W. Scott McLucas Studio Theatre
by Conor McPherson
directed by: Alex Dmitriev
October 15 – November 28, 2010
When a jaded and cynical Dublin Drama critic comes under the spell of a beautiful young actress and pursues her into a coven of vampires in modern day London, storytelling at its spooky best comes to vivid life. Is it all a drunken lie? A tantalizing fairy tale? Or is it his own version of a higher truth?
“A WONDERFULLY SPOOKY TALE, ARRIVING JUST IN TIME FOR HALLOWEEN. Though it deals with such themes as the quest for personal redemption and the nature of storytelling itself, THE PUNGENTLY WRITTEN PLAY IS FAR MORE ENTERTAINING THAN HEAVY-HANDED. The rotund Martello projects a well-fed decadence in the role, bringing animated life to the story. HE MASTERFULLY DRAWS IN THE AUDIENCE, even as his character ironically notes, “There’s always going to be a smugness about you listening to this.’ ” – New York Post
“I’M GONNA CUT TO THE CHASE: I ENJOYED THE HELL OUT OF IRISH REPERTORY THEATRE’S PRODUCTION OF CONOR MCPHERSON’S ONE-MAN PLAY, ST. NICHOLAS, AND I RECOMMEND YOU CHECK IT OUT. ALEX DMITRIEV’S DIRECTION IS FLUID AND NATURAL—you get the sense that he’s wisely letting his actor and the script play, and the overall arc is very well etched. – NYTheatre.com
“In “St. Nicholas,” a cynical, amusingly Gothic story about bloodlust, vampires and theater critics, the mordant wit of Tony Award-nominated Irish dramatist Conor McPherson is on dark display. JUST IN TIME FOR HALLOWEEN, THE ODDLY COMPELLING SHOW IS A PERFECT GHOST STORY, a cautionary fable about the destructive results of using power to abuse other people instead of taking responsibility for our own failures. Alone on a small, dark stage, JOHN MARTELLO MASTERFULLY PORTRAYS A DISSOLUTE, JADED IRISH THEATER CRITIC WITH SELF-DEPRECATING CHARM AND ATTEMPTED REGRET, BOTH TINGED WITH IRREPRESSIBLE POMPOSITY. But McPherson, skilled writer and author of “The Seafarer,” ”The Weir,” and “Shining City,” artfully builds the melodramatic story so it almost seems credible. Martello is completely engaging and a treat to watch, as his character pridefully recounts his booze-hound lifestyle and downfall, marveling at his gradual ensnarement by the vampires. Alex Dmitriev’s direction enhances the wry, spellbinding tale, as the disgraced critic deludes himself with the conceit that his work for the vampires was part of “a life of patronage. A thoughtful, diverting, tragicomedy about human weakness.” – Associated Press
“WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME SOMEONE TOLD YOU A REALLY GOOD STORY…NOT READ IT; ‘REGALED YOU WITH A TALE THAT DREW YOU IN, MADE YOU LAUGH, FURROW YOUR BROW, RAISE AN EYEBROW? REMEMBER VISUALIZING THE CHARACTERS, THE SURROUNDINGS? REMEMBER THE ANTICIPATION, THE TENSION, BEING CAPTIVATED; LOSING YOUR SENSE OF THE PRESENT? MULTIPLY THAT EXPERIENCE BY TENFOLD AND YOU MIGHT COME CLOSE TO THE SHEER TRANSPORTING PLEASURE OF THE EVENING JUST SPENT WITH JOHN MARTELLO. We left the theater exhilarated. Go!” – Playing Around