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Simple, sad tale at Princeton's Hamilton Murray Theater is outstanding on all fronts
BY STUART DUNCAN
NEWJERSEYNEWSROOM.COM
REVIEW
"Touching a Goddess," making its world premiere at the Hamilton Murray Theater, on the campus of Princeton University, is the work of local playwright Marvin Harold Cheiten. In recent years he has been turning plays out at a rate of about one a year, using several different styles and various subject matters.
This one will remind you of the works of Tennessee Williams in the 1950s, especially "The Glass Menagerie." It is also quite possibly the best work Mr. Cheiten has produced.
It tells the simple, but rather sad tale of a well-to-do New Jersey family – mother, father, older brother, younger sister – and a particularly eventful school year.
Playwright Cheiten believes in economy of verbiage and his director, Dan Berkowitz, who has come from the West Coast, keeps the cast of seven from extraneous movements. Thus the evening focuses on the characters. The evening is brief, but powerful and often very moving.The central focus is on the daughter, Suzy (played with beautiful understatement by Phoenix Gonzalez) and examines her relationship with the new girl in school, Terri (Lisa Pettersson, a New York City actress.) Suzy has been something of a school star – good student, stalwart of the girl's basketball team, popular. Terri is a definite threat to all that – bigger, aggressive, but as mother (Wendy Rolfe Evered) puts it "not our sort."
Indeed she is not. Her mother is dead; her dad is a milkman. Suzy's dad (Christopher Berger) is a stereotypical father who apparently goes along with whatever thought has been expressed and speaks mainly in platitudes.
We also meet the school friends – Barbara (Kate Young) and Dicky (Joseph E. Thomas.) The former is your everyday good friend and confidante; the latter a gossipy, fey, slightly villainous nerd. Just as with playwright Williams, we need a moderator for this work, and the brother, Harry (well played by Harrison Hill) guides us through the school year deftly, inserting careful observations as the apparent tragedy unfolds.
It is fine work from all sectors. Strong direction by the aforementioned Berkowitz, some terrific lighting by the always dependable Christopher Gorzelnik, and a playwright in Mr. Cheiten who is obviously growing and growing.
"Touching a Goddess" will pay at the Hamilton Murray Theater, on the campus of Princeton University August 28 and 29 at 8 p.m., and August 30 at 2 p.m. Call (609) 258-7062 for information and reservations.
