GableStage: A Behanding in Spokane (3 reviews)

GableStage opened its production of Martin McDonagh's A Behanding in Spokane on October 23, 2010.

The title is just the starting point; take a man searching for his missing hand, two con artists out to make a few hundred bucks and an overly curious hotel clerk - the rest is up for grabs. This black comedy is by the author of two plays that won Best Play Carbonell Awards at GableStage - The Pillowman (2006) and The Lieutenant of Inishmore (2007).

Joe Adler directed a cast that included Dennis Creaghan, Erik Fabregat, Marckensen Charles, and Jackie Rivera.

Mary Damiano reviewed for South Florida Theater Review:

Joseph Adler, artistic director of the Coral Gables company, has a taste for bizarre situations, and enjoys theatre that makes his audience uncomfortable, because discomfort leads to discussion.  And while A Behanding in Spokane is more commercial than other McDonagh plays, it’s certainly a play to spark conversation.

Creaghan hits all the right notes as Carmichael, the vengeful resignation, the glimmer of hope, the dry sense of humor. Credit both McDonagh’s writing and Creaghan’s deliciously wicked performance for making Carmichael such a fascinating and sympathetic character.
Charles, who made such a splash earlier this year in Groundswell, is once again impressive here...

Rivera, so good in GableStage’s Speech and Debate last June, is very funny here, even though her role is often to represent the audience’s point of view...

Fabregat’s look and demeanor are perfect for his role as Mervyn. He gets some of the play’s best lines, and certainly the best monologue...  when Carmichael and Mervyn are alone together; their conversation has an edge and Creaghan and Fabregat are riveting to watch.

Christine Dolen reviewed for The Miami Herald:

Director Joseph Adler, who won Carbonell Awards for his earlier productions of The Pillowman and The Lieutenant of Inishmore, really gets McDonagh's work, and his breezy staging goes a long way toward sustaining interest in a story that ultimately doesn't amount to much.

On set designer Lyle Baskin's dead-on version of a seedy hotel room, Adler's cast works hard at pulling off McDonagh's blend of menace, fear and comedy -- and, to a person, the actors succeed.

As Carmichael, Creaghan looks at least as unkempt as that hotel room (thanks in part to costume designer Ellis Tillman), and he's adept at keeping the audience on edge...

Charles and Rivera are terrific young actors who make you feel for this pair of dim-bulb hustlers -- Charles especially, as Toby is a black weed dealer who becomes the repeated target of Carmichael's vile racist trash talk.

Fabregat, Mervyn and McDonagh are made for each other, and this always-reliable actor turns in yet another sly, funny performance.

Roger Martin reviewed for MiamiArtzine.com:

... A Behanding In Spokane, Martin McDonagh's f-bomb laden, cringe-inducing ninety minutes of almost continuous laughter.

...this is an excellent cast.

Joe Adler's direction, Lyle Baskin's set, Jeff Quinn's lighting, Ellis Tillman's costumes and Matt Corey's sound are all well up to the GableStage standard.

Martin McDonagh's A Behanding In Spokane plays at GableStage through November 21, 2010.