I had the wonderful opportunity to view The Patsy last Friday evening, and I know that I will not forget it anytime soon. By the time the final curtain closed, I laughed, cringed, and had connected with each of the characters I had been watching.
The Patsy is the story of one man’s struggle to remain faithful to his wife, who in turn must herself be true being pursued by numerous suitors.
Among the shows numerous stars, two actors stood out among the rest. Senior Zach Demet’s awe-inspiring performance Gerhard Ziegler, and senior Nikole Tzioufas as his troublemaker wife Marta.
Playing a German boxer from Munich, Demet had to inspire fear in the audience as a professional fighter, but also make the audience laugh during his chats with Maurice Vatelin played by senior Bryan Kingsley. Demet played both roles to perfection in Act 2 where he seamlessly switched from playfully tossing Kingsley around to ferociously circling his wife who had just been caught cheating.
Demet’s acting was only rivaled by that of Tzioufas, who played his boisterous wife Marta. We know that before the events of the play Tzioufas’s character had had an affair with Kingsley’s and that she is still in love with him. Tzioufas gave the performance of the night from the moment she appeared on stage, wowing the crowd with her solid German accent and her subtle actions.
While Demet and Tzioufas might have drawn the most attention from the crowd, the rest of the cast performed worthy of accolades. Junior Kevin Staunton delivered a strong performance as Ernest Redillon and senior Katie Barth stole the show acting as an deaf old woman.
A noteworthy contributor to The Patsy’s success Friday night was the set. In each of the three acts, the entire stage was covered in decor and props that not only highlighted the performance of the actors, but also demanded attention themselves. The three double doors used in Act 1 were both grand (even from afar) and detailed.
The only hiccup in the set was the strength of the bed used in Act 2. When Staunton seductively leapt onto it part of its support gave way.Before coming to the show I had traveled by car for four hours on my way back from Indiana and was trying to decide whether or not to come see The Patsy. I am so glad I did.
