The Dark is a Better Place to Be
Review of The Walworth Farce, New Century Theatre Company at New City Theater
As I left the theater after seeing The Walworth Farce, I was already sending texts. I'll be seeing this play again tonight, and I'm bringing friends.
The Walworth Farce is a story about a father haunted by his ghosts who then forces his adult sons to reenact his past as a farce. This family is held together by little more than fear, obligation, and alcohol. And as the curtain goes up this family is on the verge of snapping. When an outsider arrives, this family is sent into a psychotic tailspin. These tortured minds, and desperation along with a few bodies in the closet combine to make this play a total triumph, and a masterfully woven story of trying to rewrite our past mistakes.
The Walworth farce is produced by New Century Theater Company (NCTC) and is being performed in their temporary venue, New City Theater. If you have never been to New City Theater I would highly recommend going. The theater only sits 40 people, which creates a perfectly cramped and intense setting for this play. New City Theater uses the concept of the three dimensional stage. Instead of looking up at a stage with a backdrop, you are looking down into a room. This makes you feel like you are in the apartment with them, you become invested in the characters, and you almost are a character in this amazing play.
NCTC has chosen the best actors for this play. Peter Crook plays a psychologically damaged father with elegance and a deep, subtle insanity. Peter Dylan O’Connor plays a young man so afraid of the “outside” that halfway through the second act he declares “the dark is a better place to be”. O’Connor acts with a perfect mix of desperation and fear. But Allison Strickland and Darragh Kennan’s acting is what really stands out. Kennan is real. He makes you feel like this play is happening, right in your living room. Strickland's is the character that you root for. She comes in and rocks the boat. You want her to survive, you want her to get out, she is the one you get the most attached to. Strickland personifies all of these hopes and dreams, and makes you fall in love with The Walworth Farce.
The Walworth Farce
New Century Theatre Company at New City Theatre
Through October 27
NOTE: Due to the limited seating capacity at New City Theatre, this show is likely to sell out, especially toward the end of the run. We recommend attending this weekend!
