BWW Reviews: Local Talent Rises to Top of Daydream Theatre's HIGHER METHODS

To paraphrase an old saying, you can't swing a dead cat in a Rhode Island theater without hitting a graduate of either Rhode Island College or University of Rhode Island. But don't worry, that's a good thing. RIC and URI have been consistently producing highly talented young theater professionals for a number of years. Local theaters, both on stage and behind the scenes, are teeming with these talented, enthusiastic, capable artists. And while there are other schools in the area producing similar talent, it seems that RIC and URI appear most frequently in the playbills of local productions.

In the case of Daydream Theatre Company's current show, Higher Methods, talented young actors from the aforementioned schools happen to be the highlight of the evening. Rather than a daydream, the play is more of a fever dream, bordering on a nightmare. It is the tale of a young actor who travels to Los Angeles, Hollywood specifically, to find his long lost sister. In his efforts to hunt her down, he traces her steps, trying to experience everything she did. Along the way, he becomes lost in a strange world where little makes sense and nothing is what it seems.

At one point in the play, a character comments that nothing is new or original. Certainly, that is true of this play. Everything about it feels worn out or overdone. You can't help but wonder if playwright Lenny Schwartz has been to Hollywood himself, or if the play is based on every movie or television show about Hollywood he's ever seen. Part of the problem is that Hollywood loves to make movies and tv shows about itself, so it's hard, if not impossible, for anyone to examine or expose the place in a way that's fresh or new.

Schwartz seems to have embraced the idea of creating a David Lynch-like play, filled with random happenings and strange people doing inexplicable things. It's hard to say whether or not this is actually what he's going for. One the one hand, maybe he was trying to make a point and it just ended up as a muddled mess that makes no sense. On the other hand, maybe the point is to be inexplicable and confusing, leaving the audience to question and wonder what the heck is going on. If that was, in fact, his goal, then he has succeeded.

Having said all of that, there is hope and it's in the talented cast Schwartz, as director, has assembled. Primarily, that hope rests on the shoulders of two talented young URI graduates. First is Elyssa Baldassarri, whom I covered when she was back in school, in shows such as Prime of Miss Jean Brodie and Best Little Whorehouse in Texas. It's nice to see that Ms Baldassarri is still doing her thing at area theaters, as she's a very talented actress.

At first glance, Baldassarri's role in this show, an actress named Kayla, doesn't ask much of her other than lots of crazy eyes and big hair. Fortunately, she rises above what could have been a lifeless portrayal of a stock character. There are moments when real emotion flickers behind her eyes and she imbues her character with true, believable humanity. She creates the only character on stage that we ever really care about or sympathize with. And she gets bonus points for a great performance while wearing a ridiculous costume including stiletto heel boots.

Equal to Baldassarri is fellow URI alumna, Shannon Hartman, playing another Hollywood vixen named Shannon. Call it the dueling URI femme fatales. Hartman is not given as much to do as her role is shorter in stage time and not as central to the overall story of the play, especially the second act, when she unfortunately disappears. While she's on stage, though, she fills it with her charisma, charm and a high level of energy. She also manages to give some human life and believability to a pretty shallow character. It's too bad we don't get to know her character better, it would be nice to see what Hartman would do with it.

Another cast member deserving of mention is Aaron Andrade as John, the most awesomely crazy acting teacher in history. Andrade creates a performance that is brilliantly over the top and captivating. There are moments that may make the audience wish the play was just about him, since his character is the most interesting person involved.

There are a few other attention-grabbing moments for various ensemble members, but not enough to keep the play interesting as a whole. Even the lead actor, Tony Amaral, a graduate of and teacher at RIC, seems disinterested half of the time. While it's his character's plight that the audience is following, we never get to know what's real or true, he's never particularly likeable or believable as a character, and the audience has no real reason to care about or sympathize with him.

What makes the performances of Baldassarri, Hartman and Andrade so special is that they are more than just interesting. They provide a core of truthful humanity, a spark of believable emotion and life, to their characters. This is what the play as a whole lacks. It's not enough to just ask questions, do strange things, be thought provoking and shock or mystify the audience. Confounding the audience is one thing, but without giving them something to really believe in and care about, you're wasting their time and wasting the vast talent on stage.

Performances of Higher Methods are April 11, 12, 13, 18, 19, 25, 26, 27 2013 at 8pm all
nights, 3 Bell Street Chapel in Providence RI 02903. Tickets are $10 dollars. General admission.

Pictured: Elyssa Baldassarri and Tony Amaral. Photo courtesy of Lenny Schwartz.

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