All My Love, Kate
Written and directed by Joe Breen
Review by Alexa Garcia
The 2018 Fresh Fruit Festival
The Wild Project
195 East 3rd Street

On July 10, I had the pleasure of attending the 2018 Fresh Fruit Festival and saw All My Love, Kate written and directed by Joe Breen.  The play brought both laughter and sorrow to the audience. Mr. Breen creates a storyline that tugged on the hearts of the audience and revealed the struggles of love, in all its forms, back in the 1940s. It hit home with the people who have loved ones in the army or military in the audience, it isn’t easy waiting for your love one to return, especially during wartime. What’s even more depressing is not being able to receive notice about them and having to keep quiet about who you love because of the harsh, cruel morals of society.

Although a plot may be brilliant, the story can’t come to life without amazing actors. Brendan Cataldo (Jack), and Matt W. Cody (Danny) who played the roles of a couple performed amazing together and gave me the impression of a real couple. Kazuhiro Imafuku as Toshio put me on a rollercoaster going from hating the villain to thinking he’s kind and a good person throughout the whole play. Sarah Matteucci as Betty brought on a lovable character who filled the audience with laughter, sympathy and sadness. Chris McFarland as Tom will probably have mixed opinions in the audience about his character some may hate him, some won’t, and others might feel both because of his outstanding acting that brought the character to life. Last Jill Melanie Wirth as Margaret who was funny and somewhat of a mean character gave a real and enticing performance. The entire cast had the audience laughing at times and in the next second they were able to create a serious atmosphere filled with sorrow and tension. Good job by Mr. Breen in his choice of actors and his staging.  Music and lighting tied in well with the play and added a sense of realism to the story. With the props and music, the changes of the setting were clear and easy to figure out.

The ending will leave you wanting more!  I truly enjoyed the production.