MetroStage Succeeds Swimmingly
⊆ September 26th, 2006 by lorraine treanor | ˜By Ronnie Ruff Podcast: Joel Markowitz
Girl In A Goldfish Bowl — MetroStage
Written with a pop sensibility that brings out the dimples during a smile, Girl In A Goldfish Bowl is the sugar in your tea, the cherry on your sundae. But lest you think that sweetness is its only attribute I beg you to think again. This play’s underpinnings are the day to day troubles of a broken family as remembered by a young girl. Sadness, loneliness, alcoholism, and falling out of love all play roles in this Canadian family that must discover the origin and plans of the mysterious stranger in their home and answer the real question…. is this man my dead goldfish?
Directed by Gregg Henry, Girl In A Goldfish Bowl opens with gentle charm — the play is funny, witty and smart and has a pleasant feel. Under the surface however there is a dysfunctional layer that remains hidden in the pre-teen wisecracks delivered throughout the first act. There are quite a few fantastic performances and the ensemble help us fit the pieces to the puzzle as they become available.
To say Susan Lynskey who portrays the young Iris is fabulous in this role would be an understatement — she tells Morris Panych’s melancholy story with the bratty humor needed to bring it off without the part seeming overly done. Her interaction with the rest of the cast including her mother (Kathleen Coons), Mr Lawrence (Michael Russotto), her father (Bobby Smith) and Miss Rose (Susan Ross) is sometimes funny and other times bittersweet but consistently an engaging piece of theatre. Mr. Russotto is similarly fantastic in his role as the mysterious Mr. Lawrence. His jolting mannerisms and jittery ramblings endear him to the audience immediately.
The technical aspects of the production are pleasing and clever. Bubbly sounds move from stage to ceiling simulating a living room fishbowl only leaving out the bejeweled plastic treasure chest complete with plastic air nozzle. Pastel colors and retro furniture are only the start of a set design that includes some pretty nifty surprises. The rippled lighting adds to the watery effect.
Girl In A Goldfish Bowl, entertains with a whimsical flurry of well delivered lines and child like humor. As the whimsy disappears late in the second act so does much of the plays enormous appeal. No matter, Mr. Henry and company still deliver a fanciful production full of all the things that make live theatre such an engaging and delicious form of entertainment. This is a highly recommended show - see it right away.
Girl in the Goldfish Bowl, by Morris Panych. Directed by Gregg Henry. Lighting design, John Burkland; costumes, Deb Sevigny; sound design, William Burns. two hours. Through Oct. 15 at MetroStage, 1201 N. Royal St., Alexandria. Visit http://www.boxofficetickets.com/ or call 703-548-9044.
Listen here.
September 27th, 2006 at 9:46 pm
I want to thank the very talented cast of Goldfish for interviewing with me at such a late hour the night before Press Night. I respect your talent and I urge all of you in the theatre community to come see this fantastic production. I hope you had as much fun doing the podcast as I did. Sorry for all those puns! (didn’t mean to flounder). Joel
October 9th, 2006 at 10:09 am
I agree completely with the review, except to say that Susan Lynskey is far more than fabulous–she’s a singular sensation! I could easily belkieve that she is 13, except for reading the cast credits and realizing that she must be over 30! Everyone else was fine too, and I really enjoyed the play.
October 10th, 2006 at 8:31 am
This is a wonderful, entertaining evening of theater. Funny, bittersweet and engaging. this show draws you quickly in the the action Well written, well acted (Susan Lynskey is superb) and well performed. Take a date, you can’t miss on this one.