BWW Reviews: New Jewish Theatre Presents Perfectly Charming Production of SIRENS

Playwright Deborah Zoe Laufer has constructed an interesting and very engaging work with Sirens, which comes to us directly from the Humana New Plays Festival. This is a whimsical and charming tale that touches on a couple of different mythologies with its references to muses and sirens, one of which actually makes an appearance here. The New Jewish Theatre has put together a warm and humorous production that benefits greatly from excellent casting and sharp direction.

Sam is a songwriter whose one claim to fame is a hit record that was written as a loving tribute for his wife Rose. Since then he's been unable to strike gold again, and the same malaise that's struck his musical muse has also begun to affect his marriage. Things come to a head as Rose drags Sam to a travel bureau to set up an anniversary cruise. While arguing it comes out that Sam has been accessing social media sites on the Internet looking for the first love of his life, which isn't Rose. Sam's justification is that he's in search of that elusive feeling that he had when he first fell in love. He says he wants to use that feeling to create another hit song, but his coffee meetings with other women don't sit well with Rose at all.

During the cruise she declares the marriage over because she can't get Sam to even listen to her. But, his distraction is actually the voice of a siren calling him. In fact, the voice so captivates Sam that he ends up jumping into the water. Though presumed to be lost at sea, Sam actually survives on a small atoll in the company of an actual siren, who's been tasked with luring ships and sailors to their doom with her call. How Sam extricates himself from this situation is part of the play's goofy charms. Suffice to say that Sam does return home, but finds that things have changed between him and Rose.

Bobby Miller and Kari Ely are nicely paired as Sam and Rose, respectively. Miller brings a hangdog demeanor to go with his considerable comic timing, and the interplay between he and Ely is highly amusing. Ely is equally up to task, and she makes us keenly aware of Rose's frustration over her husband's lack of attentiveness. Together they make a cute, if dysfunctional couple. John Kinney is also good as Richard, a former flame of Rose that she seeks out when Sam jumps overboard and is presumed dead. Leah Berry makes a good impression as a novice travel agent, an impatient waitress, and as a the titular siren of this piece, whose petulant and childlike behavior is in direct contrast to the deeds she carries out.

Tom Martin's direction keeps the tone light and the pace clipping along nicely. All the actors do fine work under his watch. Courtney Sanazaro-Sloey contributes the simple and evocative scenic design that utilizes some hanging canvases and a painted floor to suggest the open sea. Maureen Hanratty's lighting neatly illuminates the action and Teresa Doggett's costumes are nice fits for each character, particularly the ensemble that the siren wears.

Sirens is a cute and funny play that will surely resonate with any long-married couples in the audience. This splendidly wistful production by the New Jewish Theatre continues through March 6, 2011.

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