It is always fascinating to see new waves of talent hit the Buffalo theater scene. In the current production of The Fastest Clock in the Universe, veteran actor Richard Lambert is joined by Candice Kogut, who gives a marvelous performance as Sherbet Gravel. Miss Kogut made an impression at Alt Theatre earlier this year and will soon appear in Blackbird at the New Phoenix Theatre. Also appearing in Fastest Clock are young Mike Renna as Cougar Glass and Justin Fiordaliso as Foxtrot Darling, each an engaging juvenile—in the traditional theatrical sense.

Meanwhile, the Buffalo Quickies will open at Alleyway Theatre this week with Michael Seitz in the cast. Seitz distinguished himself as Shane in the Buffalo United Artists production of Paul Rudnick’s The New Century, and as the good priest in On the Way to Heaven for Theatre Plus at Alleyway. Youthful Beth Donohue, who seems to specialize in domestics, plays Berthe, the maid in Hedda Gabler at the Irish Classical Theatre. More seasoned, but new to the scene, Katy Miner is impressive in Hot ’N Cole: A Cole Porter Celebration at the Kavinoky. And Jenn Stafford and Paschal Frisina III certainly represent a new generation of stellar musical theater talent in Sunday in the Park with George at MusicalFare—a production that also features Steve Copps, who was excellent in Seafarer earlier this season, and the Jakiel sisters, Kelly and Amy, who continue a family tradition of stage excellence established in their parents, Mary McMahon and Steve Jakiel.

The current production of In Gabriel’s Kitchen, Buffalo United Artists’ debut offering in their new space on Chippewa Street, also features some fresh talent. Company regular Kerrykate Abel is joined by adorable and affecting James Konidis, who plays the title role. John Kaczorowski, who played Banjo in a successful The Man Who Came to Dinner with American Repertory Theatre of WNY earlier this season, plays his brother, Marco. Appealing Adam Rath plays the love interest. And Darryl Hart, who has been seen mostly at the Lancaster Opera House, plays the father, Paolo. All are fairly new to the professional Buffalo theater scene.

These new faces enliven and refresh the theater scene. They also keep established talents from becoming too complacent, while allowing them to move onto roles appropriate to their inevitably advancing ages. The arrival of new talent is an important element in what makes the Buffalo theater scene a “community.”

In Gabriel’s Kitchen

Josefina Scaglione is a bright spot in the current Broadway revival of West Side Story

In Gabriel’s Kitchen enjoys the distinction of playing in a new theater space and a designated home for BUA, which has been nomadic since the loss of their beloved Upstairs Cabaret, above Roxy’s on Main Street, several years ago. With a major investment in the place, BUA hopes to call 119 Chippewa Street home for some time to come.

With In Gabriel’s Kitchen, his debut play, Salvatore Antonio begins with a well worn narrative, the tale of a boy from a traditional family trying to come to terms with his homosexuality. This is familiar territory for BUA, but Antonio manages to approach the story with new insight and a fresh perspective.

Gabriel is the younger of two boys in a Sicilian family living in a suburb of contemporary Toronto. The darling of his mother, Concetta, the boy is also the favorite of his severe father, Paolo. While Paolo finds fault with everything the elder brother, Marco does, young Gabriel seems to have a talent to make his father laugh and respond to the world as he did before immigration and family responsibilities beat him down.

Gabriel’s happy security in the family is destroyed, however, when he experiences the first flush of teenaged love, not with a girl, but in an Irish-Canadian boy, Matt, who has just moved to the neighborhood.

The play was first produced at Buddies in Bad Times Theatre in Toronto in March 2006. The script was subsequently one of five finalists for the 2007 Governor General’s Award for English drama, the most prestigious literary award in Canada. Its debut in the United States took place at the New Conservatory Theatre in San Francisco, a production that was, interestingly, directed by Christopher Jenkins, a Buffalo State grad who got his start directing plays with BUA. In Gabriel’s Kitchen was later translated into Italian and produced in Italy, and will soon be seen in Israel.

