Berkshire on Stage

The current summer offering at the inimitable Dorset Theatre Festival is ADVICE by playwright Brent Askari. This highly successful theatre organization is celebrating their 49^th season and this charming comedy is sure to be a crowd-pleaser. 

We begin with the handsome setting designed by Krit Robinson  – a tasteful, trendy high-rise apartment. There are books, art, a full bar. Very contemporary and welcoming. Our denizens here are a successful couple named Joy and Ron. She is an impressive lawyer, and he is an established professor of history. It is their anniversary and they are getting ready to go to a special dinner to celebrate. But there is an edge, a frisson of disquiet between them, even as they casually banter and subtly nettle one another. What could be beneath the surface here? 

In short order, an old friend, Gary, arrives. Gary was Ron’s college roommate and is a friend to both Joy and Ron. They had even let him stay with them a while after his second marriage fell apart and he lost his job. Perhaps we all have that old friend who is always too ready to give advice, no matter whether it is appreciated or not. Gary, now employed and living on his own, has come to give them an anniversary gift – it is a book he has written which he believes will soon be published. Gary is a piece of work himself. He is the class clown, a hail-fellow-well-met, who believes he has found the secret to relationships and will become a famous author and celebrity. The fact that his own life has been a mess from the get-go only increases his enthusiasm and confidence.  

The three-person cast is a remarkable ensemble. Actor Katie Lowes as Joy is stylish, sharp-witted, and highly adept at comedic interplay. When Gary senses and drives a wedge into the underlying emotions between his two friends, Lowes’ Joy delivers a take-down that is stunning in all its vindictive hilarity. Ron is effectively and genuinely played by Nayib Felix and is a very dapper, intelligent but clueless husband, angling for his wife’s approval. Adam Shapiro fully embraces the role of Gary. He is playful and uproarious. Just before he enters, Joy and Ron quickly remove anything breakable and steel themselves about the calamity that is incoming. Shapiro’s larger-than-life physicalization borders on commedia dell’arte, meaning it is over the top. It is a perfect foil to the “perfect couple” who turn out to need a little shaking up to ever be able to celebrate that anniversary.

Director Adrienne Campbell-Holt masterfully handles the comedic mayhem. With a few exceptions, she stages the comedy well and has her cast keep the pace at a breakneck speed. In less than 90 minutes we see the characters undergo significant changes. It is funny, often irreverent and a perfect summer entertainment. Although some audience members may be taken aback by some rough language (this is a modern play set in a city after all), the majority were discernibly engaged and enthusiastically responded. 

The marvelous design team included Krit Robinson (Scenic design), Masha Tsimring (Lighting), Phuong Nguyen (Costume) and Jane Shaw (Sound). This team is, notably, all women. Together the cast and creatives pulled together a very handsome production, worthy of the long legacy at Dorset. 

Dorset’s ADVICE is recommended for a diverting and entertaining summer theatre experience. It plays through August 15^th.

Credits

Playwright: Brent Askari

Director: Adrienne Campbell-Holt

Scenic Design: Krit Robinson

Lighting Design: Masha Tsimring

Costume Design: Phuong Nguyen

Sound Design: Jane Shaw

Production Stage Manager: Avery Trunko

Cast:

Katie Lowes as Joy

Nayib Felix as Ron

Adam Shapiro as Gary

Information

ADVICE runs July 31 to August 15. 7:30 pm Wednesday through Saturday and 2:00 pm Wednesday, Saturday, and Sunday. Running time: 70 minutes and no intermission

Dorset Theatre Festival

104 Cheney Road, Dorset, VT 05251

Closing date: August 15

Website: doresettheatrefestival.org

Box Office & Information: 802-867-2223