Review: Let the Youth Be Told in APA's New Hit SOCIAL SECURITY

There are quite a few advantages of getting old, despite what many people may believe: the well-worn worries of youth are whisked away in the leveled way more mature people live their lives, self-dictated rules and personal boundaries are set as people come into their own and emotions are at bay as people gradually accept and even embrace the monotone way in which their lives are lived. Youth can still be kept alive and may even be sought after, but that shouldn't be too strenuous a task, right? Ha, no. After seeing the workings of the Academy of Performing Art's newest production of Social Security, where insecurities run rampant, youth is a perpetual theme in hilarious unforeseen ways and basically nothing is secure, the irony of this show's title alone is bound to excite and surprise anyone one believes that youth cannot be rekindled in the old at heart.

The Academy Playhouse (Academy of Performing Arts), a theater that has been continuously recognized for its productions that so beautifully involve the vast, combined talents of many community favorites to create truly spectacular shows, present Andrew Bergman's hilarious Social Security. I probably sound like quite the broken record, but this theater perpetually produces quality shows that make loyal patrons return and those who have not yet experienced theatre nestled within the black box theatre happy that they somehow found their way there. Located right in the heart of Orleans, APA has managed to bring yet another spectacular show to its stage, bringing together yet another stellar cast to properly act out a story which is fundamentally the equivalent of adults acting like children who mark their territory on this playground known as life. This theatre is a place permeating with the enthusiasm of dramatic characters, visionaries in creativeness and overall the reason why I can say that Social Security is yet another that can be added to this theatre's list.

Directed by Rich McKey, Social Security has a plot bursting with lighthearted risqué humor (c'mon, dirty humor definitely has its perks), moments of finding absolute joy in watching characters react haphazardly to the new trepidations in their lives known as family, and all the while wondering how life could honestly get any better than this, this show has a little bit of everything to appeal to anyone who wants a good honest laugh. Bergman's play, which premiered on Broadway in 1986 under the direction of Mike Nichols, is well written with a kind of humor that is not forced or even hesitant in its presentation - it stems naturally from wayward characters who just can't believe what is going on in their lives; simply put, the Academy is the place to be for one hell of a theatrical ride this Spring.

Social Security follows the lives of Barbara and David, two married art dealers living on the Lower East Side of New York. Content with how they can immerse themselves in the world of art day after day, without any children or distractions to concern causes their focus to stray from what's mutually important, their ideal existence is suddenly disturbed when Barbara's prudish and overprotective sister Trudy shows up with the interesting character that is her husband Martin to bequeath their aging mother upon the unsuspecting couple in order to pay a visit to their college-age promiscuous daughter and remove her from her life of sin. Barbara and David must now live with Sophie who, judging by the reactions of her daughter Barbara, is already perceived to be less than a favorable companion before she is even introduced. What ensues once she moves it, from the subplot happening with Trudy and Martin's daughter to Barbara and David's life with a belligerent old woman in the house to that old woman rekindling the romantic fire lost in her beyond anyone's wildest expectations, Social Security is an absolute hoot that focuses on the troubles and joys of those who seek out youth and just don't what the heck to expect.

From the very "comfortable" looking set that provides the exact setting for a posh Lower East Side couple (not to mention the entire play happens in that one place) to the paintings that hang on the wall, audiences are very properly transported into the world of Bergman's play even before the lights go down and the play begins. The Academy's blackbox theatre sometimes calls for a more extensive set depending on the show, and it is clear that the design for this one is absolutely perfect. And the actors who make this place their home in one way or another must be given the utmost praise for their gallant efforts with this production. Rebecca Lach as Barbara is absolutely perfect for the role. A veteran actor to the APA, her past shows with the theatre including Private Lives and Hair, she returns this time around to play the perpetually stressed Barbara. Between her calm collectiveness when not stressed to her extreme overreactions and facial expressions (they really are photo worth), she really gives this role her absolute best and doesn't hold anything back. Not only does her character simply flow next to Rick Smith (who plays David), she really is quite the talented actress in this role.

Smith plays the down-to-earth husband with a dirty sense of humor, bringing the show much of its many moments of comedy when he talks with such pleasure of Sarah, the promiscuous teenage daughter whom is giving his brother and sister in law such heart palpations. Also an APA favorite, he is another one who just adapts to his role so well and simply goes at this show with such an ease about him, as though he were meant to perform in this show all along. Tara Kiernan as Trudy (Tara also appeared in the recent APA production of Ira Levin's Deathtrap, also under the direction of Rich McKey) plays the stern, nerve-wrecked mother that has had enough of her lifestyle to the extent that she is both daunted and upset by how her life has turned out. She is so aptly able to play the most nervous version of "calm and collected" I've ever seen, then switching to a full-blown tirade of how she must not only be a mother to her rather likes-to-experiment daughter away in Buffalo at college, but also a mother to her own mother; she navigates her feelings so well that the audience wants to feel bad for her, but all the while finds it funny when they discover why Sara is the way she is.

Paul Widegren as Martin (who also appeared as the Wizard in APA's most recent production of The Wizard of Oz) as Martin is just hilarious. He is so out of place but, in this show, also seems to fit right the heck in in this quirky, emotionally unbalanced group of people we acknowledge as a family. As an accountant, he is perpetually concerned with prices and financial details, and equally as fascinated to get the facts of what his daughter is actually doing at college out in the open for all to unwillingly hear. He is the father character without the smallest ounce of paternal feel, and to watch him on stage is really quite a show in itself.

Mariana Glidden as Sophie is priceless. A new face at the Academy, she is given such a bad image by both of her daughters who fear that she can be nothing more than a difficult burden to handle; yet, lo and behold! - she is actually kind of awesome. Another very talented actress who is rather fluent in this acting art form, she is perfect in the role of the mother who is meant to be "this" and "that," but turns out to be someone entirely different. Lastly, Rick Mansfield as Maurice is wonderfully sweet! He does well to come in and shake things up in a way no one actually expects, and his easygoing, charming self is the last piece of this whole menagerie that makes up this cast of Social Security - a cast that works together in a way that cannot be described on paper. To watch them is to watch a cast that knows each other so well that acting before an audience is just so natural and effortless; it is a group effort that I give three thousand thumbs up if I had them.

Social Security at the Academy Playhouse (located at 120 Main Street in Orleans) began performances on April 8th, and will continue thru May 15th. Performances are Friday and Saturday at 8PM, with a Sunday matinee at 2PM. Tickets are $24 and may be purchased by calling or visiting the box office at (508) 255.1963, or by going over to apacape.org and ordering tickets through the interactive seating chart. Light refreshments and snacks will be sold during intermission. Please come and see a wonderful show that will leave you shaking your head at the absurdity of it all.

Enjoy the show!

Photo Credit: Michael and Suz Karchmer

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