MANSFIELD — A talented ensemble of actors rock the stage to its very foundation at the MMAS Black Box Theater’s current production of Tom Griffin’s “The Boys Next Door.”
The script features seven strong personalities that gel into an unforgettable whole under Kelly Crawford’s direction.
As the play opens in 1982, Arnold Wiggins introduces the audience to his apartment. It’s home to four adult men who are in transition from a supervised group home to independence in the community.
Playing Arnold, Kevin Mischley of Wrentham starts out with a low-key demeanor as “a nervous man.” But over the course of the play he displays an enormous range of wild “behavior patterns” that steal the scene, time after time. Mischley is a tour de force as the totally believable Arnold.
Brian Vogel enters the room as Lucien P. Smith, carrying his treasured library card and a stack of library books. Vogel portrays Lucien with a finely nuanced, authentic performance, staying true to the strengths and deficiencies of the character. In Act 2, he steps out of the scene to present a monologue you will never forget and then slips back into his own reality of “profound confusion.” Powerful.
Kevin Hayes plays the character of Norman Bulansky, who we meet as he returns home from his job at the “Donut Store.” Hayes plays Norman all in and masters his favorite expression, “Oh boy! Oh boy! Oh boy!” Hayes has a fabulous scene with Mischley at the dance party where the two simply tear down the house with a conversation about the girls.
Act 1 ends with Norman and Sheila on the dance floor. They are truly “two drifters off to see the world” as they dance to “Moon River.” The beautiful waltz sequence, choreographed by Dori Bryan Ployer, magically depicts the couple as they feel, not as they appear. Laura Gustafson of Norton plays Sheila with authentic dignity throughout the play. Well done, Laura.
Greg Smith rounds out the foursome as Barry Klemper, aspiring golf pro who offers lessons by the hour to residents of the apartment complex. He’s saving his earnings to buy his first set of clubs. He’s an enigma at first, but Smith reveals Barry’s true character in Act 2. Bill Roberts of Norfolk plays his visiting father, and suddenly all is, sadly, crystal clear.
Adam Law of Bridgewater plays Jack, the social worker assigned to supervise the group home. He’s the glue that holds the team together, coaching them on chores, life skills and “behavior patterns.” Jack has numerous monologues where he steps out of the scene to disclose his own back story as well as disturbing facts about the treatment of those with cognitive disabilities and mental illnesses.
Crawford has crafted the hilarious script and the ensemble’s ongoing loud arguments into a production with heart and soul.
“The Boys Next Door” runs through June 24 at the MMAS Black Box Theater, 377 North Main St., Mansfield. Shows are at 8 p.m. Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays, and 2 p.m. Sundays. Tickets are $29 on weekends and $25 for Thursdays. (www.mmas.org, 508-339-2822)
