A Review

Sister Rose’s Neighborhood

By R. J. Donovan

Sister Rose’s body has disappeared from the local funeral home . . . along with the pants of one of the mourners. Such is the opening of “Our Lady of 121st Street,” now in its New England premiere from SpeakEasy Stage Company.

In Stephen Adly Guirgis' compelling, character-driven, black comedy, the folks who have assembled to pay their last respects are a varied bunch. But most have a couple of things in common.

First, they all lived in the same Harlem neighborhood growing up.

Second, they all knew Sister Rose -- who comes off somewhere between saintly and tyrannical depending who you talk to. (An alcoholic who beat students with a shillelagh, she also had a nurturing side.)

And third, they’ve all got a lot of unresolved issues -- many of which relate to one another.

Rather than unfolding in scenes that flow from one to the next, the story is told in a series of vignettes, each involving usually two or three of the characters. They almost serve as eavesdropping glimpses into conversations. Part of the intrigue comes in learning how each of the individuals is connected to the others.

There’s closeted lawyer who arrives from Wisconsin with his male lover; the father whose young son was raped and murdered in the neighborhood; the woman who’s never gotten over her cheating husband; the cheating husband who has made a better life for himself as a DJ in Los Angeles; the frustrated super who takes care of the disabled brother he had a hand in disabling; Sister Rose’s tight-ass niece who’s seemingly allergic to everything including air, and so on.

One of the strengths of the play is the way Guirgis so completely captures the language of the streets. The other is the way in which the cast so expertly interprets it.

Despite the heavy character descriptions above, this is a very funny play -- especially the first act. The angst of the characters comes through the real life situations they endure.

Luis Negron (left with Jennifer Young) delivers a very genuine performance as Edwin, who has spent his life --no, put his life on hold -- to take care of his brother, Pinky. There’s a love/hate relationship here, and despite his sense of obligation, Edwin’s frustration level is high. Special credit goes to Paulo Branco who creates a totally believable, childlike innocence for Pinky. The brothers' most emotional moment comes in a strongly played scene where Edwin loses control after Pinky has disappeared for 16 hours.

Ricardo Engermann (at left with the pantless Robert D. Murphy) is very cool as the police detective, who turns out to be the one who lost his young son. Elaine Theodore is the violent and foul-mouthed Norca, who takes advantage of Pinky. Stacy Fisher is nerdy Sonia from Connecticut, who doesn’t even belong at the funeral, but winds up getting slapped across the face because she looks like someone Norca hates. Jennifer Young (above with Negron) is the self-involved niece. Jim Spencer is the not-yet-out lawyer. And Rodney Raftery is Gail, the lover who queries those around him, “Do I look gay?”

With a cast this large, there has to be a stand-out or two.

Jacqui Parker is wonderful as Inez, the embittered ex-wife. She adeptly balances an inner strength with a fiery rage at that which she is still unable to unshackle.

And the man of the hour, is Vincent E. Siders as Rooftop (left, with Ray McDavitt), the philandering husband who returns to his childhood home for Sister Rose’s wake. We spend an entire scene with Siders before we even know who he is. Guirgis cleverly places him in a confessional box with Father Lux (played by Ray McDavitt) and lets him speak his mind. Which he does, about everything under the sun. Which drives the unbending, straight-laced Father straight up the black-curtained wall.

Siders crafts an intense presence, whether he’s confessing his own fears about life, bragging that he's partied with Barry White, questioning how Jonah could ever have gotten inside that whale, or relishing the practicality of clip-on mittens.

Director Paul Melone has assembled a wonderful cast for this touching and thoroughly entertaining look inside the heads and hearts of a disparate group of people who, no matter where they go and what they do, will always be a part of 121st Street.

"Our Lady of 121st Street" is at The Boston Center for the ARts, 539 Tremont Street in Boston, through March 27. For information, call 617-426-ARTS.

Production Photos: Craig Bailey/CBE Photo

-- OnStage Boston

3/10/04

 

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