Curio Takes Audiences Down A West Philly ‘Road’ Curio Theatre CompanyMarch 26, 2009 Road, the first play written by British playwright Jim Cartwright, debuted in 1986 and explores the lives of the people in a deprived, working class area during a time of high unemployment. If the plot sounds eerily similar to life in America in 2009, that is exactly how Curio Theatre director Gay Carducci is hoping audiences will react. We received permission from the playwright to slightly alter the play and set it in West Philadelphia, changing the British expressions and places to our Philadelphian language. The Curio Company was thrilled when the permission was granted and the agent replied, "as you rightly say the play can and is often set in the location of where it's performed...Jim [the playwright] is quite happy for companies to make these changes." But don’t worry! Despite the play's extremely effective portrait of the desperation of people's lives, the script also contains a great deal of humour. Our director Gay Carducci says, "I have loved this play since I first saw it many years ago at The Wilma Theatre. Even then I thought about how the play depicts the despair and pain of poverty, not only in a small town in England, but in many areas all over the world. We chose to put this play in our fourth season long before the huge loss of employment hit America. After that happened I thought how appropriate it seemed to place this play right here in our own little corner of the universe. Approaching the play in this way really has made it a true company project. We are all walking this 'Road' together as one." Carducci's cast includes Curio Company members: Newton Buchanan as Scullery; and Paul Kuhn, Ken Opdenaker, Delante Keys, Aetna Gallagher, Chelsea Bulack and Erika Hicks in multiple roles Road won the Samuel Beckett Award, Drama Magazine’s Best New Play Award, and was joint winner of the Plays And Players Award and The George Devine Award. In 1988, Road was produced by The Lincoln Center, New York, and is now considered a modern classic. What the critics are saying Metro International: In the opening minutes of Curio Theatre’s mounting of “Road,” our apparent narrator — an oft-soused tramp named Scullery (a charismatic Newton Buchanan) — pulls a dirty version of “Our Town,” pointing out the nearby houses and business and such. Among his shout-outs is Third World Cafe. Come again? .........Curio’s production does retain the most important aspect: chaos. No naked plea for aid and hope this; despite an 11th hour call for Obama-esque hope, “Road,” about 98% of it anyway, simply SHOWS. But despair should never look smooth; it should horrify and try our patience. And both of those Curio’s “Road” does. The County Press As always, members of Curio's company deliver nuanced performances. Buchanan charms and delights the audience as the drunken rogue Scullery, bringing a sense of humor to a rather sordid character. Aetna Gallagher contributes some elegant moments of stillness and silence, while Paul Kuhn brings warmth and gentle humanity to two of the most delicate characters in the show. Much of the production work is also excellent. For the third show of their season, Curio Theatre has re-imagined the space in which they perform. Paul Kuhn's set design creates a stage that thrusts out into the middle of the audience. We are not meant merely to watch; we are living among the characters we meet. The sense of immediacy sharpens the play; .... Aetna Gallagher's costume design is a study in carefully specific poverty: worn canvas sneakers, ripped jeans, thrift store leather jackets. Jon Bulack's sound design for the show evokes the environment Curio Theatre will stage Road March 12 - April 4 in the Sanctuary of Calvary Church Corner of 48th and Baltimore Ave.. Performances are 7 p.m. Thursdays and 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays. Regular Tickets are $15 on Thursdays, $22 on Fridays and Saturdays. Students are $10 to any performance. Special pricing for ages 30 and under. (Adult Themes and Language- the subject matter is not appropriate for children under the age of 16) Visit www.curiotheatre.org for more information or call 215-525-1350 for reservations. -- Gay Carducci General Manager Curio Theatre Company 815 S. 48th St. Phila. Pa. 19143 610-368-4450 215-525-1350 [email protected]
