66 The QUEE NS Courier • buzz • november 20, 2014 for breaking news visit www.queenscourier.com ‘Damn Yankees’ is darn good at RTC The house is full. The crowd is eager. The game starts any minute. No. Not the World Series. It’s even better. A certain Shoeless Joe will lead his ragtag lineup against the blockbuster team of the last century. You know. Those Damn Yankees! Director John Gilleece in his 1950s Washington Senators uniform leads the audience in “Take Me Out to the Ball Game.” Producer Susan Jasper has assembled a hard-hitting group of terrific performers. On this evening, we are treated to the joys and jinxes of American baseball fanatics. In the end, we are reminded that our loyalties run deeper than just balls and strikes. Basically, old timer Joe Boyd (well played by community theater veteran David Risley) has made the deal of a lifetime. He sells his soul to a certain Mr. Applegate (a very funny, mischievous spin by John Panepinto). Of course, there are plenty of complications before the ink is dry on this devilish contract. Jodee Timpone gives a poignant performance as Joe’s long-suffering but devoted spouse. Joe Hardy is the magically transformed star athlete played by Daniel Velez. He succeeds as the home-run-hitting slugger in this youthful re-embodiment. But his old soul refuses to abandon his home and values. Of course, Lola, who is wily Applegate’s ace player, has some deceptive curves of her own. Interpreted by beautiful Katherine Robinson, she is a heck of a singer, dancer and actor. Well done! Community favorite Cliff Hesse as grizzled old timer Van Buren is one of the many fine supporting players. The magnificently motley men who portray the undaunted Washington Senators have cleared the fences with their undaunted enthusiasm. A dozen kids and many more adults too numerous to acknowledge by name all take their best swings for the team. The orchestra, led by Richard Louis-Pierre keeps the bright pace all evening with “Ya Gotta Have Heart,” “Whatever Lola Wants,” and other unforgettable musical favorites. Kudos to choreographer Nicola Nellen, assistant director Susan Warren Corning, stage manager Nora Meyers, the special effects team and the Photo courtesy The Rockaway Theatre Company set design/construction crew. The Rockaway Theatre Company performs at the NPS Gateway National Recreation Area at old Fort Tilden. For information on this and future productions call 718-374-6400 or surf to www.rockawaytheatrecompany. org. As always, save me a seat on the aisle. ‘The Gingerbread Lady’ at DCT Award-winning playwright Neil Simon is appreciated for his humorous dialogue and poignant plots. In “The Gingerbread Lady,” his wit is as sharp as always but the plot is much darker than usual. Director Vincent Scott alternates his leading actors during the play’s short run. On opening night, Evy and Polly Meara are played by Karen Schlachter and Melissa Leora. The remaining performances are shared with Clare Lowell and Harriet Spitzer- Picker. The story unfolds in the 1970s, when societal crises are just as stressing as current problems. Aging singer Evy returns from rehab where she has conquered her physical and psychological demons. But she seizes any excuse to resume old habits. Schlachter is excellent as she allows her character to glide into deeprooted and all too comfortable self-destructive patterns. Her daughter, Polly, is now a teenager whose optimistic hopes for her mom are quickly shattered. Leora very capably baits the audience as she emulates her mother’s addictions. Leora never allows us to be truly sure if her sense of reality is strong enough to conquer her mother’s failures. Well done! Best friend Toby (Barbara Mavro) has many character flaws including a conflicted sense of her own vanity. She does convince us that her loyalty to Evy is worth more than her negative baggage. Community favorite Rich Weyhausen adds gay Jimmy to his dozens of local characterizations. His portrayal of a failing, aging actor is excellent, as expected. We realize his bigoted attitudes are more unacceptable than his relationship preferences. The cast is completed by Michael H. Carlin who plays both an obnoxious, heavily accented delivery man and a violently sinister friend named Lou. The set is unchanging throughout the performance. It subtly reflects a once prosperous woman who is now unable to move forward. Or pay her bills. Kudos to Marionanne Rourke (stage manager), Vincent Scott (set design), Robert Stivanello and Kevin C. Vincent (set construction) along with Eugene Sullivan and Gary Tifeld. The Douglaston C o m m u n i t y Theatre is located at Church Street off Douglaston Parkway (Zion Episcopal Church Parish Hall). For information on this and future productions call 718- 482-3332 or surf to www. spotlightonstage.com. As always, save me a seat on the aisle. A VIEW FROM THE CLIFF BY CLIFF KASDEN Photo courtesy Douglaston Community Theatre A VIEW FROM THE CLIFF BY CLIFF KASDEN
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