Fortunately, Lucy also has a friend near her own age, five-year-old Larry (Tim Caron), a boppy bundle of energy who takes pride in having to repeat pre-school and that he is the youngest attempted-suicide in New Jersey, sporting blood-seeped bandages at his wrists like badges. At least she has someone age-appropriate to play doctor with.
The weakness of Mr. Marmalade has to do with our likely weakness as theatergoers: with a comedy, however dark, we just wanna have fun, so the playwright knows that Lucy's sophistication and pop-culture knowledge doesn't have to be at all plausible. This hardly helps the real emotionally troubled Lucys of the world or our understanding of them.
It's encouraging that such a small company as Kevin Broccoli's Epic Theatre in such a small, out-of-the-way theater space (tucked away in Pawtucket's Hope Artiste Village complex) can stage this production so well. If you consider yourself a theater lover, do yourself a favor and at the same time encourage them by checking out these excellent performances.
Topics:
Theater
, Noah Haidle, MR. MARMALADE, Epic Theatre Company
