The Milwaukee Post

By TOM JOZWIK Post Film Critic "Table 19" is a comedy, but it's not a very funny film. That's the fault of the screenplay (brothers Jay and Mark Duplass), I think, not the actors. After all, June Squibb was hilarious as an outspoken wife and mother in "Nebraska"; she's outspoken here, too, but one barely cracks a smile. It's a comedian's axiom — you're only as good as your material. Squibb does good work and isn't necessarily mis- cast as a bride's long-ago nanny in "Table," although she's not my idea of a nanny (even a retired one). Anna Kendrick and Wyatt Russell, and Lisa Kudrow and Craig Robinson never quite mesh as couples (even at the times they're sup- posed to). If Francie Millner (Rya Meyers) is supposed to be a Bridezilla, her charac- terization misses the mark. Ditto the film's funniest inclusion, Stephen Merchant, on target as a mere simpleton but far less believable as a felonious simpleton. Then there's the stereo- typical factor. "Table's" characters include a mid- dle-aged pair whose mar- riage is on the rocks, a young couple who question- ably profess to having fallen out of love, a falling-down drunken member of a wed- ding party, a dying senior citizen and a mama's boy on the cusp of adulthood, itch- ing for his first romance (he apparently achieves it at "Table's" end, but the movie offers neither explanation nor gal pal's identity). "Table" poorly executes the yarns these characters inspire, bouncing from sce- nario to scenario and some- times taking too long to bounce back. Admittedly there's a good Romeo and Juliet joke in the movie (and not-so-good pri- vate parts jokes), plus an enjoyable motif which has a guest at the titular table being mistaken for a waiter while wearing a white dress shirt and maroon blazer. If you've not guessed by now, the table in question is at a wedding reception, in the very back of the hall. The six people assigned to No. 19 are regarded as the event's least important attendees. Among them is protagonist Eloise McGarry (Kendrick, an actress I'm finding I appreciate less and less). Eloise is a longtime friend of the bride whose stock bottomed out when she broke up with the bride's scraggly brother (Russell, who should be a much more sympathetic character). The most annoying aspect of "Table" is that an antici- pated relationship between a certain couple with real chemistry never material- izes. The most unanswer- able question posed by the not-very-funny comedy: Why would a groom leave his reception to flirt with a stranger at a neighboring one? If I gave movies letter grades, I'd give this one an "I" for incomplete. 14 • Milwaukee County Post • March 17, 2017 By JULIE MCHALE Post Theater Critic MILWAUKEE — Tennessee Williams' play "The Glass Menagerie," though one of his earliest works, is one of his most frequently performed. It is a play that keeps on giving. No matter how many times one sees it, it continues to offer additional insights into the many difficulties humans can experience. Four carefully limned characters tell their stories. We sympathize with all of them for different reasons. Tom, a narrator and character in the drama, is trapped as the financial support of his mother and impaired sister. His mother, Amanda, a woman who lives in her past glory days, whether real or imagined, has been deserted by her husband, whose absent presence looms over the family. Laura, the daughter who is like a bird with a broken wing, is dominated by fear. The fourth, Jim O'Connor, an acquaintance of Tom's who works at the shoe factory, is a man whose taste of glory as a high school hero might be his best and his last. He rep- resents hope and forward thinking, but a goodly share of illusion also, a reality that suffuses all their lives. Tom revels in movies and alcohol as his means of escape from his mother's harping. Amanda lives in the past, in the days of 17 gentlemen callers and rooms full of jonquil flow- ers. Laura is obsessed her beautiful but fragile glass menagerie and old records, and Jim in his obsession with his almost-Dale Carnegie courses taken at night school has not yet given up on his dreams of being a radio engineer and public speak- er. Jim is handsome, social- ly skilled, sincere and still somewhat innocent, though we feel that he, too, might be doomed. His sensitive treatment of Laura proba- bly gives her the only shred of happiness she will ever have. Their scene together is beautiful but wrenching. The script is a poetic tap- estry, typical of Williams. His plays seldom make us happy, but they make us sad so artfully that we don't mind. The four actors do jus- tice to their roles, except for Hollis Resnick as Amanda, who was a bit of a disappointment. She spoke so quickly and with insuffi- cient volume sometimes that we missed some of her lines at times. Kelsey Brennan as Laura is well-suited for the role as the hopeless, hap- less young woman. One feels her vulnerability but also relishes her radiance in her scene with Jim before she once again retreats into the shadows. Brandon Dahlquist is a per- fect choice for the role of Jim, the gentleman caller. The star of the show to me is Ryan Imhoff, the best Tom I have ever seen in my many encounters with this particular play. In his last scene, we sensed his deep pain as he is torn between hope and despair. Everything about him bespoke longing and frus- tration. The set design by Philip Witcomb creates illusion and a pervasive claustro- phobia, though I found it a bit intrusive and distract- ing overall. The fire escape is very effective, though, and the costumes chosen by Rachel Laritz are perfect for creating the period and reflecting the characters. Directed by Mark Clements, this play deserves to be unearthed on a regular basis to remind us of Williams' genius and our need to be reminded of our illusions. Michael Brosilow Ryan Imhoff as Tom, in the foreground, Hollis Resnik as Amanda, left, and Kelsey Brennan as Laura in the Milwaukee Repertory Theater's production of "The Glass Menagerie." ENTERTAINMENT "Table 19" star Anna Kendrick displays her undesirable seat location at a wedding reception. Fox Searchlight Pictures 'Glass Menagerie' remindful of people's illusions 'Table' somewhat empty as comedy's only as funny as material "Table 19" ★1/2 Starring: Anna Kendrick, June Squibb, Stephen Merchant, Lisa Kudrow Director: Jeffrey Blitz MPAA rating: PG-13 Running time: 87 minutes Showings: www.marcusthe- atres.com At a glance "The Glass Menagerie" The drama runs through April 9 at the Milwaukee Rep's Quadracci Powerhouse Theatre, 108 E. Wells St. Call 414-224-9490 or visit MilwaukeeRep.com. At a glance

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