Review: I NEVER SANG FOR MY FATHER at The Boulevard Theatre

The Boulevard Theatre’s production of “I Never Sang for My Father,” directed by Boulevard’s artistic director, Mark Bucher, is a stripped down reading of Robert Anderson’s play. Lighting (described rather than experienced) acts as the set.

What’s left is six actors with six chairs in an intimate space – and a masterful depiction of complex family dynamics.  

Set in 1965, “I Never Sang for My Father” centers on widower Gene (Matt Specht ) the doting  mother he is devoted to (Joan End), and the self-involved father he struggles - and largely fails - to love (David Ferrie).

The challenges of eldercare and illness, bring the sometimes-harsh realities of  their relationships to the fore. Specht, End and Ferrie pull the audience into the drama with subtle and powerful performances. The warmth between mother and son and the chasm between son and father are real and raw.

The arrival of Gene’s sister, Alice (Caitlin Compton) who was banished by her father years before for marrying a Jewish man, brings another level of anger, regret and sibling drama to an increasingly volatile situation.

The cast is rounded out by Pat Sturgis, Angelita Colin and Bob Balderson, acting as narrators as well as playing several other characters each. The actors play these characters with subtle specificity made particularly impressive by this spare production/reading.