“We Won’t Pay! We Won’t Pay!” kicks off Theatre Fairfield’s first production of the academic year with a bang.
Written by Nobel Prize-winning playwright Dario Fo and translated by Ron Jenkins, “We Won’t Pay! We Won’t Pay!” is set in a town where prices have risen astronomically, leaving its residents unable to afford essentials.
Antonia, played by Colleen Kennedy ’09, joins a riot at the grocery store, where consumers refuse to pay the exorbitant prices and take all the groceries they want paying little or nothing for them. She and her friend, Margherita (Sarah Zybert ’09) attempt to hide their stolen groceries from the police and their law-abiding husbands (Evan Barden ’08 and Nick Phillips ’11).
Finally, their husbands get so fed up with the situations that they’re reduced to joining the act.
The production is guest-directed by Adam Gertsacov, who is a Clown Laureate, P.T. Barnum impersonator, flea circus impresario and professor at the University of Rhode Island.
“We want to expose the audience to a different type of theatre,” Gertsacov said.
Gertsacov’s directing is impressive and his understanding of the characters can partially be attributed to the fact that he once worked with Fo in 1994.
The leading couple knows how to work the stage.
Kennedy steals the show as Antonia from the moment she walks on the set to the moment the lights dim for the final time.
Adorned in a lovely printed dress with her brilliant reddish-brown hair shining, Kennedy realistically plays the role of an ideal housewife.
She works the stage confidently, whether she’s reassuring Margherita, hiding groceries or lying to her husband.
Kennedy also emphasizes the Italian background of the show without overdoing it in the trailer park setting.
Barden’s handling of Giovanni is impressive and Barden effectively makes the audience comprehend his quest for understanding regarding what is right and wrong in their impoverished town.
Gertsacov explained that the characters of Giovanni and Antonia seemed similar to that of Fo and his wife, so Barden and Kennedy were directed in that way.
Though the play itself was written in 1974, Gertsacov attempts to modernize the theme by portraying the story in a modern setting with a ’50s twist.
“It’s a crazy, wild and fun comedy. It’s like watching a sitcom on stage,” said Barden in a press release.
“We Won’t Pay! We Won’t Pay!” is a great effort from Theatre Fairfield. The play itself is thought-provoking and gives the audience interesting concepts to contemplate, all while enjoying ongoing hilarity as the play progresses.
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