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'RED DOG HOWLS' OVER A HORROR STORY
New Jersey Newsroom
Sept 24 2012
Monday, 24 September 2012 22:50
Kathleen Chalfant portrays an Armenian grandmother with a terrible secret
BY MICHAEL SOMMERS, OFF BROADWAY REVIEW
The dramatic pathway that playwright Alexander Dinelaris traverses
in his "Red Dog Howls" is a much-travelled one: An American man
discovers some old family letters that he traces back to his lost-long
grandmother with whom he soon bonds.
Eventually, grandma divulges the family horror story that has long
haunted him as well as her. It might involve the Holocaust or incest
or murder or some such hellish experience.
In this case, it's the infamous Armenian massacres of 1915.
Fortunately for Dinelaris' undeniably dusty scenario, this road also
leads to Kathleen Chalfant, who is terrific as the Armenian grandmother
in New York Theatre Workshop's premiere of "Red Dog Howls," which
opened on Monday.
For all of its I-can-see-it-coming familiarity, the drama is written
by Dinelaris with sincerity and decent craft. His sorrowful 100-minute
story builds to an effective climax that Chalfant's superb acting
knocks out of the park.
Director Ken Rus Schmoll stages a very smooth, well-tuned production
that supports the play. Marsha Ginsberg designs a sparely furnished,
expansive setting that quietly suggests two New York apartments and
a hospital room. Tyler Micoleau's somber lighting and Jane Shaw's
plaintive violin music reinforce a mournful mood. Designer David C.
Woolard's modest wardrobe confirms the story's early 1980s period
(although the narrator's shoes appear oddly modern).
Florencia Lozano does ably by the thankless role of the narrator's
pregnant wife, who spends some of her time unconscious in a hospital
bed. Alfredo Narciso looks good as the anxious young fellow who
narrates his exploration into a painful past.
But Kathleen Chalfant's performance is the memory that audiences will
cherish about "Red Dog Howls." So great in the original "Wit" and
"Angels in America," Chalfant here deeply invests her 91-year-old
Rose with down-to-the-bone authenticity. The accent, the walk,
the severe manner, the dry humor and the many details that Chalfant
shades within the lines of her character are beautiful to behold,
enhanced even more by her husky voice and personal intensity.
Late in the play, Rose delivers one of those Sophie's Choice-type
monologues about what happened to her in Armenia back in 1915. Her
hideous story is related by Chalfant with a measured, dry-eyed anguish
that suggests how Rose has lived it over again every night of her
long life. It's a stunning performance.
"Red Dog Howls" continues through Oct. 14 at New York Theatre Workshop,
79 E. 4th Street, New York. Call (212) 279-4200 or visit www.nytw.org.
http://www.newjerseynewsroom.com/new-york-theater/review-red-dog-howls-over-a-horror-story
New Jersey Newsroom
Sept 24 2012
Monday, 24 September 2012 22:50
Kathleen Chalfant portrays an Armenian grandmother with a terrible secret
BY MICHAEL SOMMERS, OFF BROADWAY REVIEW
The dramatic pathway that playwright Alexander Dinelaris traverses
in his "Red Dog Howls" is a much-travelled one: An American man
discovers some old family letters that he traces back to his lost-long
grandmother with whom he soon bonds.
Eventually, grandma divulges the family horror story that has long
haunted him as well as her. It might involve the Holocaust or incest
or murder or some such hellish experience.
In this case, it's the infamous Armenian massacres of 1915.
Fortunately for Dinelaris' undeniably dusty scenario, this road also
leads to Kathleen Chalfant, who is terrific as the Armenian grandmother
in New York Theatre Workshop's premiere of "Red Dog Howls," which
opened on Monday.
For all of its I-can-see-it-coming familiarity, the drama is written
by Dinelaris with sincerity and decent craft. His sorrowful 100-minute
story builds to an effective climax that Chalfant's superb acting
knocks out of the park.
Director Ken Rus Schmoll stages a very smooth, well-tuned production
that supports the play. Marsha Ginsberg designs a sparely furnished,
expansive setting that quietly suggests two New York apartments and
a hospital room. Tyler Micoleau's somber lighting and Jane Shaw's
plaintive violin music reinforce a mournful mood. Designer David C.
Woolard's modest wardrobe confirms the story's early 1980s period
(although the narrator's shoes appear oddly modern).
Florencia Lozano does ably by the thankless role of the narrator's
pregnant wife, who spends some of her time unconscious in a hospital
bed. Alfredo Narciso looks good as the anxious young fellow who
narrates his exploration into a painful past.
But Kathleen Chalfant's performance is the memory that audiences will
cherish about "Red Dog Howls." So great in the original "Wit" and
"Angels in America," Chalfant here deeply invests her 91-year-old
Rose with down-to-the-bone authenticity. The accent, the walk,
the severe manner, the dry humor and the many details that Chalfant
shades within the lines of her character are beautiful to behold,
enhanced even more by her husky voice and personal intensity.
Late in the play, Rose delivers one of those Sophie's Choice-type
monologues about what happened to her in Armenia back in 1915. Her
hideous story is related by Chalfant with a measured, dry-eyed anguish
that suggests how Rose has lived it over again every night of her
long life. It's a stunning performance.
"Red Dog Howls" continues through Oct. 14 at New York Theatre Workshop,
79 E. 4th Street, New York. Call (212) 279-4200 or visit www.nytw.org.
http://www.newjerseynewsroom.com/new-york-theater/review-red-dog-howls-over-a-horror-story