Photo credit: Maureen Kilmurry, Windfall Theatre
Stones in His Pockets, Windfall Theatre: Robert W.C. Kennedy (L), Joe Picchetti (R)
The tragicomedy Stones in His Pockets is a smart reflection on the struggles of the individual thrown against the immensity of a seemingly infinite world. Two actors slide through an entire cast of characters in a story of a large movie production coming to a small Irish community. Windfall Theatre stages a satisfying realization of the story in its cleverly compact space.
Maureen Kilmurry directs Robert W.C. Kennedy and Joe Picchetti through the intricate challenges of portraying a diverse group of characters existing in the bewildering activity of a major film set in a tiny village. The story focuses on a couple of Irish movie extras lost in the production. Two men’s dreams of success are contrasted against the grim, soul-crushing realities of work on a major film set. In addition to the two extras, Kennedy and Picchetti play the film’s director, assistant director, female lead and more than a few others.
There’s a large painted landscape in the background, a cabinet and a few props, but for the most part it’s up to Kennedy and Picchetti to deliver every aspect of the story. Kennedy and Picchetti do an admirable job of gliding through a microcosm of subtle fluctuations in personality, temperament and overall characterization without distracting from the rhythm and pacing of the story. A couple of actors on a small stage make the art and artifice of a big-budget Hollywood movie seem absurdly primitive. Two actors and almost no budget show the hopeless folly of big-budget mass-mediated art. There’s a casually earthbound brilliance in the contrast.
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Through Feb. 24 at Village Church Arts, 130 E. Juneau Ave. For tickets, call 414-332-3963.