Berkshire on Stage

In order to do a successful one person show, one needs three ingredients. First, a finely-tuned script. Second, an imaginative creative team with a solid director and designers. Finally, a powerhouse of an actor who can hold an audience’s attention on his/her own. When it works, it’s memorable, for example, Tara Franklin in Martin Zimmerman’s On The Exhale at Chester; Mark H. Dold in David Cale’s Harry Clarke at Barrington Stage, and Mola Golabek in The Pianist at Willesden Lane at Hartford Stage, all who succeeded Hal Holbrook in Mark Twain Tonight and Julie Harris as The  Belle of Amherst. 

Several major theatre talents turn Sandra, the new psychological thriller on stage at TheaterWorks Hartford into one of the memorable. Playwright David Cale weaves an attention-getting story in cinematic style, enhanced by Matthew Dean Marsh’s evocative music, and extraordinary video design by Camilla Tassi on Marcelo Martínez García’s imaginative set. Director Jared Mezzocchi who staged Sarah Gancher’s Russian Troll Farm at TheaterWorks, directs Sandra with extraordinary style. One could easily say “choreographs with extraordinary style” since he fuses words, music, design elements and performance into a taut, balanced, and exciting theatre evening. . And, there’s Felicia Curry, who played Nina Simone in Berkshire Theatre Festival’s highly-lauded Nina Simone: Four Women. Curry was also a summer regular at the old Cranwell Resort, in residence every summer with The Capitol Steps. These play pivotal roles in Sandra.

Sandra is a self-confident cafe owner, who runs off to Mexico in search of her composer friend who seems to have vanished. Along the way, her world is turned upside down, first by an affair which helps her disengage from an unhappy marriage, then by the realization that her missing friend may have been murdered along with other men, whose distraught friends and relatives seek answers on the internet. Sandra’s journey is unsettling. As she tries to do right by her friend, she’s threatened by people who don’t want his secret shared. As performed by Felicia Curry, Sandra becomes a tour-de-force character wrapped up in an exciting production. Sandra is 90 minutes of fascinating, fast-paced theatre.

Sandra only runs through June 23. It’s an awesome season finale for TheaterWorks, who continues to produce unforgettable theatre year after year. And the blend of script, staging, design, and performance exceeds some of the work brought to Hartford by TheaterWorks in recent seasons.

TheaterWorks Hartford presents Sandra by David Cale. Music by Matthew Dean Marsh. Directed by Jared Mezzocchi. Creative Content and Video Design by Camilla Tassi. Starring Felicia Curry as “Sandra”. Scenic design by Marcelo Martínez García. Costume design by Sarita Fellows. Lighting design by  Amith Chandrashaker and Alex Fetchko. Sound design by Evdoxia Ragkou. Through June 27, 2024. TheaterWorks Hartford, 233 Pearl Street, Hartford, CT. www.twhartford.org. 

Mark G. Auerbach studied theatre at American University and The Yale School of Drama. He has worked for arts organizations nationwide, and reported on the arts for print and broadcast. Mark produces and hosts ArtsBeat, Athenaeum Spotlight and On The Mark for WCPC15 and 89.5fm/WSKB. He’s a regular contributor to Pioneer Valley Radio and a member of the Berkshire Theatre Critics Association.