Review: WE ALL FALL DOWN at The Players Centre

Who doesn't like a good Seder? The lovely gathering. The kosher wine. The heartfelt tradition. The kosher wine. The four questions. The kosher wine. The Culture Clash. The identity clash. The guilt. More wine, please.

Let's join the sweet Stein family for the engaging Jewish tradition of a Seder dinner. This will be the first attempt at hosting the affair by Linda Stein, the Christian matriarch of the house. Linda is a bit over dramatic and theatrical in her approach to life. Her manners resemble a retired stage actress rather than a psychologist. This carries into her interpretation of what a Seder should be rather than acknowledging the Jew's exodus from slavery in Egypt that a Seder commemorates. What could possibly go wrong?

As a secular Jewish family, the Steins are a bit verklempt on orchestrating a Seder. An order needs to be followed: certain foods eaten at specific times, prayers said over the meal, the reading of the Haggadah, questions asked, and songs to be sung. At the table, we have Linda (Nellie O'Brien), her husband Saul (James Kassees), daughters Ariel (Victoria Flounders) and Sammi (Lucy Manuel), Linda's assistant Ester (Barbara Montiero), friend Bev, (Pam Wiley), and Linda's best friend, Saul's sister Nan (Aden Russel) who gather to try and do their part to make this come together.

There are a lot of surprises I don't want to give away in this play. You will experience a ride of emotions. I will say the humorous parts of this play take the audience on a delightfully funny ride. On the flip side, the anguished moments revealed about Saul's health and the daughter's separate lives, growing apart will tug at your heart. You will have to see for yourself why Oprah Winfrey is calling and chuckle out loud at the fact that Linda's black assistant knows more Hebrew than the whole family put together.

Nellie O'Brien plays controlling Linda with a desperate grasp trying to hold her family together as Saul's health diminishes and her daughters seek out their own lives in distant territories. She brings her character into a realm of funny and aloof yet focused and serious. James Kassees is lovable as Saul who capably brings a dichotomy of personalities together that one minute is fun-loving and kind and irritated and confused the next. Victoria Flounders as the youngest daughter brings a sweet innocence to Ariel, who battled some health issues of her own but is now ready to leave the nest and go out on her own. She plays her character with a fragile yet strong backbone while showing off some impressive yoga moves. Lucy Manuel portrays Sammi with gusto and fervor and embodies a sensitive but strong woman who isn't going to take guff from anyone. Sweet Pam Riley as Bev lends a "Golden Girls" touch to her dizzy elderly character and is so much fun to watch. Kudos to Barbara Montiero as Ester who sang a Seder song in Hebrew with James. Barbara played the typical preppy, peppy assistant with charm and tenacity. Aden Russel brought a cool arrogance to Nan in her no-nonsense attorney role. She showed off a couple of soft spots here and there but wasn't going to let her guard down for too long. Overall this fine group of actors brought together dynamic performances that served their characters and each other well.

This well-written play is heartwarming and heartbreaking. Playwright Lila Rose Kaplan serves her audience emotional sustenance reflective of the sweet and bitter samplings served at a Seder. As we walk through the emotions of fun and laughter and pain and anxiety, we can compare the raw feelings this plays brings to the surface to the sting of horseradish, the refreshing taste of an orange, and the bitterness of herbs brought to your palette during a Seder. Kalpan gives a wide berth to her characters allowing each one their own personality and depth. No one upstages the other. Each is unique and lovable in their own way.

Director Jefferey Kin picks up on the life Kaplan prescribes to her characters and brings them dimension through direction, allowing his actors to breathe life into their roles and run with it. Kin said he hand-picked his actors when he read the script and knew just who he wanted for each part. He created a tight-knit troupe that worked so well with each other, complemented each other, and brought a beautiful story together.

We All Fall Down runs through April 23, 2023 at the Sarasota Jewish Theatre in the Players Centre. For more information on the Sarasota Jewish Theatre visit www.sarasotajewishtheatre.com

For more information on the Players Centre visit www.theplayers.org.

Photo credit: Cliff Roles