Reviews: 'Who decides who's nuts?' Barnstable Comedy Club mounts stellar courtroom drama

BARNSTABLE ― Who’s nuts?

Who decides who’s nuts?

There are a lot of back-and-forth arguments in the engrossing courtroom drama "Nuts" now at the Barnstable Comedy Club , surrounding the future of high-class call girl Claudia Draper, guilty of killing a “customer” in self-defense.

Will she stand trial for manslaughter, or instead skip the trial and be remanded for indefinite incarceration in a mental institution ― “for her own good,” of course. Does Claudia knuckle under and acquiesce, or does she stick to her sense of self, say her truth and keep her sanity? Unfolding here are big-drama themes of longtime sexual abuse and dysfunctional family dynamics, alive and well amid the systems of power that prefer to ignore them. Claudia, at a sanity hearing held in the psychiatric wing at Bellevue Hospital, must stand up for herself, against all the odds.

Name of show: “Nuts”

Written by Tom Topor, directed by Linda M. Stevens, presented by the Barnstable Comedy Club

What it’s about: This mega-charged 1979 drama pits Claudia against the big kahunas of state, family and medical “expertise.” All the bigwigs want her deemed unfit to stand in a public trial. The cover story is that it’s all in her own best interests, but in reality it would conveniently sweep past events under the carpet and exempt her parents from possible repercussions and unwanted publicity. As the cross-examination proceeds, the real story of Claudia’s life begins to unfold amid tense and lively exchanges among the characters.

See it or not: This fine Comedy Club cast deserves a standing ovation for turning what might have become another talky courtroom drama into a fine, engaging evening of theater. The testimony crackles with meaning and tension, and questioning moves at a snappy, real-life pace, punctuated by outbursts and diatribes. Expressions of emotion, anger and disbelief erupt from all sections of the stage, as the characters react to the dialogue.

Highlights: Under Linda Stevens’ expert direction, cast members bring energy and attention to their individual roles, and it pays off, as we get to know each character in this talented ensemble. There are precious few we’d want to count among our friends.

Theresa Cedrone shines in the central role of Claudia, as she fights for her right to stand trial, although she often comes across as a hurt child rather than a streetwise call girl. In this play, both seem fitting.

As her lawyer, Levinsky, Frank Hughes Jr . energizes the scene with his passion, parries and thrusts and subtle humor. The prosecuting attorney, played by Steve Ross, morphs into a bundle of frustration and bombast as he’s increasingly undermined and eventually silenced by the opposition.

Top-flight performances by Lee LaCroix and Larry Lickteig (Claudia’s mother and stepfather) enhance the crucial roles they play, as their lives begin to unravel on the stand. The stepfather’s meltdown is one of the highlights of this drama.

The court psychiatrist, played by Herbert Mathewson in his premiere turn on the Comedy Club stage, makes for a great combination of defiance and defensiveness. He’s the perfect poster boy for why it can be unwise to rely on “expert” testimony ― when it reflects a glaring incompetence.

The central cast is flanked by supporting roles ably acted by Mike Gillis (judge), Rob Thorne (Officer Haggerty) and Lizzy Smythe (court recorder).

Interesting fact(s): “Nuts” ran successfully on Broadway in 1980, and was made into a Hollywood movie of the same name in 1987, starring Barbra Streisand and Richard Dreyfuss .

Worth noting: Playwright Tom Topor based his drama on real-life events of the 1970s. The real Claudia Draper, faced with indefinite incarceration in a mental institution, successfully challenged the court in her sanity hearing, and went on to stand trial in court for manslaughter. She was acquitted on grounds of self-defense

If you go: Performances are 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday evenings, 2:30 p.m. Sundays, through May 19. Barnstable Comedy Club, 3171 Route 6A, Barnstable Village. Tickets: $25, $23 seniors & students. 508-362-6333, www.barnstablecomedyclub.org

Cape Rep's 'Our Town' is powerful reminder to appreciate life

BREWSTER ― I’m surprised at how many in the theater audience say they’ve never seen “Our Town,” or that they saw it many years ago, and don’t remember it at all. The drama, at Cape Rep Theatre through June 2, is described by a central character as a journey that covers our human experiences of daily life, love and death. It will sneak up on you for sure.  Everyone’s in for a surprise. What starts as an amiable, we’re-just-plain-folk country ramble – delivers a powerful story that many won’t see coming.

