Friday, August 7, 2015

the dreamer examines his pillow


THE ATTIC THEATER COMPANY presents at THE FLEA THEATER
the dreamer examines his pillow
by JOHN PATRICK SHANLEY
Directed by LAURA BRAZA
Executive Director TED CAINE
Cast
Donna...LAUREN NICOLE CIPOLETTI
Tommy...SHANE PATRICK KEARNS
Dad...DENNIS PARLATO 

Company Manager: Noelle France
Scenic Design:  Julia Noulin-Merat
Costume Design:  Lauren Gaston
Lighting Design:  Dave Upton
Sound Design:  Beth Lake
Production Stage Manager:  Amy Pen
Technical Director:  Joe Cooley
Casting:  Judy Bowman Casting, CSA
The Flea Theater
41 White Street in TriBeCa, 3 blocks below Canal Street between Broadway and Church Street
Call 212-352-3101 or visit http://www.theflea.org
July 26 - August 15
Written by Pulitzer Award and Tony Award-winning playwright, Academy Award-winning screenwriter, and theatre and film director John Patrick Shanley, "the dreamer examines his pillow" is not one of the more audience friendly works by Mr. Shanley who is more known for "Moonstruck" and "Doubt" which were audience pleasers.

The story is about three unhappy people torn apart by the assumptions and fears on loving someone too much or perhaps lust is the right term that makes people crazy. It starts off with Tommy (Shane Patrick Kearns) and Donna (Lauren Nicole Cipoletti), an on-and-off again couple who argue, then make up by having sex but Donna is worried she's falling for a guy who is just like her Dad (Dennis Parlato), who apparently had a similar relationship with her mother that traumatized her during her adolescence. Hence, she seeks out her Dad to rectify things with herself as well as Tommy.

 
This is ornery material to be performed by actors over 90 minutes. The first act started out explosively with Tommy and Donna, then slowed down to a father daughter conversation about the meaning of relationships, sex, and reconciliation in the second act, then with the third and final act that ended in an absurd way as though the writer ran out ideas and steam to keep pace with his intense beginning, although riddled with poetic language throughout the play.  Kudos to the actors and Director, Laura Braza, for reviving this Off-Broadway play that originally debuted in 1986.

- Laura Thompson -

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