Theatre--Reviews

Theater is alive in Acadiana. To wit …to be at an opening night of a production is an exciting experience. To be at a new playwright’s production is even more exciting. To see that production directed, designed, and starred in by that selfsame playwright is almost unimaginable. Well, I accomplished four out of the five, having missed opening night of Danny Povinelli’s Before You at Cite des Arts. Congratulations to Daniel Povinelli, his cast, and Cite des Arts for an outstanding theatrical experience.

Povinelli’s first play, largely autobiographical, tells the story of life and love in the modern era. In humor, serious conversation, and effective special effects it held the audience’s attention. The set was realistic, and I suspect was a mirror image of Povinelli’s own “digs.” The various characters were entertaining, well drawn, and mirror people whom all of us have met in our daily lives. The ensemble cast did an admirable job at bringing to life characters they had never seen in “another production” of the show. After all, the movie isn’t out yet! If this is Povinelli’s first effort, I can’t wait to see his second! And there’s no monkeying around in that statement.

As soon as Povinelli’s Before You closed, the set was struck to prepare the Cite space for another local playwright’s production. This was Cody Daigle’s Providence. Actually a transplant of the Eunice Player’s Theatre presentation of Daigle’s play, its brief run was successful and attracted good audiences. From the instant the lights came on and the “couples” came into the airport waiting area, I was enthralled. There were interesting people, there was tension, there was conflict – there was theater!

Daigle’s play involved two couples. One was a thirty-something married couple whose marriage seemed “stressed,” to say the least. The other was a non-coupled couple who were deeply and abidingly in love. Played by stage veterans Bonnie Pitre, Gabe Ortego, Andre Andrepont, and Angelle Ballard, the small cast filled the stage with energy and enthusiasm. Gabe Ortego, especially, handled the challenging role of Mark Langer with aplomb. Pitre and Bellard had the unenviable task of being on stage for long periods of time sitting in airplane seats at stage edges. They never went out of character. Andrepont, as close to a “heavy” as there was in the story, was both likeable and hateful. His role is pivotal in his developing relationship with Mark. The change in it is heartening.

The story of Province is told in flashbacks, interspersed action, quick changes. The sparse, abstract set fits the story admirably. The necessity to move the play quickly from Eunice to Lafayette and short rehearsal time made some of the transitions between scenes slow, but the intimate feeling and dramatic flow of the play did not suffer greatly.

All involved in Providence and Before You should be commended. As said in the Daigle’s play, “You fill your life with whatever you can fill it with.” We in Acadiana are blessed to be able to fill a few hours of our time with the works of these two local playwrights. Their work can only be an inspiration to others to become involved in theater, to try their hand at new things, and to contribute in some way during our very short lives. Long live the theater.
---Donald “Doc” Voorhies