BWW Reviews: REST IN PIECE(S) at Delaware Theatre Company

The Delaware Theatre Company continues its season with the first fully staged production of playwright Steve Bluestein's Rest in Piece(s). The 90-minute dramedy explores death and grief utilizing an ambitious structural narrative that effectively produces both tears of joy and sadness.

Ben (Lenny Wolpe), Leona (Donna Pescow), and their 38-year-old son, Steve (Frank Vlastnik) are a family with baggage. Old wounds and scars resurface as two members of the family are forced to readjust to life after the death of the third. Act one sees Leona and Steve immediately following Ben's funeral. Act two focuses on Ben and Steve a few months after Leona's death with the third act centering on Ben and Leona coming to terms with Steve's untimely death. Director Bud Martin expertly stages each act as if the viewer is a guest in Ben and Leona's Baltimore apartment effectively immersing the audience in the comedy and drama that is unfolding at breakneck speeds.

Bluestein's reflections on unconditional love, forgiveness, and guilt are often poignant and masterfully crafted while much of the comedy is met with huge laughs from the audience, although a few of the pop culture references feel out of place.

As to be expected, based on recent Delaware Theatre Company productions, the cast is stellar. Wolpe's Ben is instantly endearing and charming. Pescow's Leona is abrasive and frustrating yet remains honest and loving in her own unconventional way. Steve is funny yet extremely angry, and Vlastnik expertly handles the abrupt shifts in tone. While Wolpe, Pescow, and Vlastnik deliver captivating performances, it is difficult to become engrossed in the characters themselves. This is particularly true with the character of Steve. The audience never truly understands where his anger comes from. What is explained about his childhood does not entirely justify the level of hostility and cruelty he directs towards his mother and father. His anger is a manifestation of grief to be sure, but some additional context would aide in the work's effectiveness.

Rest in Piece(s) is funny, thought-provoking, impeccably staged, and these performances are not to be missed. One only wishes the 90-minute running time was expanded to give the characters the emotional resonance they deserve.

"Rest in Piece(s)" is running now through November 23rd at the Delaware Theatre Company

200 Water St., Wilmington, Delaware

For tickets, call (302) 594-1100 or visit delawaretheatre.org

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