In Tandem Theatre's intimate stage is sparsely decorated. The drama that unfolds in Beast On the Moon fills all the empty spaces in a very dark and minimalist set. Michael Cotey plays a survivor of the Armenian holocaust of the early 20th century. He has moved to Milwaukee and settled-down as a professional photographer in the early 1920s. Grace DeWolff plays his wife--a woman of sparkling wit who did not meet her husband until they were married.
Helmed by talented director Mary MacDonald Kerr, the story by playwright Richard Kalinoski resonates with sharply detailed subtlety and depth of emotion. Cotey mixes a proud sense of will and honor with a fiery tenacity in the roll of the immigrant photographer. Quiet strength can be really difficult to bring across onstage. So often here he makes it look easy. Early on, DeWolff's performance exhibits a dazzling understanding of the whispers of human emotion that can tremble through even the slightest movement. As the story progresses, she gets more outspoken and we feel the overwhelming intensity of her emotion. It's a deeply affecting performance. Cotey's work here is subtle, but he's true to the role, so it's a very subdued performance. He knows what he's doing and he knows not to try to put too many fidgety little details into the character. And, oddly enough, that makes this particular performance a bit less fun to watch the Cotey's turns as Dr. Faustus for Yonugblood and in UWM's Caucasian Chalk Circle ages ago. DeWolff is always fun to watch, though. Her current facebook profile pic has her looking up at a poster of Chaplin. Her talent for physical characterization shows that she clearly looks up to Chaplin...there's an attention to detail in her physicality onstage that's enjoyable even when she's sitting perfectly still.
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Rounding out the cast is Robert Spencer as a narrator trying to understand the couple that helped him out as an orphan child. The role challenges an older actor to also play a very young boy. Spencer has an impish sense of playfulness about him that serves the role well. It may seem strange seeing actors only starting their professional stage careers playing adult authority to a seasoned actor like Spencer, but Kerr and company strike a balance that makes the dynamic seem endearingly natural.
In Tandem Theatre's production of Beast On the Moon runs through March 24th at the Tenth Street Theatre on 628 North 10th Street. For ticket reservations, call 414-271-1371.
