For those willing to brave the nor’easter raging outside, the Alliance of Resident Theatres in New York City had a warm surprise. Greeting those that came to see the performance of “Halcyon Days” by the Oberon Theatre Ensemble was a different world from the frigid tundra caused by the storm.
A small lobby had been transformed into a vibrant slice of the Caribbean island of Grenada, complete with vividly decorated flags, colorful lights, music featuring the steel drum, and a miniature Tiki bar (for which drinks were, thankfully, only by suggested donation).
Brad Fryman, the artistic director for the production explained. “As soon as you walked into the lobby, you would hopefully stop thinking about the blizzard outside,”
The play focuses on the US invasion of Grenada of 1983 and the events leading up to it. Two interconnected narratives play out as Washington attempts to find a justification for their planned invasion and manipulate the public support, while simultaneously those in Grenada are pulled into their plotting.
The tone of the play was satirical, with moments of levity in between powerful scenes about the United States and its imperialist nature. Funny and tragic in equal measures, the play maintains a perfect balance that manages to both make a salient point while keeping the play entertaining and not overly serious.
Despite the proximity of the venue to Penn Station and Times Square, only a scant three blocks from the former, not a tourist was to be seen. Instead, the theater was packed with New York City actors and artists, offering a pleasant break for those seeking to escape the typical Midtown crowd.
The theater itself was unlike any other. Only slightly larger than the lobby itself, it holds roughly 80 seats.
Non-traditional in many ways, the stage was pulled as close to the audience as possible to accommodate the NYC apartment proportioned room. From the first row, one was only arm’s length from the actors.
Upon walking in the audience was brought into the 80’s via projections on the back wall of the set. The display alternated between different clips of cartoons from the time period such as “Thundercats” and “Scooby-Doo” while music from 80’s bands filled the air.
Director Alex Dinelaris said of that choice, “I try to juxtapose the frivolity of the 80’s with the gravity of what these men and women were doing.”
Although it was the final day of previews for the performance The VOICE was able to attend, the performance ran smoothly, with only a few minor tics here and there that did not distract from the production itself.
Being so close to the actors allowed for a completely different experience than the traditional Broadway play. The experience was decidedly personal, even intimate. I felt less like a member of an audience and more like a participant in the events unfolding before me. I was no mere observer but a Washington insider or Grenadian citizen, depending on the scene.
The actors all excelled in their performances, which was no surprise given that all but one are members of the Actors’ Equity Association. Their acting was the same quality one would expect of a Broadway performance, but at a reasonable price, only 20 dollars for students.
The standout performance was Ralph Guzzo as Raper, presidential adviser to Ronald Reagan. It was difficult to tell he was even acting as he seemed to genuinely believe he was the character. He spoke with an authentic anger and conviction in his words, and his movements were wild and exaggerated, even violently so.
Most impressive was his eyes, which one was able to look into due to the proximity of the stage to the audience seating. They held a genuine, righteous anger within them that showed the depth of the actor’s ability to control the window to the soul itself.
As the play drew to a close, a fake election poster was projected on the walls of the stage, reminding the audience of the relevance of the performance to contemporary events. The image showed the smiling face of Ronald Reagan, reading “REAGAN FOR PRESIDENT: Let’s make America great again.”
The political message was clear. Patricia Perales, an actress from Brooklyn, said, “It’s a bit depressing to see how we’re being deceived in terms of false reality but hopeful in terms of we’re writing about it. You can apply it to a lot of things going on now.”
Following the performance, the audience was informed that there would be a “very casual” talkback with the cast and crew at a nearby wine bar. To be able to interact directly with those that made the play possible in such a relaxed setting, as well as speak to the actors The VOICE had spent the last two hours watching in their true personas, was an extraordinary experience.
