Supper is one meal you will never forget
Four brothers of an extremely wealthy and privileged family gather in Japan for the marriage of the one brother least likely to marry, that is the one clearly least likely to marry a woman. They have gathered in celebration but almost instantly rancor emerges primarily from the oldest brother who is also clearly a bit of a bully and in a humorous way very much a curmudgeon.
He is joined by a younger brother who seems to be essentially the foil of the family and eventually be another brother who it is claimed spends most of his time engaging high priced hookers and getting written up in the tabloids. The brother soon to celebrate his wedding to a lovely Japanese woman is undeniably the most flamboyant gay guy on earth; most likely to be Grand Marshall of the Gay Pride Day parade in West Hollywood.
So one wonders, how and why is this guy getting married to this woman and why is this woman marrying this extremely gay guy? Well what is one of the most powerful influences on our world, especially amongst those already very rich? Could this be a marriage of convenience based primarily on the possibility of being able to significantly enhance one’s financial positon?
Each cast member does a genuinely stellar job of presenting their respective characters. Keiko Elizabeth is a haunting, sometimes sassy and funny yet gentle and mysterious Japanese bride-to-be. Alex Elliott-Funk totally embraces the troubled and occasionally tormented younger brother David who can be capable of revenge. Darrett Sanders is utterly believable as the bloviating blowhard and bully Charles. Will McFadden owns the role of the somewhat secretive global playboy Billy and Joel Scher is the perfect Freddy who, while on the outside is little more than a wildly flamboyant gay guy, does have a far deeper and darker side.
But none of this adequately tells the full tale of the play Supper, as written by Phinneas Kiyomura and directed by Alina Phelan. To discover that you must go to the Theatre of NOTE and enjoy about 90 minutes of very unique and powerful theatre art. And just a brief note about the Theatre of NOTE Company; it has been around over twenty years and prides itself on their commitment to original material, theatrical quality and a true bond between all of its members. The physical venue is cozy and basic but the shows they produce, at least if Supper is a fair representation, have entertainment value far greater than the size of the venue or the modest price of admission.
Supper is presented in repertory with Red Helen now through May 20, 2017 at the Theatre of NOTE, 1517 N. Cahuenga Boulevard, Los Angeles (Hollywood), California.
For details on show times, to make reservations and for ticketing you may either call: 323-856-8611 or go online.
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To enjoy another form of visual art visit here.
Photos by Eric Neil Gutierrez
Top photo: Darrett Sanders, Alex Elliott-Funk and Keiko Elizabeth
Ron Irwin was born in Chicago, Illinois a long time ago. He served in the Marine Corps in Vietnam, became a trial lawyer, TV and radio host, CEO of a public company and once held an Emmy. He never won an Emmy he just held one. Ron has written and published twelve books. His most important book to date is “Live, Die, Live Again” in which Ron tells of his early life and his unexpected and very temporary death in 2012. That experience dramatically refocused his life and within the pages of that book Ron reveals how he achieved a much healthier life, ridding himself of Diabetes, Cancer and Heart Failure. Now Ron enjoys writing about many things including health topics, travel [he has circled the globe several times], adventure, culinary experiences and the world of performing art. Ron’s motto is “Live better, live longer and live stronger because it feels great and annoys others.” Contact the author.