In THE REALISTIC JONESES, acclaimed New York playwright Will Eno (author of such critically-acclaimed plays as THE FLU SEASON, MIDDLETOWN, TITLE AND DEED, THOM PAIN) crafts a quirky comedy where the older, ailing “Bob” (Milwaukee actor David Ferrie) and his loyal, exhausted wife “Jennifer” (local actress Sandra Hollander) meet their new, younger neighbors:  the very unorthodox “John” (Kenosha native Matt Specht) and John’s intriguing wife “Pony” (Milwaukee/Appleton actress Ericka Wade).   These two suburban couples have far more in common than their identical homes and their shared last names.   As their relationships begin to irrevocably intertwine, the four Joneses must decide between their idyllic fantasies and their rather imperfect realities.  Eno’s sharp-edged humor and unpredictable narrative combine to form a playful, yet affecting, portrait of “love & marriage” that is truthful, insightful, and often quite funny.

       This very special concert reading is an enriched artistic experience, through a more emotionally ”heightened” approach than typically seen in more standard stage readings.  Significant focus will be given to the inner meanings of Eno’s sharp, pointed dialogue while showcasing the playwright’s delightful, daffy humor.  The necessary stage directions will be narrated by noted local performer and director David Flores.  

Directed by Boulevard Theatre Artistic Director Mark Bucher, this two-person comedy showcases the talents of local Milwaukee performers David Flores as “Lionel Percy” and Carole Herbstreit-Kalinyen as “Maude Gutman.”  MIST is set in a rough and tumble trailer park home in Bakersfield, California, in the cluttered living quarters of ex-bartender Maude Gutman, who believes she has inadvertently purchased a rediscovered masterpiece by the acclaimed abstract artist Jackson Pollock (1912 – 1956).

The action (and comedy) is unveiled when renowned art critic Lionel Percy arrives at Maude’s trailer to either authenticate the painting as a lost Pollock or to quickly dismiss it as a fraud.  In the Boulevard Theatre’s enhanced presentation, Milwaukee actor David Ferrie will read the necessary stage directions for Sachs’ indictment of high-end art, art criticism, and the folly of placing more value on art than on people.

Directed by Boulevard Theatre Artistic Director Mark Bucher, this two-person comedy showcases the talents of local Milwaukee performers David Flores as “Lionel Percy” and Carole Herbstreit-Kalinyen as “Maude Gutman.”  MIST is set in a rough and tumble trailer park home in Bakersfield, California, in the cluttered living quarters of ex-bartender Maude Gutman, who believes she has inadvertently purchased a rediscovered masterpiece by the acclaimed abstract artist Jackson Pollock (1912 – 1956).

The action (and comedy) is unveiled when renowned art critic Lionel Percy arrives at Maude’s trailer to either authenticate the painting as a lost Pollock or to quickly dismiss it as a fraud.  In the Boulevard Theatre’s enhanced presentation, Milwaukee actor David Ferrie will read the necessary stage directions for Sachs’ indictment of high-end art, art criticism, and the folly of placing more value on art than on people.   In the Boulevard’s skilled hands, concert readings are transformed from staid recitations into emotionally affecting performances that that occasionally incorporate the scripts (placed on music stands) in front of the actors.  Boulevard actors showcased in enhanced presentations familiarize themselves with the various texts to an “near-memorized” level, so they only seldom refer to the printed page.

Past concert readings (November 2018’s critically-acclaimed Wisconsin premiere of Terrence McNally’s powerful drama MOTHERS AND SONS is just one extremely successful example) have received impressive reviews from both Milwaukee critics and local arts bloggers.  Milwaukee’s Shepherd Express cited Boulevard’s MOTHERS AND SONS as “an LGBTQ Masterpiece Everyone Should See” while other art bloggers and theatre writers praised the quality of the acting and noted that the scripts “disappear” just moments after the performance began.

Boulevard patrons have shared enthusiastic reviews for a concert presentation’s unique ability to intimately yet directly put forth a play’s themes and emotions.  In Boulevard’s heightened distillations of plays (via concert presentations), an author’s creative intentions are immediately received by the audiences in a manner that is not possible within the standard production process.  Sets, costumes, and expensive production values are quite helpful in presenting spectacles or splashy musicals, but can very often compete with characters’ emotional exchanges and impede the power of the playwright’s words – especially in today’s smaller cast plays.  Patrons commented at nightly MOTHERS AND SONS’ talkbacks that “they could not imagine seeing the play any other way” and “this treatment was more engaging than the Broadway production!”