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Regional Reviews: Florida - West Coast The Little Foxes Also see Bill's review of Informed Consent
The story of The Hubbard clan, grown rich by less than honorable means, is timeless, the story of greed writ large. Some might call the play melodramatic, but its emotional honesty precludes quick dismissal as a period piece. The third act scene between Horace and Regina, participants in a marriage gone very sour, resonated strongly with me, recently out of a relationship that was not always the best. When Regina says "You must hate me so," the truth is just not that simple. The Little Foxes has always been a magnet for great actors, and Asolo Rep offers a first rate cast. Playing Regina's two brothers are Matt De Caro, being seen as LBJ in The Great Society, as Oscar, and William Dick, also appearing in The Great Society, as Ben. They are giving solid strong performances. Regina, our protagonist, is Tracy Michelle Arnold, giving a committed performance, but I wish she would dominate the play a little more, although this may be director Frank Galati's vision. David Breitbarth as Horace, Regina's mostly estranged husband, and Denise Cormier as Oscar's wife Birdie complete the parental generation of the Giddens/Hubbard clan. Breitbarth brings gravitas to his dying character and Cormier is perfect as the forlorn, unloved wife. Kelly Elizabeth Smith plays Alexandra, Regina and Horace's daughter, and Scott Kuiper plays Oscar and Birdie's son Leo. Both are third year Asolo Conservatory students and show great promise for their future careers. Taylar is maid Addie, and Sean Blake butler/servant Cal, while Tom Coiner plays William Marshall. Frank Galati directs with a strong hand. The audience can almost feel the family ties that bind these three siblings together. Perhaps Horace's death scene is a wee bit over the top, but the text later makes an important point that he ends at the top of the stairs, so anything less might go against the script. The setting, the work of Alan E. Schwanke, is richly detailed—only the Asolo could provide this level of splendor. Ditto for the costumes of Tracy Dorman; especially eye catching is a third act traveling outfit for Regina, which she may not get to use if things go against her. Lighting design by Paul Miller is fine, and Michelle Hart does her usual exemplary work on hair/wig & make-up design, the wigs being a very important piece of this production. Sound design by Matthew Parker is mostly fine, but actors adopting thick southern accents lose a little volume, making things a somewhat difficult to hear. Five seasons of The American Character have not yielded much in the way of classic American plays, and several regular theatergoers have commented about this, so The Little Foxes is a welcome treat, especially in a very fine production. Asolo Rep has announced next year's programing, available on their website. Highlights include Evita for the holiday season musical; repertory productions of Shakespeare in Love, Rhinoceros (also to be directed by Frank Galati), and Roe (about the Roe vs. Wade court case); Grace in a non repertory production; plus an end of season shared production of my favorite musical of the past 30 years, Ragtime. Asolo Repertory Theatre presents The Little Foxes through April 15, 2017, at the Mertz Theatre in the FSU Center. 5555 N. Tamiami Trail, Sarasota, Florida. Box Office 941-351-8000. For more information visit www.asolorep.org. Cast (in order of appearance): Directed by Frank Galati |
