Reviews: 'Another Medea' is tragic horror; Trish LaRose's stage story touches the heart
Provincetown Theater is offering a powerful one-man thriller that, while not for the faint-of-heart, is a compelling look at the dark side of love-gone-astray and the impact of child abuse, which — in the case of murderer Marcus Sharp — have led to unspeakable consequences.
“Another Medea” takes its name from the ancient Greek myth — which became a play by Euripides — about a queen who finds her position with her husband, Jason, threatened and takes the ultimate revenge. Tom Hewitt, who has owned the role of Sharp since "the play "Another Medea" was first mounted at New York’s Duplex Cabaret Theatre in 2013, literally becomes the charismatic psychopath, leading the audience down the path to the shattering yet inevitable conclusion. It’s a story that is as old as time, yet its horror rings true in a modern world that seems filled with human tragedy.
About the production: “Another Medea,” written and directed by Aaron Mark, presented by The Provincetown Theater.
What it's about: The show opens on a darkened stage outfitted with just a bare table and chair. This sets the tone for what the audience immediately understands will be a stark and darkly powerful tale. Lone performer Hewitt steps onstage and simply stares vacantly ahead. After a minute or two, he begins to speak, initially taking the role of narrator/stand-in for playwright and director Aaron Mark. He explains that, as an actor and playwright, he was compelled to weave this story about another performer who has suffered the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune both onstage and off. Then he walks behind the table, takes a seat, swipes off his eyeglasses and instantly becomes the eminently likable and charismatic Sharp.
As the incarcerated Sharp, Hewitt begins to tell the tale of a life and career filled with abuse, heartache, loss, rejection and bitter disappointment. In a way, it’s the oft-told story of failure heaped upon failure in the show biz universe. But in this case, it’s piled atop a history of abuse and rejection.
Finally, there is a shining ray of hope in Sharp’s life story. He meets and falls in love with a wealthy physician, Jason, who promises to be his salvation. He moves into Jason’s fabulous apartment and— despite a little boredom — all seems well. But you knew this couldn’t last. (If you remember from the lead-in to this review, Jason in Greek mythology ultimately betrays his beloved.) After a year of bliss, the young and handsome Paris comes on the scene. (Again harkening back to Greek mythology, Paris caused the destruction of his family and all of Troy.)
In the end, Hewitt drops the horrific consequences of all this like a powerful explosive.
Highlights of the show: Obviously, this show is all about Hewitt’s powerful one-man performance (and, of course, Mark’s compelling script and expertise as a director). As he sits at the unadorned table, Hewitt becomes every character in the story, assuming British accents and changing facial expressions for Jason and Paris. As the story unfolds, the term stage presence seems to have been invented for him.
Worth noting: I am reminded of Hewitt’s powerful performance in the theater’s 2019 production of “Sweeney Todd.” Once again, he had owned the stage as “The Demon Barber of Fleet Street.”
Go or no go: The show is a masterpiece of horror, but by all means take the content warning in the show’s program seriously. It notes, “This play has graphic details of murder, death and psychosis and mentions of suicide.” It is definitely not for youngsters or anyone who might be adversely affected by the subject matter.
One more thing: Next on the docket for Provincetown, opening on Nov. 16, is “What the Constitution Means to Me,” Heidi Schreck’s Obie award-winning play. According to the theater, the play is “drawn from the playwright’s own lifelong passion for the majesty and mystery of the U.S. Constitution.”
Interesting fact: Hewitt comes to Provincetown, just off his role as Ruler of the Underworld in the Broadway hit “Hadestown.”
If you go: Through Oct. 29, 7 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, 2 p.m. Sundays, Provincetown Theater, 238 Bradford St., Provincetown, 508-487-7487, www.provincetowntheater.org; $55 and $6.11 convenience fee general admission; $30 under 30 with ID.
Sue Mellen
Trish LaRose's musical journey is one worth sharing in Brewster
They say music brings us back to a time, a place, and a feeling. Is there a song that could define a time in your life?
Trish LaRose's production of “Come On-A My House” at the Cape Rep Theatre immerses the audience in those very emotions. LaRose, backed by a six-piece band and two supporting actor-singers, performs a series of songs that hold special meaning to her.
LaRose brings you into her life with each song, her creative storytelling abilities, her raw emotion, and her exquisite ability to make you laugh. Humans naturally search for meaning; personal stories pique our interests. With over 22 years of experience performing, LaRose creates an unforgettable experience.
The show: “Trish LaRose: Come On-A My Home,” was written by LaRose, directed by Maura Hanlon, and presented by the Cape Rep Theatre.
What it's about: Using music to capture various moods and experiences, the show goes back and forth to various points in LaRose’s life, from the time she’s a young, adopted girl performing in her bedroom to the time she becomes a full-blown entertainer. It covers her love life through the years, her marriage and children, her first meeting with her birth parents, her struggles with insecurities, the various places she’s lived (Puerto Rico, Miami, New York City).
