Theatrius
  • Now Playing
  • All Reviews
  • Writers
  • Reflections
  • Millennial Notes
  • Join Us
  • About Us
  • Search Icon

Theatrius

Theater Reviews—San Francisco and Beyond

“The Tin Woman” Really Finds Her Heart, at Ross Valley Players

“The Tin Woman” Really Finds Her Heart, at Ross Valley Players

May 24, 2018 Mitchell Field

Sean Grennan Leaves Us Laughing & Crying

by Mitchell Field

Just home from wonderful opening night of “The Tin Woman,” a superbly produced tragi-comedy at Ross Valley Players.

You’ll laugh, you’ll cry at this well-written, well-cast play, the title of which is a riff on the Tin Man in The Wizard of Oz.  But this titular woman, the sadly mis-named Joy (convincing Joanna Cretella), actually has a heart. But her heart is a transplanted one from a handsome, sushi-loving deceased photographer named Jack (suave, spiritual Jesse Lumb). And she has doubts about whether she deserves this second chance at life.

Jack’s family in “The Tin Woman.” Photos by Robin Jackson

Jack, Joy’s heart donor, appears as an engaging ghost to the audience, striding delightfully around the stage. But Joy and the other characters cannot see him. Can he save her again, this time from his dysfunctional family? And from her own anxious, neurotic self?

Jack’s father, the hangdog Hank (spot-on, persuasive Keith Jefferds) is wonderful as the curdled-by-life Dad. Hank is ably supported by his long-suffering wife Alice (stalwart stage-charmer Ellen Brooks).

Jack’s family in mourning

Jack’s hysterical, (in every sense) sister Sammy (funny Isabelle Grim) is afflicted by “swimmer’s ear.” And in dual roles as the Nurse and as Joy’s oversexed pal Daria, the delightful Sumi Narendran Cardinale provides broad comedy. In “The Tin Woman,” many of the funny lines are also excruciatingly personal and painful.

Playwright Sean Grennan mashes-up quirky modern playwright Lauren Gunderson with bits of crusty Arthur Miller. Gunderson’s “I and You” takes in “A View from the Bridge.”

Jack’s ghost and Joy’s revelations

Michael Barr sensitively directs an excellent cast, and a first-rate Tech Crew. Check out set-designer Ron Krempetz’ spare, yet subtle, fabric-covered set. Krempetz says he was “tired of painting.”  What a treat to see some fresh furniture on RVP’s stage—a perfectly chosen Mid-Century dining-room suite, which could come from your neighbor’s Eichler home.

We feel right at home with Grennan’s funny, perceptive new-style comedy, as “The Tin Woman” figures out how her heart works.  Don’t miss this one!

Daria makes it happen.

“The Tin Woman” by Sean Grennan, directed by Michael Barr, at Ross Valley Players, Ross, California, through Sunday, June 10, 2018. Info: rossvalleyplayers.com

Cast: Joanna Cretella, Ellen Brooks, Keith Jefferds, Isabelle Grimm, Jesse Lumb, and Sumi Narendran Cardinale.


Plays
anxiety, comedy, Family, ghost, heart transplant, hope, melancholy

Post navigation

NEXT
“Scapegoat”—Comic Artist Soars Close to Sun, at Playground Festival, S.F.
PREVIOUS
“Two Minds” Meld, then Clash, Brilliantly, at The Marsh, S.F.
Comments are closed.

Menu

  • Now Playing
  • All Reviews
  • Writers
  • Reflections
  • Millennial Notes
  • Join Us
  • About Us

BLM

Black Lives Matter

Current Shows

  • “Shadow/Land”—Black Women Stranded by Race/Storm–Streaming Public, NY
  • “The Waste Land” Refreshed at Oakland’s Drive-in Stage—Streaming OTP
  • “Toni Morrison’s The Bluest Eye” Exposes a Black Girl’s Abuse—Streaming Aurora
  • “Trouble in Mind” Liberates Black Lives on Broadway—Streaming ACT
  • “My Name is … Johnny Cash” Rocks & Rolls—Streaming 6th Street
  • “Bird on a Tree Branch” Explores Secrets of the Patriarchy—Streaming Phoenix
  • “[hieroglyph]” Exposes U.S. Racism & Sexual Violence—Streaming SF Playhouse
  • “The Art of Sacrifice”: A Venomous Mother-Daughter Match—Streaming Remote
  • “Interlude” Rewinds a Gay Black Artist’s Life During Covid—Streaming NCTC 
  • “Thom Pain” Explores Angst & Self-Doubt—Streaming Los Altos Stage   
  • “Strange Courtesies” Climaxes Black History Month—Streaming The Stage
  • “Lone Mountain” Tour Reveals Gay Side—Streaming Rhino
  • “Binding Ties” Shines Migrant Stories on Rail Station—Streaming Oakland
  • “Smithtown” Awakes Us to Tech Tragedy—Streaming Key West
  • “Fairfield” Elementary Unhinged over Black History—Streaming The Pear

About us:

If you want to see the best plays & performances around the San Francisco Bay or beyond, read our reviews. We promise to give you a true report on the best shows.
Bay Area Critics Circle

Barry David Horwitz, Editor of Theatrius, is a Voting Member of the San Francisco Bay Area Theatre Critics' Circle, SFBATCC. Follow us on: facebook.com

Subscribe for upcoming reviews!
Loading
© 2021   All Rights Reserved.