Napoli, Brooklyn
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Cititour.com Review
An Italian-born woman making her way in mid-century Brooklyn. A husband who is mostly unhappy and prone to violence. A teenage girl who wants a different, more modern way of life. Yes, there are surface similarities between Arthur Miller’s classic drama “A View from the Bridge,” and Meghan Kennedy’s “Napoli, Brooklyn,” now premiering at the Roundabout’s Laura Pels Theatre under Gordon Edelstein’s direction.
And, yes, it’s no surprise Kennedy comes up short in this contest, even with the use of a remarkable scene-changing device late in Act I. But there’s also no denying that, like Miller, Kennedy is more-than-capable of incisive characterizations, smart dialogue, and revealing the depths hidden beneath the surface of these ordinary people.
In the case of “Napoli, Brooklyn,” those attributes apply most strongly to Ludovica Muscolino (extraordinarily portrayed by the ultra-convincing Alyssa Bresnahan). While it’s 1960 and she has been in America for many years, Luda still speaks Italian more easily than English, struggles with the verbally and physically abusive behavior of her long-time husband Nic (a well-cast Michael Rispoli, doing decent work with a severely underwritten role), and is experiencing a rare crisis of faith. (Eugene Lee’s cleverly-conceived unit set is used for the show’s many settings, ranging from the Muscolinos’ simple Park Slope home to a church and a factory).
Not even cutting onions – her favorite pastime – can make her cry, although she has plenty going on to cause her to shed tears: middle daughter Vida (an excellent Elise Kibler) has been exiled to a convent after attacking Nic while protecting 16-year-old Francesca (an equally good Jordyn DiNatale), who has cut off most of her hair. And as we learn quite quickly, the feisty Fran is a lesbian – one who wants to run away immediately to France with best friend Connie Duffy (Juliet Brett), whose widowed butcher father Albert (a touching Erik Lochtefeld) pines away not-so-silently for Luda. (It’s clear his feelings are somewhat reciprocated, but a woman like Luda would never express them!)
Far more quiet, yet just as troubled, is eldest daughter Tina (the superb Lilli Kay, making her New York theater debut), an uneducated, ungainly woman who toils away in a menial job in a tile factory where she is reportedly known as “Meana Tina.” However, when she forges an unlikely friendship with African-American co-worker Celia (a very fine Shirine Babb), Tina begins to emerge from her shell – eventually in a way we wouldn’t imagine possible.
Kennedy’s arcs for her characters are interesting, but even though (almost) everyone changes in some way during the course of this two-hour drama, some of the transformations seem too sudden (and one, unsurprisingly, doesn’t stick). And while some of the characters’ behaviors are clearly spurred by the out-of-the-blue Act I incident, Kennedy doesn’t make as full use of it as one might expect, with the perhaps unintended effect of turning a true catastrophe into a mere plot device.
Still, we do become heavily invested in the fate of this family -- espeically Luda , who ends up (at least, as the play finishes) in the same apartment, but – thank heavens -- in a far different spiritual space.
By Brian Scott Lipton
Visit the Site
http://www.roundabouttheatre.org/shows-events/napoli-brooklyn.aspx
Cast
Shirine Babb, Alyssa Bresnahan, Juliet Brett, Jordyn DiNatale, Lilli Kay, Elise Kibler, Erik Lochtefeld, Michael Rispoli
Open/Close Dates
Opening 6/27/2017
Closing 9/3/2017
Preview Open/ Preview Close Dates
Preview Opening 6/9/2017
Closing Open-ended
Box Office
212-719-1300
Theatre Info
Laura Pels Theatre
111 West 46th Street
New York, NY 10036
Map
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