The thing is, Saint James is facing closure due to declining enrollment. Sister Rosie (Karla Payne), who does triple duty as nun, principal and history teacher, is on a crusade to keep the school open. She finds an unexpected ally in Taryn’s mother Mary (Stacey Rosleck), who is desperate to keep her daughter in school. Mary is a theatre person; a stage manager, producer, and artistic director wrapped up in a single parent tiger Mom. Mary, who has fought all of her daughter’s life for Taryn to be recognized as the amazing and gifted person she really is, and not some disruptive freak show kid. Mary offers to stage manage the talent show and make it the hit that will help save the school. Sister Rosie reluctantly accepts the offer.
Fedore and Langan, recent graduates from Lincoln Park Performing Arts Charter School, are very compelling in their portrayal of their respective perceived disadvantages and the developing friendship between Raphael and Taryn. Fedore gets to show off his guitar skills as the talent show number is nurtured and performed. Rosleck’s Mary is the perfect Mom; a combination of a caring mother, an aggressive parent who will do what it takes to make sure her daughter gets a fair chance, along with being a quirky and passionate theatre nerd. Payne does an excellent job in her portrayal of the super stressed no-nonsense nun, Sister Rosie. She also gets to sing the inspirational closing number. Director Rita Gregory brings out the best in her veteran cast members as well as the younger players.
Past experiences color the work of any artist and playwrights are no exception. Ray Werner has a varied and interesting career trajectory including thirty years in advertising (read more here).
Raphael’s Angels’ overly long first act has a nice sense of drama with four lead characters the audience can develop empathy with. The first act ends with a presentation by Mary and Taryn to the entire school on Tourette’s Syndrome. The feel of the play shifts to be more like a television network after school special or an infomercial for Tourette Syndrome Awareness. That in itself is not a bad thing, but it does create a degree of unevenness from a dramatic sense. Taryn and Raphael, who you can’t help but root for, kind of get lost in the closing numbers. Investing in them as I had in Act I, it would have been a more emotionally rewarding finale with them emerging together more triumphantly against the odds instead of a more secondary role in the finale.
Kudo’s to Pittsburgh Playwrights for showcasing Ray Werner’s work along with giving two young actors a chance to present their talents to a broader audience.
Raphael’s Angels, by Ray Werner, and directed by Rita Gregory runs now through November 8th through 17th as part of the Ray Werner Play Festival at Pittsburgh Playwrights Theatre. For more information and tickets visit https://www.pghplaywrights.org
George Hoover got his start in theatre in Miami when his family ran the Coconut Grove Playhouse. His career encompasses a variety of work in both the design and technical side of motion pictures, live theatre, and television. George is a three-time Emmy Award winner, member of the Sports Broadcasting Hall of Fame, Broadcasting & Cable Technology Leadership Award winner, Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers Life Fellow, and most importantly a passionate theatre person and generally handy guy.
Categories: Archived Reviews