Anyone with even the slightest awareness of the young pop
star Justin Bieber and his recent antics knows that the mix of celebrity and
adolescence can be a toxic combination.
So it’s very nice to report that the young actor Jake Cannavale has put
his celebrity to good use by making his stage debut in the new play Basilica,
which is running in a Rattlestick Playwrights Theatre production at the Cherry
Lane Theatre through June 22.
Cannavale may not yet have Bieber’s star wattage but he is
the son of actor Bobby Cannavale and the screenwriter Jenny Lumet, the grandson
of the film director Sidney Lumet and the great-grandson of the legendary
performer Lena Horne. And, to be honest, it’s unlikely that I would have gone
to see Basilica if he hadn’t been it.
Now I’m glad I did see it because as imperfect a play as Basilica
is, both its playwright Mando Alvarado and this production, sensitively
directed by Jerry Ruiz, deserve attention.
You may have noticed that both those
names are Hispanic. And if you know even a little about theater in New York,
you know that Hispanic playwrights, directors and even actors are woefully
underrepresented on our main-stem stages.
The fact that Jake Cannavale, who can claim Italian, Jewish, Cuban and African-American roots, would choose to make his maiden performance with this least theatrically represented of groups says a lot about him.
Basilica centers around a Mexican-American family
living in a small Texas border town. The father Joe used to be a high-school
football star but dropped out when Lela, the girl he loved—and still adores—got
pregnant.
By the time the play begins, the now-married couple have settled
into a working-class life that revolves around trying to keep their jobs in a
shaky economy, maintaining their faith by attending mass at the local titular
church and raising their two teen kids, Ray and Jessica.
The family’s routine is upset when a new priest, who grew up
in the town but moved on to a grander life, arrives to head the basilica. All
kinds of hell break loose and the play spins into melodrama.
That latter statement isn’t entirely meant as a
putdown. I don’t mind being manipulated
by a play—as long as the maneuvering is skillfully done. Alvarado clearly
has affection for his characters and he writes dialog that is both real and
engaging. And he has some important things to say about love, faith and family.
He isn’t, however, as deft at plot development. You can see some twists coming from a mile
away. While other events come out of nowhere and throw everything around them
off-kilter. A would-be humorous subplot about Jessica’s flirtations with a variety of religions meanders as well.
Still, there’s some terrific acting in Basilica, most of it
coming from Felix Solis, who brings such unaffected likability to Joe that the
end of the play packs a surprising punch, despite the contrivances that get us there.
And what of Cannavale?
Well, although he’s only 17 and is just finishing his senior year in
high school, he’s chosen wisely for his stage debut: Ray, who agonizes over not being more like his father, is a central character
in the play but the role is relatively small.
It also helps that some of the young actor’s awkwardness
dovetails with the character’s. But all that aside, Cannavale has a natural stage presence and, as my
stepdaughter whispered when he made his first appearance, is just as cute as
his dad.
The young Cannavale made an equally impressive debut with
his featured role last season as a troubled teen on Edie Falco’s TV series
“Nurse Jackie,” but his Playbill bio says he’s headed to Emerson College
in the fall. His performance in Basilica suggests that, when he
graduates, he should return to the stage.
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