Does Love Really Conquer All?
PACA presents The Goat, or Who is Sylvia? Onstage
BEGINNING FRIDAY, OCT. 9
Martin Gray's got it all: a loving wife, a doting son, a highly sought-after prize… but Martin's got a secret, and it may just bring his whole world crumbling down. The Performing Artist Collective Alliance (PACA) is proud to present The Goat, or Who is Sylvia? onstage.
The Goat is a multiple award-winning tragicomedy about a 50-year-old man who, upon being interviewed and put on television for winning the coveted Pritzker Prize, reveals that he has fallen in love with Sylvia, a literal goat, and the fallout of such a confession. Written by Edward Albee, the play opened on Broadway in 2002, won a Tony, and was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize. It later received further accolades during its runtime in London.
While considered an absurd concept, this is not Albee's first work that has led to criticism. His other works, The Zoo Story, The Sandbox, Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, A Delicate Balance, and Three Tall Women all examine aspects of the human condition. In this play's case, it asks the questions: "Where do we draw the line? When is enough enough?" For the modern liberal family depicted in The Goat, does bestiality cross that line? Is it considered enough? Or too much?
"They say for a musical to be successful, the audience has to leave humming a song. For a drama to be successful, or a tragicomedy such as this, they have to leave the theater talking about its ideas," Executive Director Mark Tanenbaum said.
Though limited in its runtime and casting (Jordan Gilmore as Martin Gray, Megs Harrison as Stevie Gray, Klovn Wabbel as Billy Gray, and Devin Chaney as Ross Tuttle), this production packs a punch, offering witty dialogue, action, and emotion into every scene. "In the midst of all the chaos and consequences, the show ponders if someone is in love, does that make everything else excusable? Can love forgive everything? Albee encourages these conversations and more," continued Tanenbaum.
The show is intended for mature audiences.
Fridays and Saturdays, Oct. 9 through Oct. 24 at 7:30 p.m. // Thursdays, Oct. 8 and Oct. 15 at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday, Oct. 11 at 2 p.m. // PACA, 1505 State St. // $20 // For tickets and info: tickets.eriereader.com
