Cape Cod theater: A psychological thriller, a musical & a comedy about friends

The three shows being presented this next week at Cape Cod theaters are pretty diverse, so there's a wide choice of stories to share with local audiences. Finishing up its run is "Art" at Barnstable Comedy Club, a touching comedy about the nature of friendship and the nature of art, and our review is below.

Opening Friday is "Godspell," a 1970s musical reimagined by Falmouth Theatre Guild that tells Biblical parables in an engaging, interactive way and features songs that have become theater standards. Opening Jan. 27 will be "Death and the Maiden," a dramatic, timely show that was almost ready to bow at Cotuit Center for the Arts when the pandemic started nearly two years ago.

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To see all three shows, bring proof of COVID-19 vaccination proof and masks. Here's a look at this week's choices:

What's new

'Death and the Maiden' in Cotuit

Audiences ready for a psychological thriller can find Ariel Dorfman’s “Death and The Maiden” playing at Cotuit Center for the Arts (4404 Falmouth Road, or Route 28) at 7:30 p.m. Thursdays through Saturdays and 2 p.m. Sundays Jan. 27-Feb. 13.

The story is set in the early 1990s when a man has recently been appointed a Minister of Justice and his committee is charged with investigating human rights atrocities committed by the previous regime. According to information from the center, the man’s wife was a victim of those atrocities 15 years earlier and a doctor who arrives may be one of her tormenters.

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Although the actual country is not named, center information notes, Dorfman is a native of Chile, wrote this play soon after the Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet was deposed from power and has not denied the historical connection.

Center officials warn some of the language is raw and graphic, but that nothing is “very different than testimony presented in recent high-profile court cases and on the national news.” The play explores the themes of remembering, believing, forgiving, justice, and revenge.

Bob Bock directs the three-person cast of Sara Sneed, Steve Ross and Joe O’Connor.

Tickets: $35, $30; 508-428-0669, artsonthecape.org. Proof of vaccination or a negative COVID test is required to attend: https://artsonthecape.org/news/covid-recovery-plan.

Reviews

The show: “Godspell”

What it's about: This musical features a small group of people helping a man named Fred (actually Jesus) tell Biblical parables using games, storytelling, comedy and a vaudeville number. There are references to the last days of Jesus’ life throughout this non-linear script that then lead to a re-creation of the Last Supper and his crucifixion.

See it or not: Director Alex Valentine has reimagined the 51-year-old show of Bible lessons by referencing whimsical and nostalgic characters (no spoilers here), and he and music director Katie Koglin have pulled the 10-actor cast into a tight and appealing ensemble both vocally and in making the audience believe their friendship and sense of fun. The group has cleverly worked in a variety of gags, jokes and pop-culture references along with the unusual costumes, so pay attention to the small and background moments.

Highlights of the show: Jack Venet is wonderful as the Jesus character, with a beautiful and pure voice and a warm and easy manner. His rapid-pace song and softshoe duet number “All for the Best”’ with Nathan Molina as Captain Steve (the Judas character) is a show-stopper.

Fun facts: "Godspell,” which debuted off-Broadway in 1971, was the first major musical theater offering from Grammy and Academy Award winner Stephen Schwartz, who went on to write the scores to “Pippin,” “Children of Eden” and "Wicked." Songs that became well-known in the theater canon include "Day by Day," which reached No. 13 on the Billboard pop singles chart in summer 1972.

Side note: Katie Beatty has one of the strongest voices in the ensemble and “All Good Gifts” is a great showcase for her range – as well as her flute-playing!

One more thing: While all have past stage experience, of the 10-member cast, seven actors – including Venet, Molina and Beatty – are new to performing with the Falmouth Theatre Guild.

If you go: 7:30 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays and 2 p.m. Sundays through Jan. 30 at Highfield Theatre, 58 Highfield Drive. Tickets: $23, $21 for age 62+, $19 for under age 18; www.FalmouthTheatreGuild.org

Kathi Scrizzi Driscoll

The show: "Art"

Written by: Yasmina Reza, translated from the French by Christopher Hampton, presented by Barnstable Comedy Club.

What it's about: Modern art aficionado Serge (Frank Hughes, Jr.) has bought a painting. It’s by a popular contemporary artist, and he has paid the budget-busting price of $35,000 for his new prized possession. He’s dying to show off the new centerpiece of his life to longtime friends Marc (Patrick Preston) and Yvan (Todd Yates Gosselin). Marc is the first to get a glimpse of the canvas, which is, to use the perfectly accurate French word, blanc. That’s right: It’s all white. Marc is nothing if not straightforward, labeling the work s—t from the start, prompting Serge to label him a cynic and anti-modernist. Of course, Yvan — beleaguered by the disastrous lead-up to his upcoming wedding — soon enters the fray. What follows is an often hilarious, and in the end touching, look at that invaluable commodity: friendship.

See it or not: Go for the unusual blend of intellectual tête á têtes, humor and touching emotional interaction. Reviewer Jack Kroll of Newsweek described the show’s treatment of issues of life and art as being expressed “in outbursts that sound like Don Rickles with a degree from the Sorbonne.”

Highlight of the show: Almost everything about the show is minimalist, from the painting (of course), to a cast of just three people, to the stark set, with its complete lack of accouterments. (Scene changes — from one character’s apartment to another’s — are indicated by paintings slid into a frame on the back wall.) Under Lance Norris’ direction, the one thing that’s far from minimalist is the interaction of the three leads. From discussions about the meaning of art, to an exploration of festering grievances, to a lengthy analysis of laughter, the show’s richness lies in the interplay between the bons amis (good friends).

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Worth noting: Preston plays Marc as the prototypical control freak, determined to force life — and his friends — to go his way. He is even intent on coaxing the audience into his corner, from the start forcefully pleading his case directly to theatergoers. Hughes, on the other hand, makes Serge the insecure, fledgling collector, desperate to be seen as a connoisseur. Then there’s Gosselin, who infuses his role with a full kit bag of emotions, and in the end serves as the referee between Serge and Marc.

Fun fact: The new year has dawned, which means that the Barnstable Comedy Club is officially in its 100th year — making it the oldest live community theater on the Cape, and one of the oldest in the country. It all began back in 1922, when theater enthusiast and innkeeper Joe Turpin proposed mounting a show (“Lady Windermere’s Fan”) in the old Village Hall. The first show debuted on April 1, 1922, and Barnstable Comedy Club was printed on the tickets.

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One more thing: Be sure to bring your masks and vaccination cards. You’ll need them to comply with the theater’s COVID-19 restrictions.

If you go: 7:30 p.m. Jan. 21 and 22, plus 2:30 p.m. matinee Jan. 23 at Barnstable Comedy Club, 3171 Main St. (Route 6A), Barnstable. Tickets: $25, $23 seniors and students; 508-362-6333, www.barnstablecomedyclub.org.

Sue Mellen

This article originally appeared on Cape Cod Times: Cape Cod theater the week of January 21 through January 27