Milwaukee Chamber Theatre brings a compelling, character-driven story to the stage with the Frank D. Gilroy drama The Subject Was Roses.A boy from the Bronx returns home from World War II to spend some time with his parents. Directed with compassion and precision by Milwaukee Chamber’s C. Michael Wright, the play isn’t as much about what happens to these characters as it is about who they are. It’s an opportunity for theatergoers to get to know three people quite intimately in the emotional proximity afforded by the Broadway Theatre Center’s Studio Theatre.
James Tasse brings charisma to the role of John Cleary, a coffee salesman with blue-collar charm. Cleary is not a stylish showman when it comes to sales, and Tasse’s honest performance exhibits an approachability that hides the shadows quite well.
Tami Workentin plays John’s wife, Nettie. Like so many women in the ’40s, Nettie’s life was limited to the home. She loves family and frequently visits her mother. Her love of her only son adds warmth to the home that flickers nervously in the foreground. But there’s a cold emotional landscape beyond the son’s happy homecoming.
Nicholas Harazin plays the son, Timmy. Though he has just returned from seeing the brutality of war, Timmy is upbeat and happy to see his parents. Harazin’s subtle performance reveals a character who wants his parents to be closer to each otherperhaps so that he can become closer to them.
Wright and company deftly weave positive and negative moods in this engrossing story about three people trying to love each other.
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Milwaukee Chamber Theatre’s The Subject Was Roses runs through Dec. 12 at the Broadway Theatre Center’s Studio Theatre.