Highlights: LaRose is a dynamic entertainer reminiscent of Bette Midler. (During the intermission, a gentleman exclaimed “She (LaRose) can move it!” and she sure can.) She performs from the heart; she’s genuine. Actors-singers Jess Andra and Anthony Teixeira display a similar passion with their excellent supporting work. All three cast members have beautiful voices alone, but also blend gracefully as a trio. Teixeira’s solo “I Left My Heart in San Francisco,” a tribute to one of LaRose's favorite singers, Tony Bennett, is performed with such soul. And any high vocal note from LaRose creates goosebumps.
The transitions from songs to storytelling are carefully thought out, and some of LaRose’s experiences are funny, like when she must decide which love interest to choose from a dating site: Pedro, who sleeps on a mattress on a floor, or Alejandro, who has a California king bed and is good with money.
The accompanying band could easily carry a show on its own with its phenomenal talent. Trumpeter Steve Ahern, for instance, has played with Aretha Franklin, Manhattan Transfer, Rosemary Clooney, Tony Bennett, the Four Tops, the Temptations and many other musical heavyweights.
See it or not: Absolutely.
Worth noting: A woman was brought onstage Friday night during the Whitney Houston song “I Wanna Dance with Somebody.” To watch every care leave her body as she danced her heart out was a highlight on its own.
Fun fact: Matt Brown, who was on the bass, was a fill-in. He had to learn everything in two days, but you’d never guess it.
If you go: Cape Rep Theatre, 3299 Main St, Brewster. 7:30 p.m. Thursdays through Saturdays and 2 p.m. Sundays until Nov. 12. Tickets are $40; $25 for those 25 and under. You can purchase tickets at caperep.org or by calling the box office at 508-896-1888.
Ambermae Rivard
Cape Symphony takes on jazz, blues, for Pops! concert in Hyannis
In the middle of the Cape Symphony’s Pops Saturday, guest vocalist Carmen Bradford publicly thanked parents who brought their young daughter to the jazz-age concert.
“I see you out there,” she said, shading her eyes. “That’s exactly what you parents and you grandparents have to do ― bring your babies. Cause without them, this music is not going to survive.”
The statement was greeted by thunderous applause from jazz age and big band music enthusiasts who clapped, and even sang along, to classics including “A Tisket A Tasket,” “Mr. Paganini,” “I Got Rhythm” and “Someone to Watch Over Me.”
Guest conductor Byron Stripling played trumpet and/or sang on nearly all of the 16 songs.
There is another performance at 3 p.m. today. Tickets are available at capesymphony.org.
Stripling strode onto stage Saturday night to the opening notes of “Alexander’s Ragtime Band” holding his trumpet and, from the very first number showing he was an excellent jazz trumpeter.
He held an unbelievably high, long, smooth and controlled passage in the opening number and then showed his jazz singer’s voice in the next song, “St James Infirmary.”
Bradford took the stage for the third number, “A Tisket, A Tasket,’ looking every bit a diva of the era with her floor-length silver sequined gown (cut, appropriately, in the trumpet style.) As she sang about losing her little yellow basket, orchestra members echoed the refrain, “Was it blue? Was it red?” as she moved through the song.
Bradford brings quite a list of bonafides: she was a vocalist with the Count Basie Orchestra, her mother was a vocalist with jazz great Louis Armstrong and her father was a jazz trumpeter.
“When I told him I was going to sing Ella Fitzgerald’s ‘Mr. Paganini,’ he said, you know that’s a difficult song. Don’t you bring no shame on the family.”
Bradford said the highest honor of her life was when she learned that Fitzgerald, whom she had met several times, was listening to her CD with “Mr. Paganini” shortly before she died.
The rapport between Bradford, Stripling and a few featured instruments – piano, bass, drums – was wonderful and was very much what you would expect in a jazz club.
Either a microphone issue or early applause kept Bradford from the big finishing note on “I Got Rhythm,” but the spirit of jazz is more about innovation than note-by-note accounting.
The mood of the evening was pure jazz.
It was amazing to see the symphony’s string section, plucking notes to echo Stripling’s trumpet – that’s not something you’ll see in a jazz club.
But at the same time, the orchestra seemed a little underused. One notable exception was “St. Louis Blues,” an instrumental number that drew heavily on symphony musicians.
This Cape Pops! Concert is a lot of fun and you may enjoy it even more if you check out the history of each of the songs. That history is available as part of the program, but Cape Symphony no longer has printed programs and the cell service at the Barnstable Performing Arts Center (744 West Main St.) makes it hard to connect so better to read ahead.
Gwenn Friss
This article originally appeared on Cape Cod Times: Review: Cape Symphony jazz concert features Bradford, Stripling
