Eclipse Theatre Presents NATURAL AFFECTION REVIEW

When intermission comes half way giving you a reprieve from this production’s tension, your dread of what is to come may actually double down on you.

Not dread at the acting or production value – quite the contrary. This is a pitch perfect cast, and ,in a low-budget sort of way, a fine set design (Joanna Iwanicka) and— especially, in 20-20 hindsight—appropriate music and sound design that lingers for a long prelude that gets us in the mood (SOund Design: Chris Kriz).

In particular, Terry Bell’s performance as Donnie quakes so violently that one might think it jars the Richter scale up a notch. He plays a young man who may be able to stay out of the work farm reformatory if his mother (Diana Coates) agrees to take him into her home for his remaining sentence.

Add to this mix the neurotic neighbors—Vince, a middle aged depressed man who may be a “closet case” (Joe McCauley) and his straying younger wife Claire (Cassidy Slaughter-Mason)— and you get all the ingredients that playwright William Inge needs to captivate us in his exploration of bonds and how they grow or fray with circumstance. For today’s audience, Inge’s explorations may come across more as a bottling of early 60’s USA zeitgeist than was likely felt in its earlier stagings.

Start of Eclipse Theatre William Inge Showcase

It is no wonder that Eclipse Theatre has chosen William Inge as their featured playwright of the year. Vince’s soliloquy describing his depression alone makes this play important to stage--- it is quite a dramatic moment delivered perfectly by McCauley. Reading that Inge did eventually commit suicide suggests the entire Eclipse season will be similar pass-the-prozac fare.

If you are seeking a night of light entertainment escapism, this is NOT your show.

During the bows, this writer couldn’t help but notice how Terry Bell still seemed overcome by the tragic part he had just played. Indeed! We felt a need to recover too.

CAST: Ensemble members Zachery Alexander (Gil) and Joe McCauley (Vince),

and guest artists Terry Bell (Donnie), Jennifer Cheung (Other Woman), Diana Coates (Sue), Luke Daigle (Bernie), Joe Feliciano (Superintendent / Man), and Cassidy Slaughter-Mason (Claire). Understudies are Jessica Kearney (for Sue and Other Woman) and Izadorius Tortuga (for Donny and Gill).

PRODUCTION TEAM: Eclipse ensemble members Zachery Alexander (Costume Design), Zachary Bloomfield (Casting Associate), Ashley Bowman (Production Manager),

Celeste M. Cooper (Casting Associate), Kathleen Dickinson (Production

Manager), Kevin Hagan (Lighting Design), JP Pierson (Casting Director),

Kevin Scott (Co-Producer / Set Design), and Nathaniel Swift (Co-Producer).

Guest artists include Kaycee Filson (Props Design), Rachel Flesher (Fight &

Intimacy Choreographer), Emily Iopollo (Stage Manager), Joanna Iwanicka (Set Design), Christopher Kriz (Sound Design), Rachel Lambert (Director), and Deanna Satin (Assistant Stage Manager).

About the Author: Amy Munice

Amy Munice is Editor-in-Chief and Co-Publisher of Picture This Post. She covers books, dance, film, theater, music, museums and travel. Prior to founding Picture This Post, Amy was a freelance writer and global PR specialist for decades—writing and ghostwriting thousands of articles and promotional communications on a wide range of technical and not-so-technical topics.

Amy hopes the magazine’s click-a-picture-to-read-a-vivid-account format will nourish those ever hunting for under-discovered cultural treasures. She especially loves writing articles about travel finds, showcasing works by cultural warriors of a progressive bent, and shining a light on bold, creative strokes by fledgling artists in all genres.

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE ARTICLES BY AMY MUNICE.