The Vagrant
The Vagrant
Written by Brett Hursey
Directed by Winnie Wenglewick and John McDonald
Starring Sean Delaney, David Martin, and Michelle Papaycik
Dangerous Theater
Sanford, FL</strong>
This commentary was prepared from a technical rehersal.
How the mighty have fallen! Lenny (Martin) may live on a steam grate and beg hot dogs from long suffering hot dog man Rodney (John Sullivan), but he used to be a fully certified Master of the Universe. He overhears Wall Street trainees John (Delaney) and Rachel (Papaycik) looking for an angle to get noticed on the trading floor. So he gives them a few tips, and soon they are showing decent profits and a promising future. That’s not the case with Lenny’s best friend Maggy (Wenglewick); she’s not only on the street, but abandoned by her otherwise successful Shriner son. The mystery of the stock tips soon unravels, and there’s a dang good reason Lenny’s living on a steam grate and not trading volatility swaps. This puts both John and Rachel in potential trouble themselves. One stays on the elevator to ulcers and riches, the other retires to a florist shop in upstate Somewhere Flat.
While this story takes a while to get up on its feet, it’s a compelling study of honesty and morality played out against the backdrop of people who have fallen off the economic and sanity ladder. Lenny’s teeth are convincing, and Ms. Wenglewick’s excels at the tragicomic insane street people role. The John / Rachel pairing works as well, you are never clear if they’re a couple or just a couple of interns trying to figure out the system. He’s the nice one, but I see her as forcing orphanages into bankruptcy just for the commission. The Dangerous space is shaping up as well. The light plot is better, the chairs nicer, and the sound bleed seems under control. This is a story with heart and laughs, and while Lenny certainly looks street, he smells like he has a regular apartment somewhere. He also gets the best line tonight: “I just can’t say “no” to lunchmeat!” Brave words, indeed.
For more information on Dangerous Theatre, please visit DangerousTheatre.com/. Please note Dangerous Theatre operates in both Sanford, FL and Denver CO.
