To the moon, Alice
Like most Baby Boomers, I used to love Jackie Gleason’s character, Ralph Kramden, in the “Honeymooners.” What a howl it was when he raised is fist and threatened his wife, “To the moon, Alice.” Ouch.
A year or so ago, I tried watching it again. It really had been a favorite TV show. But this time, I couldn’t make it through to the first commercial. The clever one-liners couldn’t compensate for the scenes of misogyny and abuse.
So when the crude character of Cazzie Angelini, played convincingly by Roy Von Rains, Jr. , came strutting onto the stage spewing vile insults in the guise of good-humored patter in the “Ralphie Boy” image, I couldn’t help but squirm.
The good news in this likeable and entertaining comedy by James Geoghan, is that Cazzie doesn’t merely get his comeuppance the way Kramden inevitably did at the happy end of each episode. Here, the happy ending is far more satisfying. Privy to hearing how his shadow side was shaped in a most poignant and powerful scene, we are encouraged to believe that Cazzie has changed, truly changed, and has the capacity to turn his life around.
Cazzie's small world
While this may all sound pretty darn serious, what makes this play work isn’t the angst; it’s the comic collection of quirky, often-endearing and well-written characters in Cazzie’s very small world of City Island, a New England village-like enclave in The Bronx, New York. There are a lot of laughs to be had.
When we join the story, Cazzie, who’s been putting off marriage to his live-in girlfriend Donna (Barbara Rains) for the past 17 years, is heading for jail (for 10 months) after one of his get-rich-quick schemes founders.
At the same time, Cazzie’s brother Ambrose (Brian O’Connor) has returned home after leaving the priesthood. A good and gentle guy, but hardly holier-than-thou, Ambrose serves as a catalyst of the heart for the others, rallying them to realize their dreams with prayer circles, group therapy exercises and hilarious backyard T’ai Chi classes. I was most impressed with O’Connor for his sweet, sincere and easy reading of this soul-wrestling straight-man role. The casting here by director John Litton couldn’t have been more spot-on.
Barbara Rains, as Cazzie’s doormat of a sweetheart, plays her part credibly, with great earnestness and integrity, despite a New York inspired accent that was too-often distracting.
Credit Nicole Vilencia as the comic engine that drives the opening scene for her lively and energetic interpretation of the overweight neighbor Muriel Grecco, who is a foil for Cazzie’s unrelenting fat jokes.
The casting here by director John Litton couldn’t have been more spot-on.
Why Camelot chose it
As to why the company chose to produce this gem of a play, a Google search came up with a satisfying answer. A 1998 review of a production by San Jose Stage Company reveals that Camelot’s artistic director Livia Genise was cast in the co-starring role of Donna.
You can see this entertaining production through May 27th in Talent. For tickets call 541-535-5250.
Questions people ask
- Where and when did King of City Island run?
- At the Camelot Theatre in Talent, Oregon, through May 27, 2012.
- Who was in the cast?
- Roy Von Rains Jr. as Cazzie Angelini, Barbara Rains as Donna, Brian O'Connor as Ambrose and Nicole Vilencia as Muriel Grecco, directed by John Litton.
- Why did Camelot pick this play?
- The reviewer found a 1998 review of a San Jose Stage Company production in which Camelot's artistic director Livia Genise played Donna.
Sources
This page was rebuilt from the Commission’s archived website. It is kept for reference; see the home page for what the Commission was.