THEATRE RHINOCEROS PRODUCTION OF "100 SAINTS YOU SHOULD KNOW"

 Threatre Rhinocerous production of Kate Fodor’s “100 Saints You Should Know</i> was an interesting drama given weight by the author’s apparently attempt to deal utterly with the nature of faith. It was an engrossing, deeply moving drama with flawless acting on the five actors.

The drama had five potentially fascinating characters.  Matthew (Wyle Herman), a priest who is on leave from the church for an indiscreetness revolving some homoerotic but totally artful George Platt Lynn photographs found in his possession; his mother, Colleen (Tamar Cohn), who sticks closely to her Catholic teachings and Therese (Ann Lawler), who formerly was a “Deadhead” and now a working class mom who cleans the toilets at Matthew’s rectory.  She tries to find some kind of faith even through television evangelist. There is her daughter Abby (Kim Stephenson), a teenager rebel and Garrett (Michael Rosin), a 16 year old neighborhood delivery boy who fears about his own homosexuality since he likes to see sex acts performed by males on his computer.

“100 Saints You Should Know” drama was filled with many of life’s biggest questions such has why bad things happen, the awareness of good and evil in people. There is the acknowledgement that every person has the capacity for doing good things and bad that these two are both aspects of us.  The whole play was structured around the relationships of mothers and their children in the family of the priest and that of Theresa and her rebellious daughter.  You can see that intimacy of any kind is impossible with these characters.   Matthew expresses himself almost monosyllabically from his overbearing mother.  You also sense that the priest is experience a deep crisis of faith and the deep isolation of the calibrate life.   Abby is viciously verbal in her assaults again her mother and has a total denunciation of the parent.

All five give impeccable performances. Wylie Herman gives a sharp and sensitive performance as the priest who tends to hide behind his books while Tamar Cohn is stunning as the domineering mother hiding behind games of Scrabble.  Michael Rosen brings a winning simplicity to the role of Garrett while Kim Stephenson  is glowing as the rebel daughter. Ann Lawler is vivid and sensual as the needy Theresa.  Director John Fisher deftly minds the rich comedy provided by Fodor’s quirky character and elicits lovely performances from all his actors.  Jon Wai-keung Lowe two story set is excellent for the small intimate theatre.  He also provided for photographs flashed on a screen about the nude male bodies of George Platt Lynn.  “100 Saints You Should Know “closed on Sunday at the Thick House in San Francisco.