Review: THE LYONS at The Ensemble Company

Family can be very complicated. Just think about it - parents with unique personalities and perspectives bring children into the world who have their own quirks and problems and everyone lives together for an extended period under the same roof and are subject to common ups and downs. It can be a formula for something great or something disastrous. Through the theatre (and other media, for that matter) we get the voyeuristic pleasure in seeing how others navigate the treacherous waters of familial bonds. And sometimes it can be quite funny. Such is the case with the latest production from The Ensemble Company (in residence at Penguin Point Productions) - Nicky Silver's "savage comedy about a dying breed" - THE LYONS.

THE LYONS introduces the audience to the Lyons family - Ben (Michael Wanzie) who is in the hospital dealing with the final stages of cancer, his wife, Rita (Rose Lamarre) who is already thinking about how to redecorate the house after his death, Lisa (Laura Cooper) their recovering alcoholic daughter, and Curtis (Gabriel Garcia) their estranged, gay son. The action in the first act of the play all takes place in Ben's hospital room - and through quick, mean but funny banter the audience gets a sense for these four very different (and troubled) people who share a frail bond. The second act illustrates through three separate scenes the aftermath of the first act and how each character moves on with their lives in their own unique, albeit slightly messed up way.

Nicky Silver's script for THE LYONS is fast paced, sometimes harsh, but frequently funny. This is especially the case for the dialogue between Ben and Rita at the start of the play. The script allows the audience to quickly understand the nuances of the characters and lets their neuroses and complexities to come through clearly. The second act starts off feeling a little disconnected from the first, but it all comes together in the final scene - also set in a hospital room.

Matthew MacDermid's direction of THE LYONS is very strong. He achieves the right pace for the dialogue and helps ensure that the action, though set in a singular room for much of the play, never feels slow or stale. THE LYONS also features a small, but very talented cast. Michael Wanzie is excellent as the bitter father, Ben who, in his dying days, decides he can say whatever he wants (even if it is foul and mean-spirited). Mr. Wanzie delivers a Ben who is a loveable curmudgeon cut from the same cloth as Archie Bunker and others like him. As his long-suffering wife, Rita, Rose Lamarre shines as she balances her responsibility as grieving wife and her thinly veiled excitement for what is to come. And though less overt than Mr. Wanzie's Ben, Ms. Lamarre's Rita is equally flawed - but hilariously oblivious. Laura Cooper and Gabriel Garcia are great as the Lyons children - who have a complicated relationship both with their parents and each other. Rounding out the cast are Aya??̀ Demps as the Nurse and Matthew Buckalew as real estate agent Brian - both delivering solid performances in their roles.

From a creative standpoint, Bonnie Sprung's Scenic Design is very effective with a well apportioned and realistic hospital room that easily transforms to the two other locations in the play (and back). Darius Fletcher's lighting is good as is Matthew MacDermid's sound design.

THE LYONS by The Ensemble Company is a biting, funny and entertaining exploration of the complexities (and frustrations) of family and how sometimes it takes a major event to set people on a new (and hopefully happier) course in life. So if you are looking for an escape from your own family drama and want to spend a couple hours marveling at the challenges of another, then THE LYONS may just be what the doctor ordered.

THE LYONS presented by The Ensemble Company (in residence at Penguin Point Productions) runs through November 14th. Tickets are $20 for Adults, $18 for Seniors and $16 for Students. Performances take place at Penguin Point Productions inside the Oviedo Mall at 1220 Oviedo Mall Blvd., Oviedo, FL 32765. Tickets can be purchased by visiting https://www.theensemblecompany.com/ or https://www.penguinpointproductions.com/tickets or calling (407) 310-8908.

All Photos by Mike Kitaif