3rd
Annual New York International Fringe Festival  **Awarded
Excellend in Plahwriting & Excellence in Performance / Ensemble
Cast**"Admissions" by Tony Vellela At the Henry Street Settlement Experimental Theater Reviewed by Antonio Sacre for for Theatre Reviews Limited A "Rainbow Coalition" of student activist types stage a sit-in the office of the university president as a protest against planned tuition hikes in Tony Vellela's "Admissions." The cast looks like a Gap Ad, with all the necessary groups represented (with the notable exception of American Indians, but they don't really exist anymore anyway, as some Lakota people say), and when they begin to talk in earnest about tuition hikes, it seems like it's going to be a long play. Tuition hikes? Who cares? Aren't there more important things to sit in about? Weren't they blowing up buildings and such in the sixties for real issues? Austin Pendleton's blistering direction makes the tuition hike premise work long enough to allow his incredibly talented ensemble to work their magic. Each actor is able to brand an instantly memorable, fully formed character in to our minds, and make us want to watch them and want to listen to them. After formulating a plan of action concerning the tuition hikes, just as the action in the play is waning, Vellela begins to peal back layers of ignorance, anger, and power, revealing naked, twisted, unclear emotions and rationales for dealing with and in this racist society. He does this with such anger and truth, and when one of the students screams from his wheelchair at the African American that all she cares about is power, and she, two inches from his face states only, "Enemy", we get a sense of the enormity of the whole 500 years of racism and inequality in this country. The final words of the play, spoken by the plays only true stereotype, the white male television reporter, "Nobody cares. Nobody really cares" are clearly belied by the amazing care, craft, and passion brought to this wonderful Fringe offering by Pendleton's company. Reviewed on Monday, August 23, 1999 "ADMISSIONS" By Tony Vellela. Directed by Austin Pendleton. Presented at the Henry Street Settlement Experimental Theater, 466 Grand Street (at Pitt Street). In August at the New York International Fringe Festival on the following dates: Tuesday the 24th at 7:30 p.m.; Friday the 27th at 5:30 p.m.; Saturday the 28th at 4:00 p.m. All tickets are $11.00. For information and reservations visit http://www.fringenyc.org WITH: Vincent D'Arbouze (Julian), Perri Gaffney (Arletta), Jenna Jolley (Melanie), Alfonso Madrid (Ricardo), Edward Tully (Hank), Michael Van Steyn (Lance), Todd Wall (Rob), and Zeth Zenn (Thomas). |