I have with the play itself were definitely not from the performances.

And speaking of performances, they only have one scene together but the siblings take that scene and turn it into comedy gold.  Local gems all in their own right, John Aylward, Julie Briskman, Kimberly King and Cynthia Lauren Tewes turn in one of the funniest scenes of familial "love" I've ever seen.  Each with their own distinct characters, the bullying Aylward, the overbearing Tewes, the wacky King and the weepy Briskman showed themselves off as comedic powerhouses as well.  It really made me wish that Simon had included these characters more.  I could have done with an entire play with them. 

So while at times the play came off as a little too real and close to home for me to laugh at, the performances from this dream cast, pitch perfect pacing from Director Warner Shook and that brilliant cut away set makes this one of the best things I've seen come out of ACT since their stunning production of "The Women".  And the only breakdown it should cause any audience is one of severe laughter.

"The Prisoner of Second Avenue" performs at ACT through May 29^th.  For tickets for information contact the ACT box office at 206-292-7676 or visit them online at www.acttheatre.org.

Photo credits: Chris Bennion

 

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