Name of show: “Our Town”

Written by Thornton Wilder, directed by Maura Hanlon, presented by Cape Rep Theatre.

What it’s about: Set at the very beginning of the 20th century, this 1938 Pulitzer Prize-winner depicts the seasons of all our lives, unfolding in an out-of-the-way corner of New Hampshire called Grover’s Corners. An ever-present narrator guides the story over a period of about 15 years. As its “Stage Manager,” he knows the future, and steps in often to interrupt the proceedings or chat with the audience. Perhaps it’s to prepare us to better take in what’s coming down the pike, for the actors as well as the audience. This timeless story is really a rehearsal, and reflects all our lives as they continue on their course.

Thornton Wilder's 'Our Town' will sneak up on you

See it or not: Without our realizing it, this deceptively simple story ropes us in, with its plain-spoken dialogue and bare bones stage set, as the playwright delivers his message, pretty much before we are ready to hear it: Life’s fleeting, and yet so precious.

We miss most of it as it whizzes by, and the scenes in this drama beg us to take notice before it’s gone. All at the same time, it’s a gentle slice of life, a tear jerker and an eye-opener. The Pulitzer website concurs – it “remains one of the most performed plays anywhere.”

Highlights: A fine repertory cast includes Jess Andra, Amanda Collins, Brian Lore Evans, Jared Hagan, Nick Nudler, Cam Torres and Lewis D. Wheeler, and includes two newcomers to the Cape Rep stage: Denise Page (Mrs. Gibbs) and Katherine Paulsen (Emily). All invest their various roles with clarity and heart. One mix of characters (all portrayed by Hagan) includes, dizzyingly, a young boy, a dotty professor and a failing alcoholic; another role combo, acted by Andra, includes a young girl, a gossipy old woman and a milkman.

Newcomer Paulsen is riveting in the character of Emily, the fulcrum around which much of the story revolves. Her dazzling performance illuminates and burnishes all corners of this production.

Thanks to seamless direction by Cape Rep’s Hanlon, the play jumps to life, and even the choreography of moving chairs and actors frequently to create different “settings” becomes an integral part of the play’s “process.”

A possible attempt, early on, to adapt the play to more “modern” sensibilities appears to update the character of the Stage Manager from the matter-of-fact New Englander who often defined the role in the past. In Acts II and III the excellent Nudler nails the depth and sensibility of this crucial character, but in early scenes his interpretation of the character seems slightly jarring ― his bouncy, extroverted style doesn’t always mesh with the ongoing flow of the narrative, as if he were describing a TV sitcom. Surely the playwright was never suggesting, “Don’t go deep”; it’s precisely what he did want.

Wilder inspiration for 'Our Town' was in tomb

Interesting fact: According to an early biography of Wilder, inspiration for the many-layered plot came during an archaeological dig Wilder attended in 1920, as he visited a first-century family’s underground tomb while at the same time hearing the noise of human life passing busily over his head, at ground level.

One more thing: If only we could re-wind and watch the play backwards through its three sections, going instead from “Death” to “Love and Marriage,” and ending back at “Daily Life,” making crystal clear our glimpses of what’s in store. All those early “mundane” lines achieve a collective brilliance once they’re viewed from the endgame of that windblown cemetery on the hill.

Act III – take it away, Emily: “It goes so fast. We don’t have time to look at one another. I didn’t realize. All that was going on in life, and we never noticed. ... But first: Wait! One more look. Good-bye, Good-bye, world. Good-bye, Grover’s Corners. Mama and Papa. Good-bye to clocks ticking. And Mama’s sunflowers. And food and coffee. And new-ironed dresses and hot baths. And sleeping and waking up. Oh, earth, you’re too wonderful for anybody to realize you. Do any human beings ever realize life while they live it? – every, every minute?”

If you go: “Our Town” performs at Cape Rep Theatre, 3299 Main St., Brewster, through June 2. Performances are 7:30 p.m. Wednesdays through Saturdays, 2 p.m. Sunday matinees. No performances May 26 and May 29. Tickets: $40, $25 under age 25. Box office: 508-896-1888, contact@caperep.org

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This article originally appeared on Cape Cod Times: Reviews: 'Who decides who's nuts?' Barnstable Comedy Club mounts stellar courtroom drama