PRIDE RIVER CROSSING (C) 2011 by Patrick Thomas McCarthy
July 17-24, 2012 ALL OUT ARTs' Fresh Fruit Festival
The Wild Project 195 East Third St, NYC
AWARDS: Outstanding Achievement in Ensemble Acting, Outstanding Distinction in Playwrighting 2012 ALL OUT ARTS Fresh Fruit Festival
Pride River Crossing: a Review
By Joel Benjamin
http://www.fireislandsun.com/pride-river-crossing.html
The Fresh Fruit International Festival of LGBT Arts and Culture celebrated its 10th Anniversary
ambitiously presenting theatre works, comedy, readings, music, dance and film.
I caught Patrick Thomas McCarthy’s Pride River Crossing, subtitled “A Spoon River for a New Century.” Six fine actors portrayed over forty
characters. Unlike Spoon River, only a few of these are deceased. Instead, we get a tapestry of interwoven lives, written with an expert ear and an emotional acumen that few modern playwrights possess. Over the course of an hour and a half, the fictional town of Pride River came alive through the words of its inhabitants, all in a minimal stage set with just chairs and appropriate, scene-setting projections and appropriate, character setting costumes.
The long list of Pride Riverites includes the very modern Kelly-Kennedy’s—two Dads, teenage brother and sister—are living evidence of Pride River’s LGBT. The two Dads are ridiculously happy and clueless to the undercurrents of discontent of their children, one of whom is straight and the other hypersensitive to the petty squabbles and money problems. At the other end of the tolerance spectrum is Trevor whose Mom Rachel home schools him to keep him away from all “perversion.” Mr. Drama, a schoolteacher worries about being the “spinster” and understands that touching of any kind can easily be misconstrued. A young man mourns at the grave of his twin sister who died at birth. Mitzi Reid, the ebullient real estate agent, loves having gays move into Pride River because it raises the value of properties. A self-described tough guy wants to kill all the gays while Dolores and Angela are ardent pro-gay activists. A PFLAG mom reveals that three of four kids are gay. And so the rich panoply of life and love in Pride River is revealed, far too many to mention individually here, all wonderfully sculpted by Mr. McCarthy’s words, the vocal and physical nuances of the sensitive cast (Brian Linden, Denise DeMirjian, Miles Phillips, Laurie Strickland, Joshua Warr and Chantal Thomson) and the rhythm sensitive direction of Patrick Aran.
The only connecting device is a rally that all the characters are aiming to attend, to express whatever personal agenda they have. Perhaps this is a weak organizing gimmick, but the writing is rich enough to sustain the disjointed nature of Pride River Crossing. If this show is representative
of the Fresh Fruit Festival’s standards this will be around for many more anniversaries.
Pride River Crossing © 2011 by Patrick Thomas McCarthy
Fresh Fruit International Festival The Wild Project 195 East 3rd St. (bet. Aves. A & B)
More: www.FreshFruitFestival.com
July 17-24, 2012 ALL OUT ARTs' Fresh Fruit Festival
The Wild Project 195 East Third St, NYC
AWARDS: Outstanding Achievement in Ensemble Acting, Outstanding Distinction in Playwrighting 2012 ALL OUT ARTS Fresh Fruit Festival
Pride River Crossing: a Review
By Joel Benjamin
http://www.fireislandsun.com/pride-river-crossing.html
The Fresh Fruit International Festival of LGBT Arts and Culture celebrated its 10th Anniversary
ambitiously presenting theatre works, comedy, readings, music, dance and film.
I caught Patrick Thomas McCarthy’s Pride River Crossing, subtitled “A Spoon River for a New Century.” Six fine actors portrayed over forty
characters. Unlike Spoon River, only a few of these are deceased. Instead, we get a tapestry of interwoven lives, written with an expert ear and an emotional acumen that few modern playwrights possess. Over the course of an hour and a half, the fictional town of Pride River came alive through the words of its inhabitants, all in a minimal stage set with just chairs and appropriate, scene-setting projections and appropriate, character setting costumes.
The long list of Pride Riverites includes the very modern Kelly-Kennedy’s—two Dads, teenage brother and sister—are living evidence of Pride River’s LGBT. The two Dads are ridiculously happy and clueless to the undercurrents of discontent of their children, one of whom is straight and the other hypersensitive to the petty squabbles and money problems. At the other end of the tolerance spectrum is Trevor whose Mom Rachel home schools him to keep him away from all “perversion.” Mr. Drama, a schoolteacher worries about being the “spinster” and understands that touching of any kind can easily be misconstrued. A young man mourns at the grave of his twin sister who died at birth. Mitzi Reid, the ebullient real estate agent, loves having gays move into Pride River because it raises the value of properties. A self-described tough guy wants to kill all the gays while Dolores and Angela are ardent pro-gay activists. A PFLAG mom reveals that three of four kids are gay. And so the rich panoply of life and love in Pride River is revealed, far too many to mention individually here, all wonderfully sculpted by Mr. McCarthy’s words, the vocal and physical nuances of the sensitive cast (Brian Linden, Denise DeMirjian, Miles Phillips, Laurie Strickland, Joshua Warr and Chantal Thomson) and the rhythm sensitive direction of Patrick Aran.
The only connecting device is a rally that all the characters are aiming to attend, to express whatever personal agenda they have. Perhaps this is a weak organizing gimmick, but the writing is rich enough to sustain the disjointed nature of Pride River Crossing. If this show is representative
of the Fresh Fruit Festival’s standards this will be around for many more anniversaries.
Pride River Crossing © 2011 by Patrick Thomas McCarthy
Fresh Fruit International Festival The Wild Project 195 East 3rd St. (bet. Aves. A & B)
More: www.FreshFruitFestival.com
