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by dick kerekes
dickkerekes@yahoo.com
Players by the Sea Studio Theater was, last weekend, the scene of the World Premiere of Barbara Colaciello Williams’ one-woman show, Life on the Diagonal and Beyond. This special performance was presented in preparation for taking the show to New York later this year.
Ms. Williams is the Educational Director of Players by the Sea, but her considerable talents are seen in many aspects of theatre, including directing, playwriting and performing. Barbara directed Letson’s Julius X to great success recently. She has an extensive resume of theater achievements from New York and Pennsylvania. Jacksonville audiences are lucky she and her husband Mark now reside in Ponte Vedra.
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This 90-minute show works on several levels, so every viewer’s experience is likely to be different. Ms. Williams gives us a version of her life. She was born in l951, and her story comes through in spoken word poetry, songs and dance. She tells us the good, the bad and the sublime highlights of upbringing and early life. The program has four sections titled “Come into My Room,” “You’re in Motion,” “Story Knife” and “Alternate Reality.”
The opening scene includes guest-performer David Girard dancing with Williams, vocally providing a sound like a cymbal to augment the accompaniment of the drum. Williams described moments in her childhood, her New York Italian family, and the story of her mother changing her birth date from a January date to December so she could start school a year early. (I found this portion especially humorous.) This lead to a monologue titled “On the Wings of Deception,” wherein she describes various lies. Lies we tell and the lies that others imparted to us.
After singing “You’re in Motion,” Williams made us aware that technology overwhelms us. Her example is buying a new TV and getting three remotes with it. Her description of a fantasy job is driving cars, which she vividly describes as weapons of mass destruction.
“Story Knife” was the most poignant segment of the show, as Ms. Williams explained the history of knives used by cultures to draw pictures of their lives in the sand. She describes in detail, a physical assault against her by a knife-wielding intruder and how close she came to losing her life. This was a very moving piece that could stand alone.
The evening finished up with “Alternate Reality” wherein she examines her perspectives on living again in a humorous manner.
Ms. Williams made three costumes changes, starting with a simple summer dress and finishing with a classy gown. The set by Ann Roberts was simple but effective. The black stage had a large chalk white mandala type pattern, like it had been made by a knife in sand. A cane-back chair, a bag of remote controls and a piece of crochet work completed the prop list. (There was a small end table at the back of the set for a bottle of water, may I suggest a crystal goblet in future shows? It would certainly look more elegant.)
The style and words of the original songs by Ms. Williams reminded me of my two favorite French singer/songwriters, Charles Aznavour and Jacques Brel. I enjoyed the music very much.
The production was directed by Robert Arleigh White, longtime executive and artistic director of Theater Jacksonville and now Executive Director for the Jacksonville Cultural Council. The evocative light design was by David Paul with Mark Williams as the musical director.
Thanks, Barbara Colaciello Williams, for a most interesting and thought-provoking evening of theater. Good luck in the Big Apple. Thanks to Player’s Executive Director Joe Schwarz, for bringing innovate and challenging productions to the North Florida theater scene.
Article Published in the 03-08 Issue of EU Jacksonville
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