The UMass Boston Theatre is at it once again with their performance of Sam Sheperd’s 1983 play Fool for Love. UMB Theatre’s second show of the semester will be performed in the McCormack Theatre this Thursday through Sunday. Senior Stage director Kerri Leigh describes the play as “a play about a couple in a very volatile relationship surrounded by mystery and drama”.
This is Kerri Leigh’s “first time stage directing all by my lonesome” which she considers “bittersweet because it is my last semester here.” Under the direction of director-professor Daniel Gidron, Leigh and the all-student cast have been actively rehearsing since the set of this semester’s first – and highly successful – show Suburbia was dismantled, “I think our largest challenge has been having such a short amount of time to prepare. Not only have the actors been put under pressure, but every aspect of the show has had to be put into fast forward,” Leigh explained.
Sheperd’s play is “of forbidden love set against a wasteland at the edge of the Mojave Desert. It is a gritty, if somewhat ambiguous tale of dysfunctional relationships, played out in a claustrophobic setting of a dingy motel room,” reads the RTE Entertainment Guide. Leigh says that the set designed by professor Laura Schrader is “bare and disheveled that leaves plenty of space for May (Dalilah Freedman) and Eddie’s (Marc Mancini) story to unfold”.
Costumes designed by Heather Phillips achieve a look that is “timeless and not too bold… to set the mood of the play.” The costumes are in modern western fashion, which reflects the location of the play. The sultry lead May transforms from casual and drab to sexy in a hot red number you don’t want to miss.
Fool for Love is prevalent to the UMass community because all people have had “a relationship that they can’t let go of…. It’s strange to watch something that you have been through or are going through.” Aside from “the pleasure of working with an amazing cast who put in so much time and effort, every single cast member has stepped up, resulting in amazing performances.”
Leigh expressed that working with professor Gidron was quite beneficial, “I have not done a show that has been tackled in the way Danny has approached this show. There has been a concentration on language and motivation. We are lucky here at UMass to have professors that actually have real life experience in the fields they teach. It is great to have insight on how a professional director works and the way he dissects a script.”
The cast and crew of Fool for Love have been rehearsing extensively to prepare for this week’s opening. A schedule of rehearsing at least four days a week at five hours per session has been “intense, emotional and physical… [and] has taken a toll on the actors, but you wouldn’t know it because they are all fantastic.” Fool for Love is Leigh’s last production here at UMass and she considers it to be similar to her other UMB Theatre experiences “perhaps crazy and stressful, but always a pleasure”. Her parting words; “I would like to go out with a bang, so everyone should come see this show. It’s great!”
To support your fellow UMB studentsUMB Theatre Production of Fool for LoveMcCormack Theatre, 2nd Floor McCormackThursday May 4th @ 5pm ($5 Discount Matinee) & 8pmFriday May 5th @ 8pmSaturday May 6th @ 8pmSunday May 7th @ 2pmTickets: $7 – students & $10 – non-students