Studio Arena Theatre's current production of Tom Dulack's comedy is full of the dull, dumb and droll banter that's supposed to represent the city of Buffalo.
All it really represents is a waste of a stage.
This was the case when Dulack's last locally produced play, "Breaking Legs," appeared at Studio in the 2000-2001 season. Both plays are popular in this area because of their ethnically colored humor and the mainstream popularity of the Italian Mafia in television shows like "The Sopranos."
"Shooting Craps" fails for reasons other than repeating the lame banality of "Breaking Legs." This time around, Dulack takes potshots at the Queen City. Once the play starts, it can't be saved.
Danielle DiVecchio plays Joanna Caruso, the mayor of a "depressed, industrial town in the Northeast." Election day is approaching and her re-election campaign relies heavily on whether or not to build a casino for the troubled city.
This, it should be said, is the one and only plot point in the entire play. No side stories, no interesting counter-dialogue, which is simply not enough. What could have been summed up in one act is strewn out across two instead.
When Joanna's uncle, Carmine (Teddy Coluca), offers financial help to fund her campaign, she promptly declines any ties to her uncle's mob roots. "Dirty money" is nothing she wants a part of. She would rather win on her merits, she proclaims repeatedly.
Caruso is dull as a mayor and as a character. She's convincingly troubled in her dilemma, but not satisfying as the voice of her city. Her character's centrality is an allegory to Buffalo itself, given her determined resolution but ultimate indecision.
Coluca, with fellow "Shooting Craps" cast members James Dybas ("Charlie Fox") and Tony Hoty ("Buffalo Calf") in "Breaking Legs," is on stage too long for the balance of dialogue. He also talks way too fast and has a slight, spitting lisp; audience members sitting in the front row probably get rained on a bit during his scenes.
One performance stands out as worthwhile, though. While Geraldine Librandi is hilarious as Carmine's elderly, Italian-born mother, Lena, she is the only gem in the rough of this play. Dulack's ethnically based humor is sharpest and crudest when coming from her mouth. A hybrid of Sophia Petrillo and Father Guido Sarducci, she steals many scenes and is a delight.
What ends up causing a stir in the slim and very shady plot is "Buffalo Calf," a Native American brought in by Carmine and Charlie to help Joanna prove the authenticity of their city's tribal grounds. The fact that the character is not a Native American, but a fugitive posing as a favor to Joanna's uncle, borders on ethnic humor that is as unfunny as it is offensive.
What is supposed to propose a politically topical piece of art for the audience of Buffalo to learn from ends up a loss. No risk is taken by the producers to present a viable discussion piece that could possibly spark actual conversation, despite their effort to provide politically salient artistic debate.
Let's just hope their next play isn't about hockey.
Photo: Meredith Forrest Kulwicki
