Review: FIREFLIES at Pioneer Theatre Company is Sweet, Simple, and Sometimes Sublime

FIREFLIES at Pioneer Theatre Company is a sweet, simple, and sometimes sublime drama about the twilight of life.

In FIREFLIES, by Matthew Barber, the world of retired schoolteacher Eleanor Bannister is turned upside down when a "drifter" named Abel Brown appears and offers his services in repairing her guest cottage. Is he a con man, a new friend, or something more?

The cast of stage and screen veterans fills out the characters with superbly nuanced, enjoyable performances, skillfully directed by Kareem Fahmy.

Joy Franz, who played Cinderella's Stepmother in the original Broadway cast of INTO THE WOODS, is a firecracker Eleanor--a real person to root for with all her emotional complexities. David Manis, who also has an impressive Broadway resume, is a downtrodden but easygoing Abel, and he draws the audience into the same spell as Eleanor.

Joy Lynn Jacobs gives a delightful performance as neighbor Grace, and Tito Livas adds an extra spark as police officer Eugene. The verisimilitude of the house set by Paige Hathaway, with its true-to-life kitchen, adds greatly to the experience, as it is transportive to the insular world of the characters.

The costume design by Brenda Van der Wiel, hair and makeup design by Samantha M. Wootten, and lighting design by Cha See also contribute to the lovely environment. This reviewer wishes that the sound board would turn up the volume so all audience members can hear the dialogue without strain.

FIREFLIES plays through April 16, 2022. For tickets, call the box office at 801-581-6961 or visit www.pioneertheatre.org.

Photo Credit: L-R Joy Franz (Eleanor) and David Manis (Abel). Courtesy of Pioneer Theatre Company.

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