When Blackhorse Village Players opens the season with the best of Neil Simon's plays, the laughter is so contagious one would think each member of the audience could rise and proclaim the success of I Ought To Be In Pictures.
Indeed, with the talents of three accomplished actors, every listener can sympathize with the dreams and disappointments of becoming a film star. Don't we all want to achieve success in life based on the talents we have?
Sarah-Jayne Martin, Angie Sapalovski, and Roderick Cook bring out the best of our strengths and weaknesses thanks to the directorship of Kate Horzempa and producer Vicki Drier.
The three actors play out their roles in a California scene, complete with orange tree landscaping, airy kitchen, comfortable living room, guest (bed)room and writer's nook. The setting, created by Mary Horzempa, features a design and construction team that has more stars than the play, just as talented in their own way.
Into this sunny clime arrives Libby Tucker (Martin), with stars in her eyes so bright they could light the entire theatre. This exuberant and willful daughter of a workworn screen writer has big plans for Hollywood. She's rarin' to go and fueled with dreams of glory, come what may. Her smile is infectious, and she wins the hearts of a long-lost father (Cook) and inspires a new relationship for his companion Steffy Blondell (Sapalovski).
At 17 years of age, Martin brings a powerful talent to Blackhorse. A student at Mayfield School of the Arts and member of Toronto Music Theatre Company, she offers a stunning performance portraying a character who most likely shares some of her own qualities.
No doubt Herbert Tucker is stunned when he discovers Libby is his daughter. Cook takes the audience through a whirlwind of emotions, believable at every turn. Astonishment, frustration and accountability are reflected in his introduction to his long-lost daughter. As the relationship matures, Tucker becomes frustrated with Libby's surefooted confidence, knowing how the lights of experience can easily dim hope. Cook's versatility offers every emotion a role, and gives the audience an understanding of what each emotion entails.
As Steffy Blondell, Sapalovski offers a balance between the wisdom of experience and the exuberance of youth. She rises to the challenge, and matches every action with an equally powerful reaction. Sapalovski gives a strong and steady performance, particularly when Steffy decides to make a critical decision for herself that affects Tucker as well as her own future.
In Simon's play, success, accountability and wisdom are tossed easily between daughter, parent, and companion, sometimes fumbled, sometimes caught. No matter what the outcome, the three actors balance their roles gracefully and with humor, capturing the spotlight in turn. Success develops not only through experience, but what they can learn from each other. Each emerges as a star in their own right.
