Set in a small California town in the 1970's, "The Talls" at 2econd Stage Theatre Uptown, through August 27th, focuses on the rudderless Clarke children.
Everything in "The Talls" encapsulates the 1970s. The actors are perfectly dressed by Jenny Mannis and the Clarke living room, in a set by Dane Laffrey, is evocative of "The Brady Bunch."
Big sister, Isabelle (Shannon Esper) feels responsible for keeping her siblings on track. She makes sure they get their homework done, keeps Christian (Michael Oberholtzer) from picking on Catherine (Lauren Holmes) and makes sure that their youngest brother, Nicholas (Timothee Chalamet) gets ready for bed.
Esper as Isabelle [Photo (c) Joan Marcus]
The parents, John (Peter Rini) and Anne Clarke (Christa Scott-Reed) are pre-occupied-- mostly with dad's career and aspirations in politics, but also with Anne's friendship with Sister Connie, one of the children's teachers.
as Mr. John Clarke [Photo (c) Joan Marcus]
Anne, who has forgotten about Christian's and Catherine's ball games in the early afternoon, comes home to remind them, over an early cocktail, to get ready to meet their father's political advisor, Russell James (Gerard Canonico).
Isabelle is not just the oldest in the family, she is also the smartest, and in some ways, despite her youth, the wisest. She is, also, the most daring. Isabelle longs for freedom from the straight and narrow. Her dreams of being a hippie are partly fulfilled as the comedy reaches a poignant outcome.
To find out more about Anna Kerrigan's "The Talls," please visit http://2st.com/
"The Talls" caught Burt's fancy because of his particular fondness for stories about teenagers
ReplyDeletefinding their way.