Sea Cloud Park
See Brilliant Casting
Performances shine through angst-filled story
reviewed by Christopher Sirota

Wonderful acting pulls the tension from the opening moments of “Sea Cloud Park” in the Midwinter Madness Festival which started this week at Roy Arias Studios: Stage II on 43rd St. Actors Jason E. Kelley, Marty Papazian & Kelen Coleman, bring energy to characters that face despair in this play produced, written & directed by Cameron Fife.

The despair in the backstory is not one that any parent would want to experience in life, but the play focuses mostly on the aftermath burdening one father, and the support provided by the others. Although the play itself is a relatively believable slice of life, the gem of this performance is the casting of Kelley and Papazian: their chemistry, and give and take on the stage is fantastic. You want to hear more; you could imagine them in a new Netflix binge-series about two friends struggling in the world. Even the cadence and tone of their different voices fit so well together, you just want to hear more. Fife crafted their friendship with an unspoken caring between them, which is unexpected and welcomed.

Overall I enjoyed entering this world to meet these characters, despite not completely accepting some of the plot. Of note, the artistic decision for the soundscape at the beginning worked to brilliant and chilling effect. Final performance will be 2/15 @ 5:15 p.m.

Christopher Sirota writes for OuterStage and DramaQueens on a regular basis. He is also a cinematographer with one film receiving international distribution, another in post-production, and a third readying for pre-production.
Photo by A.G. Liebowitz/WrightGroupNY