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'DOG'GONE SHAME
by ELISABETH VINCENTELLI
The New York Post
September 25, 2012 Tuesday
OFF-BROADWAY'S "Red Dog Howls" begins with the line: "There are sins
from which we can never be absolved."
So, not a comedy then.
And that's an understatement: Alexander Dinelaris' new play, which
opened last night at New York Theatre Workshop, is a full-on drama -
also contrived, manipulative and borderline exploitative.
The sole reason this show gets two stars instead of one is the intense,
exacting Kathleen Chalfant who shone in "Wit" and "Angels in America,"
and is one of New York's finest stage actors.
Here, she throws herself into the part of Rose Afratian, an elderly
New Yorker of Armenian descent. With her customary skill, Chalfant
speaks in a strong accent, drops the occasional Armenian expression,
and walks around as if she were carrying the weight of the world on
her shoulders.
Indeed, Rose is hiding a devastating "Sophie's Choice"-like secret.
But the play lays it on so thick that the eventual revelation is like
a meteor hitting a shantytown - it comes out of the blue and blows
the shoddy plot to smithereens.
Most of the action centers on the relationship between Rose and
her grandson, a 34-year-old writer named Michael Kiriakos (Alfredo
Narciso).
Taking a back seat is Michael's pregnant wife, Gabriella (Florencia
Lozano), who's more symbolic than anything else, and spends a lot of
her stage time passed out in a hospital bed.
Narrating the show, Michael takes us through his discovery of his
Armenian roots and his cursed family via his conversations with Rose.
Problem is, their scenes together are never engaging. She's a laconic
presence who often evades questions with "Eat!" - or "Shut up and
eat!" when she's feeling chatty.
As for Michael, he's a characterless character with an unfortunate
tendency to address the audience. Ponderously.
The text loudly advertises its importance, sounding variously
melodramatic or pasted from Wikipedia: "The first nation to accept
Christianity as its national religion," Michael informs us, "Armenia
was a sprawling nation that sat on the portal between Asia and the
West." Zzzzzz.
Finally, Rose decides that Michael is ready to hear the truth and
help her execute her last plan. She utters the fateful line: "I want
to tell you something," and the show goes into its final nose dive.
Let's just say that only an actor of Chalfant's caliber could give
any kind of dignity to that ending.
by ELISABETH VINCENTELLI
The New York Post
September 25, 2012 Tuesday
OFF-BROADWAY'S "Red Dog Howls" begins with the line: "There are sins
from which we can never be absolved."
So, not a comedy then.
And that's an understatement: Alexander Dinelaris' new play, which
opened last night at New York Theatre Workshop, is a full-on drama -
also contrived, manipulative and borderline exploitative.
The sole reason this show gets two stars instead of one is the intense,
exacting Kathleen Chalfant who shone in "Wit" and "Angels in America,"
and is one of New York's finest stage actors.
Here, she throws herself into the part of Rose Afratian, an elderly
New Yorker of Armenian descent. With her customary skill, Chalfant
speaks in a strong accent, drops the occasional Armenian expression,
and walks around as if she were carrying the weight of the world on
her shoulders.
Indeed, Rose is hiding a devastating "Sophie's Choice"-like secret.
But the play lays it on so thick that the eventual revelation is like
a meteor hitting a shantytown - it comes out of the blue and blows
the shoddy plot to smithereens.
Most of the action centers on the relationship between Rose and
her grandson, a 34-year-old writer named Michael Kiriakos (Alfredo
Narciso).
Taking a back seat is Michael's pregnant wife, Gabriella (Florencia
Lozano), who's more symbolic than anything else, and spends a lot of
her stage time passed out in a hospital bed.
Narrating the show, Michael takes us through his discovery of his
Armenian roots and his cursed family via his conversations with Rose.
Problem is, their scenes together are never engaging. She's a laconic
presence who often evades questions with "Eat!" - or "Shut up and
eat!" when she's feeling chatty.
As for Michael, he's a characterless character with an unfortunate
tendency to address the audience. Ponderously.
The text loudly advertises its importance, sounding variously
melodramatic or pasted from Wikipedia: "The first nation to accept
Christianity as its national religion," Michael informs us, "Armenia
was a sprawling nation that sat on the portal between Asia and the
West." Zzzzzz.
Finally, Rose decides that Michael is ready to hear the truth and
help her execute her last plan. She utters the fateful line: "I want
to tell you something," and the show goes into its final nose dive.
Let's just say that only an actor of Chalfant's caliber could give
any kind of dignity to that ending.