City Theater Company (CTC) welcomes in the holiday season with their holiday production, RECKLESS, a dark comedy by Craig Lucas.
Rachel (Victoria Rose Bonito) drives Lloyd (Jim Burns) to Springfield in a scene from RECKLESS, running in Wilmington DE through December 18. (photo by Bill Edwards)
RECKLESS follows the journey of Rachel. A holiday obsessed woman who is forced to leave her house on Christmas Eve after her husband, Tom, takes out a contract on her life. While trying to find some refuge, Rachel meets Lloyd. Lloyd offers to take Rachel to his home so she can stay with him and his wife, Pooty, over the holidays. What happens next? Well, you must see the show to find out.
The play boasts seven great performances from seven actors. Newcomer to CTC, Victoria Rose Bonito, takes on the role of Rachel. Ms. Bonito gave the most energy I’ve seen in an actress in a very long time. Her buoyant and somewhat naïve personality could’ve easily been annoying after a while but it wasn’t. She was very present in her work and I enjoyed going on the demented journey with her. The married couple, Lloyd and Pooty, was played by CTC regulars Jim Burns and Kerry Kristine McElrone. I’ve never really seen a character like Lloyd in a play before. He truly is an “original” that drives a lot of the insanity in the play. Mr. Burns tackles the role and comes out victorious. Although Pooty does not have many lines, (I will not say why. I’ll just leave it as another reason for you to see the show) Ms. McElrone was one of my favorites to watch. She also had challenges she had to face but conquered them all with what seemed to be great ease.
Director George Tietze did a great job assembling a wonderful cast and finding the honesty in the story. I applaud him and CTC for being brave enough to put on this play with a darker storyline for the holiday season. It’s just a reminder that not everyone’s holidays will be “merry and bright.”
To be honest, this was not my first trip to City Theater Company. The other productions I’ve seen have not only been entertaining and fun, but they take great risks and are artistically delicious. So, I expected a lot from RECKLESS and my expectations were met.
RECKLESS
by Craig Lucas
Directed by George Tietze
December 3 – 18, 2010
OperaDelaware Studios
4 S. Poplar Street
Wilmington, DE
302-220-8285
www.city-theater.org
