Review: “Moral Support” at Medicine Show Theatre
Anthony J. Piccione, Contributing Critic- New York City
Alcoholism. Abuse. Divorce. Dysfunctional families.
All of these are familiar themes in American drama. Rightly so, given how well they’ve proven to continuously resonate with audiences, to some extent or another. However, it’s not every day you come across a script that seamlessly weaves each of them together as well as Moral Support, which recently enjoyed a successful two-week run at the well-renowned Medicine Show Theatre.
Written by William Considine, the play is described as being “autobiographical in detail” and as mixing elements of poetry and surrealism. Indeed, in recent interviews, Mr. Considine states clearly that he intended this script to be equal parts poetic and personal, which is clear when listening to the script being performed out-loud. If there’s anything at all that stands out about this production, it’s the dialogue itself, the performances of which weren’t terrible, but still left something more to be desired.
The production – while hardly as innovative as the script itself sounds – is respectable enough, even though the overall cast is a mixed bag. David A.P. Brown – who doubles in the roles of the father and Mike’s older self – stands out as being particularly strong in his performances, despite not being on-stage as frequently as lead actor Richard Keyser, whose own performance – along with those of Cynthia Shaw and Nora McCarthy – was fair but not outstanding.
Regrettably, the show’s run has since concluded, and thus it’s currently not possible for readers to see and judge for themselves. I myself nearly missed it, as I saw it during its last weekend of performances. However, I’d certainly be fascinated to see this play find a new lease on life someday, and perhaps with some changes to the cast and production team.
MORAL SUPPORT
“Moral Support” stars Richard Keyser, Cynthia Shaw, Nora McCarthy and David A.P. Brown.
“Moral Support” is written by William Considine and directed by Felix Gardon, featuring stage manager Brie Mann-Hernandez, costume designer Janet Mervin and lighting designer Patrick John Ashcroft.
“Moral Support” – presented by Magnetite LLC – ended its run at Medicine Show Theatre on March 3rd.