The power of In Gabriel’s Kitchen is derived from Antonio’s deft insight into the complexities of family relationships and the Aristotelian symmetry of his script’s construction. Gabriel is able to keep his emotions in balance (as well as his position in the household) until Matt unexpectedly moves away. At this point, he needs the support of his family and feels compelled to tell all.

Neither the scene of Gabriel’s revelation to his family, nor the scene of his tragic departure from it is the climax of the play—in fact, both events occur off stage. The pivotal scene of In Gabriel’s Kitchen occurs at the symbolically loaded family dinner table where Paolo, in trying to rescue his beloved son from what he can only comprehend as manifest evil, reveals more about himself than about the situation at hand. Gabriel sits in silence, neither defending himself nor agreeing, as the members of his family explode.

The casting of Darryl Hart as Gabriel’s youthful and still virile father adds a fascinating twist to the interaction, as his monologue makes us wonder just what he may have suppressed and denied in his own life in order to fulfill his family responsibilities. There is a perfect balance of forces in this scene, as we realize that Paolo is immovable, and only the loss of his son can change him.

Another moment at which Antonio struts his literary skill is a scene in which Gabriel is preparing to go out to clubs with a friend—a girl. His mother, Concetta, played by Kerrykate Abel, is giddy, assuming that the girl is her son’s first girlfriend. She is startled when the boy insists that the girl is just a friend—his best friend. He has no idea that he is handing his mother a sobering revelation.

The scenes between Gabriel and his brother, Marco, played by John Kaczorowski, similarly reveal the powerful subtleties of loving, yet hurtful family relationships, as Marco both competes with and strives to support his brother.

Antonio adds an additional layer by telling the play out of sequence as a series of flashbacks, displacing the emphasis from Gabriel and Paolo, the central combatants in the tragedy, and onto Marco and Concetta, victims on the periphery who are left to pick up the pieces.

In Gabriel’s Kitchen continues through April 18.

West Side Story

I caught the current revival of West Side Story during its pre-Broadway tryout in Washington, DC, and immediately sensed trouble. When I caught it again, during one of its last preview performances in New York, little had changed. In a spirited attempt to update the material, nonagenarian Arthur Laurents, author of the book, opted to translate the lyrics and dialogue of the Sharks into Spanish and to cast a pan-American company. The result is a mish-mash.

The blunt drive of Stephen Sondheim’s original lyrics for such songs as “A Boy Like That” become mellifluous in Spanish. The quick wit and naïve rhyming of “I Feel Pretty” is lost entirely. Laurents had backed away from some of the translated lyrics in New York, but bilingualism is still a major element of this revival in which even lyrics that move the plot forward are lost to most of the audience.

The glory of West Side Story—a retelling of the Romeo and Juliet story, in which Puerto Rican Maria falls in love with Anglo Tony—has always been the aching beauty of Jerome Robbins’ choreography and of Leonard Bernstein’s score, starkly contrasting with a story of brutal hatred and irrational rivalry. The characters are, in general, two-dimensional—the exception being best friend Anita, a role created in 1957 by Chita Rivera who was, and is, an astounding dancer. Rivera’s gifts enabled Jerome Robbins to realize his choreographic vision; indeed, the London opening was postponed until she was available, after the birth of her daughter. Karen Olivo, fresh from her In the Heights triumph, plays the role in the current incarnation. She is a compelling actress but not an astounding dancer, diminishing the impact of the whole.

Laurents, who also took a fresh look at Gypsy (for which he also wrote the book) two seasons ago, has removed the specific time period—1957—in this production. Again, the choice does not work when gang members use euphemistic language and such period slang as “Daddy-oh,” and “cool.” Moreover, whereas the Sharks used to be Puerto Rican, the mixing of South American accents in this cast—Argentine here, Venezuelan there—results in an atmosphere less real than most episodes of Law and Order.

On the plus side, the score is still luscious. The choreography is still a marvel. Argentine actress Josefina Scaglione is as sweet as can be as Maria, especially when you can understand her. The production does not, however, represent the timely resuscitation of a classic. As a classic, West Side Story really did not need so much tinkering, much less an overhaul.