Review: REPULSING THE MONKEY at The White Horse Tavern

The new play, Repulsing the Monkey recently debuted on the third floor of The White Horse Tavern in the Financial District. Directed by Daniel Leeman Smith (The Bathrobe Club) the play not only takes place in a bar, but centers around one with a lot of history.

The story follows two siblings Janey (Kim Katzberg) and Danny (Sergey Nagorny) Jablonski who are suddenly left with their late parent's tavern in Pittsburgh. The two struggle with deciding what to do with the bar, bickering back and forth, then ultimately deciding to sell it. But what they don't expect is the fiasco that comes with trying to sell such a historic watering hole. During this process they meet two very different, very persistent couples that are interested in buying and changing the tavern to something else entirely.

One couple is from New York and plan to gentrify the neighborhood with the start of renovating the tavern, going so far as to talking about changing the name of the town to something cooler. Then there is the LA couple who breathe peace and serenity, but are eager to turn the tavern into a jumbled yoga studio that sounds anything but serene. Both couples care little about the family legacy of the bar, which is hard for the siblings to swallow. It hits Danny especially hard when he realizes there's more to what meets the eye behind one particular couple and the offer they made.

Throughout the funny encounters between the two clueless couples, including a wild stand off between who is willing to throw down more cash for the bar, we can feel the sadness and grief between Janey and Danny, for not just their parents and the tavern they loved, but the neighborhood they grew up in too.

The story has a lot of heart mixed with the right amount of comedic relief thanks to quirky characters who stretch their personalities to the extreme. Warning: while watching the show you may grow thirsty. Luckily, there's plenty to drink at the Jablonski's.

Repulsing the Monkey is now playing until September 26th at The White Horse Tavern. Tickets include general admission or VIP which includes two drinks per person. For tickets please visit the website RepulsingTheMonkey.com.

(Photo courtesy of Mariana Levitskaya)